Marat Mirzoyan, the commander of the first unit of the Ijevan Fire and Rescue Squad of the Tavush Regional Rescue Service was recognized as the Best Rescuer of 2023. He received this honor due to his achievements in carrying out service duties over the past year, his exemplary performance, professional preparedness and high readiness demonstrated during operational responses to emergencies and incidents, as well as his diligent attitude towards functional responsibilities.

"I began my service as a rescuer 18 years ago, and I have served with honor until today and will continue to do so until the end of my career”, said Marat Mirzoyan. He highlighted that one of the essential principles for a rescuer was the constant desire to learn and improve. It was crucial to be well-rounded to make quick and accurate decisions in any situation.

"Marat Mirzoyan deserved the title of the Best Rescuer of the year. I say this as someone who has worked with him for 10 years and knows his abilities well," noticed Gevorg Martinyan, Head of the Ijevan Fire and Rescue Squad. According to the squad commander, Mher Vanesyan, there were numerous instances where Marat had participated in mitigating the results of emergencies and his colleagues often consult him. Marat implemented his service as a rescuer for 18 years, during which he had responded to many emergencies alongside his colleagues.

For his role in the aftermath of the explosion at the "Surmalu" shopping center and the search and rescue efforts following the devastating earthquake in the Syrian Arab Republic in 2023, Marat Mirzoyan were received numerous commendations for his high level of professional preparedness and the achievements he has attained in fulfilling his service duties.

"I knew what we were going to Syria and what we would witness. We performed our tasks very clearly at the scene. There were teams from other countries that wanted to work with us after seeing our professional work," shared Marat Mirzoyan. While he found it difficult to quantify how many lives he had saved, he highlighted the devastating earthquake in Syria from recent years. He recalled that after their shift, the relatives of those rescued from the disaster zone would offer them hot tea and coffee in appreciation of their efforts. With a modest smile, he added, "It was nice, no doubt". For the best rescuer of the year, helping others in difficult times was a rewarding and selfless.
This is a rewarding and selfless job.

“A crucial prerequisite for being a rescuer is to be humanitarian”, said Marat Mirzoyan. Due to his work, he often unable to spend time with his family, so he tried to use the time he had wisely. Marat had two sons and a daughter. His eldest son was interested in following in his father’s footsteps and Marat should do everything to support his son’s involvement in public safety and the organization of normal social life. Each day, Marat begins with the strong wish that there will be no emergencies and that any existing situations have positive outcomes. This was the hope of all rescuers. Every employee of the Rescue Service of MIA of RA was dedicated to serving our country and our people. This is the key to the success of the Rescue Service.