Emergency workers fired, demoted after Uldana Myrzuan's death; one had been awarded by Tokayev

At a court hearing in Astana regarding the death of paramedic Uldana Myrzuan, it emerged that some emergency workers who rescued people have been dismissed or demoted, reports infohub.kz.

As emergency worker Ayan Kempirov, called to testify, told the court, on the day of the tragedy the dispatcher sent them to the scene, saying a girl had been hit by an air conditioner.

“We arrived in 4 minutes. Upon arrival, we saw two ambulances. The ambulance was carrying a girl on a stretcher, also in their uniform, in red – we realized she was an ambulance worker. We conducted reconnaissance. There was severe ice and snowfall. We found two more people lying deeper inside the store – a man and a woman at the back entrance. Where the collapse happened, there were bricks, metal sheets, and air conditioners. We pulled the victims out and brought them into the store. They were unconscious, then medics began providing aid. Later, police arrived and cordoned off the scene,” Kempirov said.

During questioning, it was revealed that after rescuing people, he was demoted.

“My current position is firefighter; I was demoted. Before that, I was a squad commander. I was demoted due to this incident. They told me to write a report and transferred me to another unit,” the rescuer said.

He added that he does not know the reason for the demotion. Three other rescuers were on the call with him – the shift supervisor, who, according to him, resigned after the tragedy, and another transferred to a different region. Only the position of the fourth rescuer, a firefighter, remained unchanged.

It is worth recalling that in 2022, Ayan Kempirov was awarded the Order of Aibyn, III degree, for risking his life to save several people from a burning apartment and smoke-filled parts of a residential building in Astana, along with other firefighters – the rescuer suffered burns.

The decree awarding the injured firefighters Ayan Kempirov and Askar Zabikulin was signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Earlier, the court heard from victims – Gulnur Kaliyeva, who became disabled after the incident, and her brother, who rushed to help his sister after receiving her call. Also, a colleague of Uldana Myrzuan, who was with her on the day of the tragedy, testified.