Awards of Rescuers on the Water in the City of Tiflis in the Second Half of the XIX – Early XX Centurie

The relevance of the article is that the Water Rescue Society in the city of Tiflis was an organization that provides assistance to drowning people and consists of enthusiasts. At the turn of the twentieth century . The Maritime Ministry of Russia took care of a significant number of annual accidents that occurred on the reservoirs of the Russian Empire. The created Russian society of rescuers tried to establish branches in all significant provincial cities. Among the provincial rescue societies, the Tiflis organization stood out for its active professional activity and support from the official authorities, merchants and clergy. From the very beginning of its existence, members of the Tiflis Rescue Society have contributed to the national cause of saving drowning people. The purpose of the article is to analyze the award system of the Russian Society of rescuers and to characterize the merits of the Tiflis district public organization in rescuing drowning people in the province. Objectives of the article: With the help of little-known published reports of the Tiflis Rescue Society to analyze the process of formation of the Russian award system associated with the rescue of drowning. To consider the activities of the Russian Society of rescuers aimed at rewarding professional and voluntary rescuers of the Tiflis province. To identify the peculiarities of awarding the personnel of the Tiflis Rescue Society and to determine the achievements of the provincial public organization in the rescue of drowning. Methodology. The work used traditional and general scientific methods together with a historical and situational approach in the study of the features of encouraging and rewarding members of the Tiflis Rescue Society at the All-Russian level. Results. The award system formed by the Russian Society of rescuers, together with the distinctive signs of district organizations, were a significant incentive for the development of the cause of drowning rescue in pre-revolutionary Russia. The conclusions of the article contain an opinion on the effectiveness and attractiveness of the award system together with distinctive signs for district public organizations formed by the Russian Society of rescuers. The use of such an organizational approach contributed to the main task, i.e. popularization of the national cause of drowning rescue among professional rescuers and enthusiasts of the social movement.