Working in active combat zones, including extinguishing fires under fire and eliminating the consequences of attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles and radio-controlled drones, places unique demands on the professional and psychological resources of employees of EMERCOM of Russian. The aim of the study was to identify differences in perceptions of the work of firefighters with different work experience in the face of unmanned aerial vehicles attacks. The study involved 305 employees of EMERCOM of Russian, divided into three groups: those who perform combat missions directly under fire (n=97), those who perform combat missions after shelling (n=118) and those who have no real experience working on calls after shelling (n=90). The method of content analysis from the respondents' open responses revealed key categories: emotions («fear», «adrenaline»), actions («completing tasks», «salvation») and motivation («survival», «duty»). Correlation analysis showed a high similarity of associations between groups with experience (r=0,75) and a low correlation with a group without experience (r=0,32). The results confirmed that real-world experience generates acute stress reactions and a focus on immediate tasks, while its absence leads to hypothetical and formal attitudes. The study showed the need for psychological support and special training of employees to work in such conditions.