2018-2020 ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT IN CREATING MOUNTAIN RESCUE STRUCTURES IN GEORGIA – SVANETIA REGION AND KAZBEG MASSIVE REGION.

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: 2018-2020
STATUS: in progress
SOURCE OF FINANCING: the Polish Aid development cooperation program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
CO-FINANCING AMOUNT: 2018 – PLN 752 972.60 (total cost: PLN 841 752.90) 2019 – PLN 686,040.00 (total cost: PLN 765,540.00) 2020 – PLN 768 156.00 (total cost: 871 656, 00 PLN)
PROJECT PARTNERS: Mountain Rescue in Georgia “Safety in the mountains”, Zakład Usług Specjalistycznych Geopl.eu Ltd., Board of Administration of Mestia Municipality, Municipality of Kazbegi, Kazbegi National Park. Friends Association, Tatra Volunteer Ambulance Service (TOPR), Mountain Volunteer Ambulance Service (GOPR).

The project is a continuation of the 2016 activities realised as the part as the project: “Integration and raising qualifications and operational capabilities of mountain rescue services in Mestia-Svanetia region”, co-financed by the Polish Aid program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

The main goal of the project is to support public administration in creating mountain rescue structures in Georgia. Currently, the number of people responsible for the safety of tourists in Svanetia and Kazbegi, as well as their equipment and level of training are insufficient to effectively respond in situations of health or life threat. During the implementation of the project, actions will be taken to build the foundations for an independent and professional mountain rescue service in Georgia.

The project will enable the creation of a coaching team that will be able to conduct trainings independently and continue the development of rescue in Georgia. 72 people will be trained, including six people achieving the status of Aspirant Instructor, the other participants will reach level Candidate and Candidate I, Candidate II and Candidate III mountain rescuer position.

Training, which is the main part of the project, will be carried out by specialists from the Department of Specialist Services Geopl.eu and members of Polish rescue organizations: Mountain Volunteer Ambulance Service (GOPR) and Tatra Mountain Volunteer Ambulance Service TOPR. Department os specialist services Geopl.eu, with which the ICAD Foundation has been cooperating since 2015, also carries out a number of additional complementary activities supporting mountain rescue in Georgia. All trainings are conducted in accordance with IKAR (International Commission for Alpine Rescue) standards, recognized all over the world.

The possibility of implementing the above-mentioned activities arose primarily due to the large commitment of the lifeguards themselves. As part of the project activities, 12 trainees were trained in 2016 and basic rescue equipment was purchased. The implementation of the project was quite successful, as evidenced by the fact that its participants, future rescuers, decided to create their own organization Mountain Rescuers in Georgia “Safety in the Mountains”, on the basis of which further activities are carried out. In addition, in 2017 members of Mountain Rescuers in Georgia “Safety in the Mountains”, with the support of Janusz Brożek from the Department of Specialist Services Geopl.eu, independently developed and improved their mountain rescue skills.

The project for 2018-2020 takes into account the current level of training and the demand for emergency services in the region and throughout the country. The ICAD Foundation has been active in Georgia since 2014, through the implementation of projects co-financed by the Polish Aid program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, systematically supports the development of the mountain rescue sector and tourism. Project activities are carried out in cooperation with local partners: Mountain Rescue in Georgia “Safety in the mountains” (უსაფრთხოების მთაში), Municipality of Kazbegi, Board of Administration of Mestia Municipality, Kazbegi National Park Friends, Department of Specialist Services Geopl.eu, and with partners from Poland, such as Mountain Volunteer Ambulance Service (GOPR) or Tatra Volunteer Ambulance Service (TOPR).

The implementation of the project in 2018-2020 will significantly increase the safety of tourists in the mountainous regions of Georgia (Svanetii and Kzbegi region), mainly due to the creation and support of the development of professional mountain rescue structures.

Current information on the implementation of the project and other ICAD Foundation activities can be found on our Facebook page.