Visegrad Fund Projects

EXCHANGE OF SPECIALIST EXPERIENCE IN ORDER TO IMPROVE MOUNTAIN RESCUE STRUCTURES IN GEORGIA.

The aim of the project is the transfer of specialist knowledge and experience in the field of mountain rescue from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Georgia. These countries of the Visegrad Group have outstanding mountain rescue operations, and are able to share their best practices and in some times unique approaches. By combining the expertise of these three countries we are able to develop mountain rescue in Georgia into a world-class operation.

Mountain rescue services in Georgia are the results of: an initiative of a local partner in Georgia, the Geopl.eu; the efforts of the ICAD Foundation and the mountain rescuers themselves from the Mountain Rescue in Georgia “Safety in the mountains” formation. You can read the whole story of mountain rescue formation here.

As part of this project, a series of training courses for mountain rescuers from 4 regions in Georgia will be held in cartography & topography as well as mountain rescue dispatchers. Specialist training of topography and cartography is necessary due to the future activities of the rescuers and low knowledge in this field among the mountain rescue trainees. The second area of expertise that we seek to develop is mountain rescuer dispatcher training. This will allow participants of the training to interview injured persons, give them guidance and appropriately direct the rescue team.

Project activities are aimed at having well trained local staff in Georgia who will have the capacity to educate future generations of mountain rescuers in Georgia. Specialized training of several people will enable us to supplement each team with a specialist in cartography and topography. The participants will be able to share their knowledge with others after their training, in addition to being able to work effectively in their field of specialization.

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

Thanks to the support from the International Visegrad Fund in 2019, we were able to carry out training in following topics: working with a medical dispatcher along with GPS and topography training.

The beneficiaries of the training were selected from members of the Mountain Rescue in Georgia “Safety in the mountains” from 4 regions of Georgia. Participants through the project receive the necessary knowledge, thereby improving the operational capabilities of their organization.

The training was carried out by Polish rescuers and experts from the Specialized Services Department Geopl.eu ltd. and the Podhale Group GOPR, rescuers from Slovakia from Horska Služba Pieninského Národného Park, as well as rescuers from Czech Republic from Horská Služba Jizerské Hory. A field game took place during the training, it was a very important part of the whole project that tested and deepened participant’s skills . During the game, every trainee had to prove their skills in: cartography, work with a compass and GPS, cooperation with a dispatcher, organizing a rescue operation. The winners received professional trekking smart-watches, professional jackets and backpacks. Received equipment will be used during rescue operations.

The project supported the creation of mountain rescue in Georgia and in the future will allow participants to independently carry out training for other rescuers.