THE NATIONAL CIVIL PROTECTION UNIT FOR TECHNICAL DIVING

Abstract

The nineties saw a boom in diving in the karst underground. The first accident occurred in April 1995 in the lake Divje jezero. The rescue was undertaken by the divers of the Cave Rescue Service of the Slovene Speleological Association, who examined 60m of the siphon tunnel, which is the depth they were able to examine with the equipment they had at that time. In addition to accidents in caves, diving accidents also occurred in water and in the “urban underground”, i.e., ditches, drains, etc. Numerous incidents showed the need for the organization of a specialized search and rescue unit, where a more in-depth knowledge of diving, such as diving with appropriate autonomous diving equipment for deep waters, would be required. With the accession of Slovenia to the EU, NATO, the UN and other international organizations came the need for the establishment of specialized civil protection units which would be capable of rapid response in the homeland in the event of earthquakes, floods, avalanches, drowning and other major disasters, as well as the need to participate in international humanitarian and rescue operations. By a ministerial order of the Minister of Defence with regard to the formation of the criteria for the organization and equipping of the Rapid Intervention Unit, the National Rapid Intervention Unit was established in 2001. The unit also comprises the Technical Diving Platoon (ETP).