NEW CHALANGES AND POSSIBLE REORGANIZATION OF THE SLOVENE MOUNTAIN RESCUE SERVICE

Abstract

Mountain climbing has a very long history among the Slovenes, as has the Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service. The first Slovenian mountain rescue station was set up in 1912 but the tradition of mountain rescue dates back even further. The law defines the current Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service as a public rescue service of national importance. It is today organized in the form of 17 stations covering the entire Slovenian Alpine and Sub-Alpine regions. The Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service was formally recognized by the International Mountain Rescue Commission (IKAR) in 1992, although the Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service has co-operated actively with this Commission and was the representative of all Yugoslav mountain rescuers from 1955 on. From the organizational point of view, the Mountain Rescue Service is the most important pillar of the Slovene Mountain Climbing Association. The Mountain Rescue Service was originally organized for help and rescue of the Mountain Climbing Association’s members. Since ever more visitors visit the Slovene mountains (in 2005 estimated as around 2.5 million) and many of them are not members of the Mountain Climbing Association, new challenges must be tackled in the future. The number of rescue missions undertaken is growing from year to year; and more and more rescue missions are closely connected with new sports and activities of mountain climbers. The Mountain Rescue Service has therefore had to cope with new rescue approaches, using new equipment on even more difficult terrain. Given that, the Mountain Rescue Service stands at a crossroads, with two organizational possibilities offered for the future: professionalisation of the Mountain Rescue Service or retaining the current status, with the core of rescue workers being amateurs. The question of guaranteeing adequate financial resources has also to be solved. Some experts recommend the transfer of responsibility from the state (which finances all rescue missions, regardless of the insurance of the injured person) onto the shoulders of mountain climbers. However, there are several obstacles to that path. Some of these questions are discussed in the paper and several answers to them are offered.