CAVES, CAVING AND THE CAVE RESCUE SERVICE

Abstract

The article briefly describes the Karst and caves, the activity of caving and the Speleological Association of Slovenia (hereinafter:JZS), speleological units of Civil Protection with operational cavers, the functioning of the Cave Rescue Service (hereinafter: JRS) and the work of cave rescuers. Just as in mountaineering (mountaineer-mountain rescuer), various levels of expert and rescue knowledge exist in caving. We call anyone with knowledge from the spheres of moving and working in caves a cave visitor. Members of of JZS can obtain the following titles through training and tests of experience: caving trainee, caver and caving instructor, and with additional knowledge from the sphere of protection and rescue, also caver, operational caver, cave rescuer, operational cave rescuer. There are additionally the following cave rescue specialisations: physician, pilot, diver, miner, bindings and logistics expert, rescue team leader and instructor JRS. The activities and interventions of JRS are explained in particular in the article, and the conclusion of the article presents an analysis of interventions carried out in the period January 1988 to December 2005.