August 3, 2022 - A man got stuck in a deep mud area in the Kopački rit nature park. The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) was called to his rescue. 

A mountain rescue service, obviously, does most of their work in the mountains, but if you find yourself in a situation where you're waist-deep in mud in one of the flattest regions in Croatia, you can also count on them to help you! This is what happened today when around 12:25 pm the staff of the Kopački rit Nature Park informed the HGSS Station Osijek about the above situation.

He was considered to be in danger of further sinking into a deep layer of mud, the highest degree of urgency was determined for the intervention, and the two nearest rescuers immediately went to the location with an all-terrain vehicle, while the other rescuers were on standby. Access to the location was partly by boat and partly by inaccessible terrain. In a coordinated action by rescuers and rangers - nature park supervisors, the person was placed on a medical board using a rope and pulled to safe ground at 3:00 p.m.

This was an unusual, but not at all harmless rescue operation. Both the person in danger who managed to keep his composure, and the timely reaction and high motivation of the park rangers should be commended. The excellent cooperation between HGSS Station Osijek and PP Kopački Rit has been going on since the very foundation of the Station.

June the 17th, 2022 - The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) is usually busy saving tourists from precarious mountain situations at this time of year, with more and more strange and often highly dangerous escapades being cleaned up after as the tourist season goes on.

From tourists attempting to climb Biokovo in Lidl flip-flops without any water on them during hot August afternoons to people who thought they'd be able to skip the ferry and use a giant inflatable flamingo as their mode of transport to get from Makarska to the island of Brac, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service are known to use humour to cope with what must be absolutely frustrating situations.

Goats, however, aren't usually the type of mammal being rescued by this praiseworthy group of people. 

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service branch in Split had an unusual intervention to deal with recently. The person on duty at the time received several calls about a goat that appeared to have become somewhat stuck on a sheer cliff above the sea. As there is an attractive cave nearby which is visited by a large number of tourists, people noticed the unfortunate animal and naturally became worried about the precariously positioned goat and alerted the rescuers.

following a brief search for the exact location on the rocks (calls from worried individuals were made to several different places), members of the Vis Branch of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service arrived by boat to the foot of a sheer cliff, and upon looking up, they saw their stuck individual - not a human, but a goat.

A veterinarian on the mainland was also contacted and concluded that the goat would not survive if it remained stuck there on the cliff, and that it was unable to climb alone. Two rescuers climbed up the rock, pushed the goat down into the sea, and the animal was then pulled aboard, rescued, and taken back to safety, they wrote from the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service.

In the end, the goat was accepted by a local Family Farm because unfortunately there are no veterinarians on the island.

Three members of the Split branch office and six members of the Vis branch office took part in the action to save the goat.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

February 24th, 2022 - The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service was founded in Zagreb 72 years ago. Nowadays, they have 1148 volunteers deployed in 25 stations all over the country

‘For 72 years now, a call to any member of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) has been a call to action to the entire service. In those moments, members of the HGSS put their lives aside so that they can save others. That is why we don’t ask for cards and gifts on our birthday, but we do ask one thing of you: educate yourselves, inform yourselves and get yourselves appropriate equipment before going on an adventure in nature. It’s the best way to ensure we don’t meet. If you found yourselves in the thick of it anyway, you can count on us’, said the members of the HGSS on their birthday.

On this day 72 years ago, the Founding Assembly of the Mountain Rescue Service in Croatia was held in Zagreb. The idea of a team of volunteers saving lives is ingrained in each of the 1148 volunteers of the HGSS, deployed in 25 stations all over Croatia. They’re all committed to a single mission - prevention, education, rescue and search for the injured.

‘Since the service was established, the HGSS has participated in over 10,000 rescue missions. Last year alone, we carried out 754 rescue missions and 150 interventions. Our crews took part in 196 searches, 27 actions on water and 48 actions in ski resorts. In addition, at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, we faced the greatest tragedy since Croatia's independence: the disastrous Banovina earthquake. HGSS is still active in that area as an intervention force, and is a fundamental component of the civil protection system and a part of the Homeland Security system. We visited 1420 locations, conducted 2164 preventive visits, successfully carried out 683 high-altitude missions and 39 operations involving search teams with search dogs who located people and animals under the rubble’, said head of the HGSS Josip Granić.

‘Members of the HGSS are volunteers - primarily alpinists, but also speleologists, high-altitude mountain climbers and skiers trained in first aid and all mountain rescue techniques, including helicopter rescue, search operations in inaccessible terrain, and operations involving search dogs. They give their knowledge and precious time unconditionally and at any given moment in order to save the lives of others. People with big hearts and the wish to help others are the biggest treasure we have. Without them, there would be no HGSS. This is why we again appeal to all citizens and nature lovers - inform yourselves and gear up before an adventure in nature. Look after yourselves, and we’ll keep looking after you’, said Granić.

Happy birthday, HGSS, and thank you for all that you do!

ZAGREB, 29 June, 2021 - President Zoran Milanović held a working meeting on Tuesday with members of the HGSS mountain rescue service, with its leaders informing him of the HGSS's structure and the way it provides assistance to people in areas affected by earthquakes and floods.

They also informed Milanović of the preparations for the tourism season, saying that each year, the HGSS has a large number of interventions, the President's Office said in a press release.

HGSS is a voluntary, non-profit, humanitarian, national service, it was said at the meeting. It conducts rescue operations but its mission also includes prevention and education. The service numbers 1,100 members, and they are all volunteers who annually conduct about 1,000 interventions throughout Croatia.

HGSS was founded in 1950 and it marks its day on 15 June, the Feast of St. Bernard, the patron saint of mountain climbers and mountain rescuers.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 12, 2021 - Croatia is often described as one of the safest countries in the world. However, even if no danger will come to them, many people will still actively seek it - with disastrous consequences. To discuss this phenomenon, we sat down with Josip Granić, the youngest head in the history of Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (CMRS) a volunteer, nonprofit organisation which in 2020 celebrated the 70th anniversary of its founding. 

In 2007, this Split-born CRMS instructor, dog handler, helicopter rescue trainer, and international Swiftwater and flood rescue instructor won the award 'Pride of Croatia' for saving a four-year-old boy who had wandered off into the forest near his home.  During the filming of Game of Thrones in Split, he served as the marine department member, ensuring all safety protocols were being implemented when working around the sea, and acted as a rowing instructor for some of the actors. He is proud to point out that in all of its 70 years, no CMRS member was seriously injured or died in an intervention, nor did a single person who they rescued.

Josip Granić with Hosan, a Scottish border-collie who was involved in the rescue mission of a four-year-old boy in 2007.  Hosan passed away in 2015. © Kristina Stedul Fabac/Pixsell

1. Can anyone join and become a member of CMRS? What does the process of admitting new members to CMRS look like?

In accordance with Croatian Mountain Rescue Service Statute, a potential candidate must get a recommendation of two mountain rescuers (there are several categories of members: rescuers, mountain rescuers, instructors, and so on), as mountain rescuers are, as a rule, experienced and long-term members of CMRS.

However, considering the workload and a wide variety of tasks of our organisation, we are also accepting members who had not necessarily been suggested by the aforementioned mountain rescuers.

Still, it’s important to emphasize that it is always CMR who initiates contact with potential members – and not the other way around. There are exceptions, of course, but, as a rule, we don’t accept applications.

So, the short answer would be that existing members nominate new members.

© Ivana Ivanovic/Pixsell

2. Who selects new members and according to what criteria? Are they required to have previous experience or certain qualifications?

Members are selected based on their CV – we look for specific activities which would make a person a useful addition to our organisation – hiking, speleology, alpinism, skiing – or specific knowledge we may need at the time – PR or IT skills. Those who had suggested the candidate also get a chance to tell us more about them and why they find them suitable for the position in question.

Then, all those who are present at a meeting – new members are selected at CMRS meetings - cast their vote, and the person is accepted as a member.

When it comes to essential skills we look for as an organisation (experience in hiking, alpinism, and so forth), the people we choose need to be exceptional in their field, and that generally goes for all other positions we require, such as IT experts, or medical professionals.

Then, they all go through our training which ideally lasts for two to two-and-a-half years.

There are many additional courses our members go through throughout their time with us. The process of learning never really ends for a CMRS member and all of us continually work on improving our knowledge and skills.

Our members need to be physically fit as well– we require a medical certificate which states that a person doesn’t suffer from any chronic illness which would prevent them from participating in any of our activities. And last but not least – we value and appreciate a person’s altruism and wish to do something for the benefit of the community.

In April 2021, CMRS' Karlovac station received funding from the Ministry of Tourism. © Kristina Stedul Fabac/Pixsell

3.  CMRS is a nonprofit, volunteer organization. Members donate their time voluntarily, and the CMRS does not charge for its services.

So, how does CMRS finance itself?

Exactly. CMRS is a volunteer organisation that consists of twenty-five base stations all across Croatia. Most of the work we do is free, there is only a small number of specialized watches for which the members receive compensation in the form of coverage of their expenses.

Since CMRS is a public organisation, it is funded by the state budget – the state covers larger national actions and training, our work clothes, and so on.

The twenty-five base stations are financed by the units of local self-government in accordance with Law on Local and Regional Self-Government and  Law on Civil Protection System.

4. Although CMRS is most heard about in the summer, the season for CMRS lasts all year long. What else does CMRS do besides rescue operations?

Our activities are defined by the law. Aside from rescue operations, we work on prevention programs. Some of it includes working in co-operation with mountaineering associations – we mark mountain hiking trails, make tourist trail guides and maps for hiking – this way, people get lost less frequently and also get a better experience of the non-urban areas – which are, to us, especially interesting. Then, there are prevention programs and courses for the general public, different public institutions, and so on.

We also organize educational courses for adventure tour operators and tour guides.

We are involved in a wide array of different activities and rescue operations, which catch the most media interest - nothing against it, of course -  are merely the tip of an iceberg, so to say.

A 2020 exhibition of CMRS' tweets. © Davor Puklavec/Pixsell

5. With the arrival of the summer season, CMRS conducts educational, often humorous campaigns on social networks aimed at raising awareness of the importance of not overestimating our abilities.

Can you single out a situation that is especially etched in your memory for any reason?

Yes, we conduct these campaigns – seasoned with a lot of sarcasm and irony – because that’s, in our experience, what makes them memorable and the best way to truly get through to people.

If I were to say something generic, like ‘Don’t forget to take a bottle of water with you on your hiking trip’, it would sound boring.

As for some, let’s say, curious situations, I would single out two events – they involved my colleagues and not me personally. Once, CMRS came across a cyclist stuck in the middle of a steep hiking trail on Hvar. It was so steep in some places that it practically stood at a 90° angle. And the man had chosen to 'climb down' riding his bike. He was rescued thanks to our brilliant local team, but yes, that is one situation in which a foreigner did something, well, unexpected.

Another time, we got a call about a man who had last been seen climbing Biokovo mountain. The team came, they rescued him using a helicopter – he was very dehydrated and he started to gulp down the water they had offered him. And while we were trying to persuade him to take smaller sips, he started to explain that he hadn’t been alone - as the call we had received had indicated - and that we should go back for his father, who had presumably taken shelter behind some rock, so the team couldn’t see him upon arrival. The thing is, he didn’t say anything until the helicopter was already a significant distance away from the location they had found him at!

Interventions involving foreign tourists make up only fifteen to twenty percent of all our search and rescue operations.

The rest, about eighty percent, involve local people, but quite understandably and naturally, stories about foreigners gain more media interest.

© Davor Puklavec/Pixsell

6. There is a running joke that CMRS’ tasks mainly boil down to rescuing foreigners who got stuck on a mountain because they had decided to hike in flip-flops. Is there any truth in that? Why do accidents and the need for intervention most often occur?

Like I already said, we mainly intervene in situations involving local people – but you rarely hear about an accident involving an old lady, as that doesn’t make for a sensational piece of news. The attention that the cases about foreign people attract enables us to raise public awareness and warn the people what not do.

More often than not, however, such cases turn into public campaigns which everyone uses to express their opinion of how things should be done.

The flip-flops thing is an urban – or in this case – a rural myth.

The fact is, people venture off into nature unprepared. The flip-flops case can be used as a synonym for a number of things. If you decided to climb a mountain in the middle of summer and brought only half a liter of water – it’s the same as wearing flip-flops. Or if you were to participate in Snow Queen (World Cup alpine ski race in Croatia) in the winter, wearing low-top shoes. It can’t be done.

The problem is that the people don’t educate themselves enough, don’t consult hiking manuals or look up any type of information which is easily accessible online, on the official pages of professional institutions, such as the Croatian Mountaineering Association or any other association which centers around hiking or climbing and which must stand behind what they wrote on their pages.

People - some people, that is - don’t possess certain knowledge of how to prevent an accident or what the best course of action would be. The more we know, the less likely we are to make a mistake.

Accidents happen when we overestimate our abilities and underestimate nature. The attitude ‘it’s an easy climb’ or ‘it’s not far, it’s right here, under our nose’ combined with the lack of knowledge of what to do when we get lost, get hurt, or notice something suspicious.

Accidents occur due to people’s wrong estimation in a nutshell. When I say  'a wrong estimation’, I mean that of both subjective and objective circumstances. You can’t influence certain things – such as the weather, you can’t control a storm, but you can inform yourself and know that one is coming and decide to stay home.

That, coupled with decisions made in ignorance of rules and procedures always leads to accidents.

© Kristina Stedul Fabac/Pixsell 

7. What does an ‘’average day’’ of a CMRS volunteer look like? Is there such a thing at all, or does each day look different, depending on the circumstances? Given that the CMRS’ headquarters are located in Zagreb, are the members expected to come to Zagreb from time to time?

Members of CMRS are volunteers. There are about forty members who are both volunteers and employees, and they perform everyday administrative tasks. When accidents occur, they must get permission from their primary employer to miss work. When they are on watch duties, they need to take time off work, use their vacation days. Rescue missions are voluntary activities that cannot be predicted and there are no set work days for that, of course. Other members who are not employed by CMRS know that they could be needed at any time. Of course, if they work as doctors, surgeons, we don't expect them to drop everything and go on search and rescue missions, but that is why we have a large membership, to make sure everything is covered. So, people are able to plan put their days, but some things (such as rescue missions) are out of our control. We work 24/7, 365 days a year.

CMRS has twenty-five base stations and one of them is located in Zagreb. If regular members come to Zagreb, they usually come to visit Zagreb's base station. 

Our headquarters are where our administrative staff works, where we sort out the paperwork, plan out the EU-funded projects, and so on.

© Kristina Stedul Fabac/Pixsell

8. And finally, what piece of advice would you give to all amateur climbers and nature lovers out there who, with the arrival of nice weather, are starting to make plans to embark on adventures across our beautiful Croatia?

My message to everyone – regardless of how experienced or inexperienced they are, would be, ‘put yourself first’. Always. That means ‘put your safety first’. If you do that, if you think about what to do to make your safety a priority, it will help us, too. That is also the maxim of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service: I put myself first, my team second and the injured person last. The reason for this is simple. If something were to happen to me, then my team can’t concentrate on the injured. By putting ourselves first, we are actually helping the person who needs to be rescued.

However, in the best-case scenario, there is no need for our intervention because the person has prioritized their own safety and taken the time to inform and educate themselves.  And to us, that’s great. There is nothing we like more than when we are ‘’out of work’’. We are most glad when our role is to conduct educational workshops and other activities which don’t include search and rescue operations.

Put yourself first, stay informed, don’t overestimate your abilities – look up and observe the sky, see if there are clouds coming your way, what kind of wind is blowing, those basic things. It’s relatively easy to see what kind of weather one can expect. But, if you lack knowledge or information, you can always ask locals or check the website of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, the Croatian Mountaineering Association, or any other mountaineering or hiking association. Stay safe and act responsibly, that’s the key.

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June 9, 2021 - The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS), a volunteer, nonprofit organisation specialized in search and rescue, has received a donation of tires for their vehicles, manufactured by a Finnish company Nokian.

As reported by HGSS on their official website, In Vulkal's branch office on Slavonska Avenue, starting at 10:00 a.m., a formal conference was organized on the occasion of the donation of premium tires of the Nokian brand to the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, which was immediately set up on rescue vehicles.

The ceremony was attended by the director of Vulkal, Mr. Željko Kalečak, a representative of the Finnish manufacturer Nokian tires Mr. Ivan Bura, the Head of HGSS Mr. Josip Granić, and a representative of the Commission for Information and Analytics of HGSS Mr. Jadran Kapović. The donation is the crown of many years of cooperation between Vulkal and Nokian Tires, an effort to provide maximum safety and comfort to drivers and other road users. It is this commitment to the well-being, prosperity, and recovery of a society affected by earthquakes and pandemics that have resulted in cooperation with one of the most respected humanitarian organizations on Croatian soil.

Few will not recognize the mission and need for the existence of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, from which originates the desire and task of preserving human lives in all terrains and in all conditions. An organization that has so far saved thousands of injured people, found the lost, comforted the frightened, reunited families, enabled the emergence of new ones. Fearless professionals willing to sacrifice their own lives to save others need reliability and endurance in the field to carry out their interventions as professionally as possible. 

"From the very beginning, Vulkal has taken care of the safety of drivers and vehicles, with a full commitment to the quality of service and every tire delivered. We are extremely pleased to give our contribution to the volunteers of HGSS, whose work and commitment we follow with great respect and deep affection. In moments when every second counts and there is no room for error, top-of-the-line Nokian tires will provide them with first-class stability, faster and safer intervention, and easier access to off-road locations'', said Mr. Kalečak, director of Vulkal and continued:

“The brave heart of HGSS is a real inspiration to all who nurture a similar vision, feel a similar vocation. Protecting human lives, providing timely assistance and unconditional support are the main drivers of social development, but also goodness in others that creates a better and safer tomorrow for all. That is why we are extremely pleased with this donation and all the activities that are just ahead of us'', concluded Mr. Kalečak.

A similar postulate is evident in Nokian’s 120-year-long business tradition dedicated to providing safety, peace of mind, and a new driving experience that combines experience and visionary technology, emotion, and adventure. 

The representative of Nokian, Mr. Bura, also gave his opinion on the donation and emphasized: “For us as a company that had a great influence on the development of tires, a company that designed the first winter tire, improving safety and preserving the environment is a sincere pleasure to support organizations such as the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service. Their goals in unconditional and voluntary help are priceless, they are a shining example of working for the common good and the well-being of all of us. We are honored that together with the company Vulkal, our long-term partner in the Republic of Croatia, we will join forces and together at least help the HGSS members and make their voluntary and hard work easier and safer with a huge thank you. This support is not a one-off, but a pledge for a common future with people with a big heart, in the years to come. ”

Thanks for the donation on behalf of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service were sent by its Head, Mr. Granić, stating:

"Our work must be without error because our primary and greatest goal is to preserve and save human lives. In our work, we use a number of tools to help someone and carry out a successful rescue operation. One of the tools is our vehicles, which must be equipped with quality tires in order to be able to move on all terrains where we operate. With this donation, we will certainly be ready to respond to all challenges in those hard-to-reach areas. Thanks to Vulkal and Nokian for the donation, engagement, and effort on behalf of HGSS, but indirectly also on behalf of everyone who will need our help in the future. We are happy that with this donation, our team of experts has further expanded, and thus enabled even faster, higher quality and better operation of our organization.''

A respectable member of HGSS, Mr. Kapović, also commented on the donation: "70 years are behind us. Today, the HGSS has over 1,000 members and has successfully performed more than 10,000 interventions. To the HGSS as a voluntary association financed by state institutions and with the funds of local self-government units, every donation means a lot. We are pleased that Nokian Tires and their representative in our country, Vulkal, have recognized our work and decided to support us by donating ambulance tires. It will certainly help us in a better organization of work and raise the level of readiness and provide even better conditions for emergency interventions.

This is just the beginning of the collaboration between Vulkal, Nokian, and HGSS and we really appreciate that Nokian is donating quality ambulance tires not only to us, but to all rescue services.

We would also like to thank Vulkal, which for its part made professional vulcanizers at our disposal and professionally installed tires on our vehicles, and enabled the realization of the entire donation."

With a commendable donation, Vulkal and Nokian raised the level of safety and provided optimal support to the bravest Croatian rescuers who, thanks to top-quality tires, will now rush even more urgently and reliably to help those who need it most.

For the latest news from Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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April the 10th, 2021 - Dalmatia's Sibenik-Knin County is set to finance the praiseworthy work of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) throughout the year 2021.

As Morski writes, the Sibenik-Knin County administration has been supporting the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and their hard work rescuing both people and animals from sticky situations, as well as their members, financially and in every other way possible since their very foundatio.

For twenty entire years now, Sibenik-Knin County funds make up about 25 percent of the total budget at the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service's disposal.

''I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of the members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service who have to work in extremely difficult conditions and who are often willing to risk their own lives to save those of others,'' said Sibenik-Knin County Prefect Goran Pauk.

Mislav Cupic of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service thanked the county prefect for his ongoing support, emphasising that their station has been achieving an exceptionally high-quality level quality of cooperation with the county since the very beginning.

The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service is otherwise an entirely public service that ensures readiness, drive, the availability of both people and equipment, as well as the maintaining of knowledge, skills and expertise of the members in a very demanding, high-risk and responsible rescue activities 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You may remember the service for their amusing posts on both Twitter and Facebook, in which they frequently warned tourists against trying to tackle the likes of Biokovo in the boiling summer months with no water and in flip flops.

Trying to swim or float on a gigantic inflatable flamingo from the mainland to that island ''that doesn't look that far away'' is also listed among the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service's ''no go'' summer ideas.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

September 30, 2020 – Incredible footage of mountain rescue paramedics trialling jet suits for future use in rapid first response. We spoke to the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service to get their verdict and ask if this will be part of the future of HGSS

Flying above incredible terrain not unlike that found around Lika and Velebit in Croatia, paramedics in the UK's Lake District have been videoed trialling jet suits. They could soon join regular mountain rescue services and air ambulance crews as part of any rapid first response required in difficult to reach places.

In Croatia, such tasks are undertaken by HGSS – the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, who TCN profiled not long ago. We again spoke to their head of service Josip Granić to ask if jet suits are part of the future of HGSS?

Are Jet Suits the future of HGSS?

“It looks interesting. And fun,” Granić told TCN. “I am sure that if it starts to become regular equipment used elsewhere it could make our job much easier and there will be a place for this in the future of HGSS.”

The benefits of jet suits being any part of the future of HGSS are obvious – they can locate and assist injured hikers or mountaineers in a fraction of the time of land-bound rescuers. The test flight footage shows the suit's inventor Richard Browning flying across the Langdale Pikes looking for walkers in a simulated casualty scenario. Within minutes, he locates a woman and child that would have taken rescuers on foot over one hour to find. But, although the future of HGSS could be assisted by such suits, mountain rescuers will surely not be the only ones to whom they are available.

“They will also create a completely new set of risks and potential accidents in more remote areas,” said Granić, with a cautionary tone. HGSS members are volunteers and already put themselves in considerable danger to assist those in need of help. Jet suits add an extra dimension of risk for anyone wearing them and the recreational use of jet suits could place further stress on the future of HGSS.

“I’m sure it will be a great tool once it’s out on the market,” says Granić, “but it could also be a great toy and that could be problematic because it will open up a completely new set of problems. But since we are the service for problem-solving, I’m sure that HGSS will find a way to deal with it.”

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September the 20th, 2020 - If you've ever paid a visit to the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service's (HGSS) Facebook page or Twitter, you'll likely know about their sometimes hilarious posts and photos warning would-be mountain climbers against such things as tackling Biokovo in mid August wearing flip flops or floating to an alluring island on an inflated flamingo. Now Croatian Mountain Rescue Service tweets have their own exhibition.

As Morski writes on the 19th of September, 2020, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service opened an interesting exhibition in Zagreb on Friday. The exhibition of Croatian Mountain Rescue Service tweets entitled ‘Trending # HGSS70’, showcases some the most creative Croatian Mountain Rescue Service tweets posted on the popular platform.

The author of the posts is Jadran Kapovic, who told N1 on Friday that those who were rescued are never angry at the tweets that are written about them, among other things - because they never discuss the personal information of those who are rescued, and they've also noticed an actual decrease in the number of interventions thanks to their witty style of communication on social networks.

Few people communicate so successfully on social media as HGSS, whose posts are often received with a laugh. Jadran Kapovic says that the goal of these Croatian Mountain Rescue Service tweets is to teach people to learn from other people's mistakes.

''The public recognised our way of communication as something different. Our other activities are different from those of others, so our communication is wrapped in a satirical and cynical kind of cellophane,'' Jadran said.

He added that they never mention any names, nationalities or in any other way reveal the identities of those who have been saved. "The goal is to teach people to learn from other people's mistakes, to avoid finding themselves in such a situation - the goal is educational and proactive. Many people have contacted us after we rescued them and thanked us, there's no anger here,'' he said, pointing out that thanks to the level of engagement with their social media posts, the number of interventions has been reduced.

The exhibition is open from the 19th to the 25th of September in Creations/Kreacije, ie Uranija on Kvaternikov trg in the City of Zagreb.

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ZAGREB, February 25, 2020 - The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) said on Monday it would celebrate its 70th anniversary in April, and Assistant Minister for Civil Protection Damir Trut announced the completion of the project which would provide civil protection services with five helicopters for medical and rescue operations.

"The Ministry of the Interior and the Civil Protection Directorate have designed a project to provide the civil protection system with five helicopters. I expect financing documents to be signed by the end of the year so that we can begin the procurement process for three medium-sized and two large helicopters, which would be used for emergency medical transport and mountain rescue operations," Trut told reporters.

HGSS chief Josip Granić recalled that the HGSS was founded in 1950 by four founders and several members. "Today we have 1,018 registered members, and the increase in the membership means an increase in the number of activities," he added.

"Since the foundation of the HGSS we have saved several thousand people. The HGSS has between 800 and 1,000 response operations annually. In some we saved a large number of people and in others animals or equipment," Granić underscored.

He said that during the 70 years of service they have gained enough experience and knowledge to be able to continue their work with confidence, especially since there will always be a need for rescuing people.

"Because of the increasing number of people spending their time in nature, accidents will, unfortunately, happen more and more often," Granić said.

He noted that rescue equipment was expensive but that the support by the local community and the government continues to grow every year.

"Rescue equipment used in all circumstances costs around €10,000 (€1,350). Not everyone has all the equipment, which may not even be necessary, but we need to make sure that everyone can respond at all times," Granić said.

The HGSS is financed with about HRK 30 million (€4m) annually, of which HRK 17 million (€2.3m) is provided by ministries and through various grants.

"It is important that we receive almost exactly the same amount of funding from EU funds. We apply for projects all the time and we'll have to do so even more," Granić underscored.

HGSS secretary-general Darko Berljak announced that there would be a major demonstration exercise for the public at Zagreb's Lake Jarun on 10 May. "We also want to act preventively so we are going to organise a series of exercises and workshops throughout the year in all our 25 stations in Croatia," he said.

More news HGSS news can be found in the Lifestyle section.