Saturday, 5 September 2020 – More than 100 policemen were searching for the escaped man, but in the end it was a firefighters Malinois Belgian Shepherd that sniffed him out.

When detainee Branimir Čaleta managed to escape from custody on September 2, armed police were immediately on his tail. They knew where to look – he was seen running in the direction of Turska kula and the Park Mladosti in Split, near the Poljud football stadium.

But, though more than 100 officers were searching for the wanted man, in the end, it was a firefighters Malinois Belgian Shepherd called Flip that sniffed him out.


The Malinois Belgian Shepherd is used by armed services, the police and for search and rescue all over the world © TC Perch

Details of Flip's assistance were revealed in an interview undertaken with the dog's handler, Split firefighter Joško Čule by the 24 sata news outlet. Although he was not allowed to reveal details of the fugitive's capture, Joško did speak about his dog.

Flip is a search dog of the Public Fire Brigade of the City of Split, a firefighters Malinois Belgian Shepherd. He was trained to search in all environments, from urban areas and ruins to wild nature, and in all weather conditions. He is a family dog, loves spending time with children, and with the firefighters. He is an active member of the firefighting team in Split and works every day. Flip is taken into the field when necessary and has so far participated in four searches for lost people. He found them all.

This firefighters Malinois Belgian Shepherd is just one of the types of Belgian Shepherd. The other three are called Groenendael, Laekenois, and Tervuren. In Belgium, their country of origin, all four types are considered to be varieties of a single breed, differentiated by hair color and texture. Elsewhere, they are sometimes considered separate breeds.

Flip, the firefighters Malinois Belgian Shepherd is typical in having tan to brown short hair with patches of black. Belgian Shepherd Dogs are highly intelligent, alert, and sensitive to everything going on around them, and they form very strong relationship bonds. They are loyal, intelligent, fun, make good family pets and are very receptive to being trained, thus explaining the position of this firefighters Malinois Belgian Shepherd.


A Belgian Shepherd with a close relative, a Dutch Shepherd © Marius Zopole 

It is not only firefighters who use these dogs. They are used as search and rescue dogs by other services and as police and military dogs. They have a good reputation as sniffer dogs, particularly in the field of finding illegal drugs. Several Malinois Belgian Shepherds have been decorated for bravery. They are very protective of their owners and handlers.

The US Secret Service, Israel Defense Forces, Indian NSG commando unit and Royal Australian Air Force use Malinois Belgian Shepherds in their work. The breed is second in number only to the German Shepherd for use across the whole of the US Armed Forces.

The fugitive Branimir Čaleta ran away from police while he was at court in Split, where he was appearing charged with the murder of his one-time girlfriend, a Ukrainian national. Čaleta is now back in custody, thanks to Flip, the firefighters Malinois Belgian Shepherd.

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ZAGREB, Aug 17, 2020 - Since the start of 2020, a total of 39,111 hectares of land have been consumed by 4,693 fires, which is a 16% drop in the number of wildfires, however, the area consumed by fires is 20% larger, the Croatian Firefighting Association has said.

Statistics for the coastal and karst regions are even higher, with a total of 3,294 fires having been reported by August 15. This is an increase of about 2% compared to last year, but a total of 30,455 hectares of land were consumed, as much as 69% more than in 2019.

Chief firefighting commander Slavko Tucakovic has said that the fire season is still underway and that all forces are still active in the field. Thunderstorms have been the most frequent cause of this year's fires, he said.

Apart from putting out fires, firefighters have also had more than 500 interventions to remove the consequences of recent rainstorms in Zagreb and neighbouring counties.

ZAGREB, Aug 15, 2020 - A rainstorm accompanied by hail on Friday evening hit Zagreb, causing minor problems and prompting a dozen interventions by firefighting units.

The city firefighting service said that firefighters had mostly been called in to help pump out water from flooded facilities and remove trees felled by the storm.

ZAGREB, July 27, 2020 - A hail storm hit Zagreb around 8 pm on Sunday, leaving many properties and streets flooded. 

Firefighters responded to 41 emergency calls, mostly to pump out the water and remove fallen trees, the national fire service said on Monday.

This is the second time in two days that a torrential rain caused flooding in the capital after a heavy storm struck during the night between July 25 and 26.

The director of the children's hospital, Goran Roic, told Hina that the hospital's basement and canteen were flooded again. He said that hospital staff continued to provide health care without interruption.

ZAGREB, July 25, 2020 - Severe storms that hit most of Croatia on Friday night made firefighters respond to numerous calls and one died in Zagreb after taking ill during an intervention, the Croatian Firefighting Association said on Saturday.

Heavy rains with strong winds struck the northern coastal area of Rijeka, Opatija and Crikvenica as well as the islands of Krk and Cres, with local firefighters responding to ten calls to remove fallen trees and branches, pump out water, repair roofs and clear roads.

In Zagreb County, firefighters responded to 15 calls, mostly to pump out water from buildings, but also to clean drains and remove fallen trees and branches.

In Varazdin County, firefighters responded to ten calls, also to pump out water and remove fallen trees and branches, including from power lines.

Situation worst in Zagreb

In the flooded capital, firefighters responded to over 100 calls to pump out water from numerous buildings and underpasses, clear drains and roads as well as remove fallen trees from them.

While pumping out water from one flat, firefighter Davor Kovacic (53) took ill and died despite a quick response from paramedics.

A touch of Croatia in a far away land.

The wildfire along the Croatian-Montenegrin border close to the border crossing at Debeli Brijeg is still burning.

More fires, but this time they appear to be under control.

The campaign is even trending on Go Fund Me!