With EU support, an additional 40 Mountain Rescue Service Serbia rescuers trained for cable car rescue

In May 2024, instructors from the Mountain Rescue Service Serbia trained an additional 40 rescuers for ski lift rescue as part of the EU for Serbia Resilient to Disasters’ project. Previously, the instructors had completed specialized training in Austria for evacuation on all types of cable car in various conditions.

During the two-day training at Kopaonik, the trainees practiced evacuation system management techniques, movement on the cable, navigating cable car poles, and other skills necessary for the rescuers to act independently in case of need, on mountains throughout Serbia.

"The experience and knowledge we gained from this training is something we've heard about for a while, but we didn't expect it to be like this. It’s extremely complicated, but also very interesting. We spent three days on the slopes of Kopaonik, climbing the cable car poles and practicing passenger evacuation. The instructors were with us every step of the way, showing us skills and closely following us. An extraordinary group of people. My desire is to continue to improve, so that one day I could be an instructor," Strahinja Zdravković, one of the training participants, shared his impressions.

As part of the EU for Serbia Resilient to Disasters’ project, MRSS received new vehicles, uniforms, and equipment worth over 200,000 euros through an EU donation, which will enable rescuers to be effective even in hard-to-reach terrains. MRSS was provided with  terrain vehicles, passenger van, a snowmobile, along with telecommunication equipment, stretchers, safety equipment for mountaineering and rescue uniforms. In addition to cable car rescue training, other specialized trainings for MRSS members are organized, such as helicopter-supported rescue and water rescue. All organized trainings are in accordance with European standards and certificates.