International exercise of 3 mountain rescue services on the topic of rescue from gorges

The idea for this exercise was made at the beginning of this year, when some members of GRS Bovec responded to an invitation from Friuli, where we held a dry exercise in Moggio Udinese near Tolmezzo. “Forra Boys”, a group that brings together 18 active members from several societies of the Italian mountain rescue service Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico (CNSAS), proposed at that time to organize a joint exercise in Slovenia. This coincided with the already planned professional trip of mountain rescuers from Austrian Styria to Bovec. As the date of the visit approached, all three services (GRS Bovec, Soccorso Alpino, Bergrettung Steiermark) agreed to test different rescue techniques in the upper part of Predelica, with an emphasis on the use of the “KONG Canyon 911” stretcher, which was developed before for more than a decade, just for working in demanding conditions, such as water currents and waterfalls in gorges.

We gathered at “Pri Mlinču” and after an introductory tour of the bearers, we went to the entry point to Predelica. In addition to 6 rescuers from GRS Bovec, 2 members of the Commission for Rescue Techniques (GRZS) from the neighboring station GRS Bohinj, and 2 instructors of the Slovenian Canyoning Association, which mainly deals with the training of canyoning guides, also took part in the exercise.

There were more than 30 of us in total, so we split into several groups that took turns to transport the stretchers over all 9 waterfalls.

The official part of the exercise ended after the descent over the “Zaročenca/Fiancé” waterfall, then there was only the descent over the lower Predelica waterfalls to Log pod Mangart.

The exercise was successful, we exchanged information and knowledge, which is welcome when organizing rescue teams from gorges in Slovenia as well. We all agreed that it is necessary to carry out such exercises in the future.