Mountain Rescue Service (Slovakia)
Encyclopedia
The Mountain Rescue Service (Horská záchranná služba, HZS) of Slovakia
provides nation-wide Mountain Rescue
operations and Search and Rescue
operations in difficult terrains in close cooperations with the Air Rescue Service. It is a part of the integrated rescue system in Slovakia and can be reached under the phone number 18300 or under 112
- EU standard integrated emergency service.
was officially founded as a nation-wide (at that time Czechoslovakia
) emergency service on December 1, 1954, although the history of mountain rescue dates more than 200 years back. It was reformed in the year 2003 by law number 544/2002, effective from January 1, 2003, which moved the Mountain Rescue Service to the scope of the Department of Interior of the Slovak Republic.
District branches of the Mountain Rescue in Slovakia and their contacts:
prevention, which monitors the situation in all regions and issues avalanche warnings and other counter-measures, including controlled avalanche triggering by explosive detonations and other. The Center for Avalanche Protection runs its own Avalanche Information System and an online portal, where mountaingoers can check the current situation. The center can be reached under the phone number +421 (0)44 5591695.
pricing policy was appointed by law, under which mountaingoers (both domestic and foreigners) are required to pay for the cost of their rescue. This effectively forced mountaingoers to take out a special kind of insurance, which covers the costs for the rescue in case of an emergency. The costs of a rescue need to be covered even if visitors get into an emergency situation staying on marked official paths. Exception of this policy are EMS
and medical transports (including by helicopter) resulting from accidents on marked ski slopes in skiing resorts, which are covered by common health insurances. Search and Rescue operations are not covered by common health insurances.
There are several commercial insurances offering insurance of mountain rescue including Union, Generali and Allianz
. The insurance is closed for a certain number of days either in an branch, online or by SMS
. The price for the insurance varies with the method of subscription and insurance type between 0,50 EUR - 1,00 EUR per day. Hotels, branches of Mountain Rescue Service, Tourist Information Centers and others will provide assistance in closing this insurance to foreign and domestic visitors. No insurance is need for children and youth under 18 years old.
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
provides nation-wide Mountain Rescue
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
operations and Search and Rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operations in difficult terrains in close cooperations with the Air Rescue Service. It is a part of the integrated rescue system in Slovakia and can be reached under the phone number 18300 or under 112
112
Year 112 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Cornelius...
- EU standard integrated emergency service.
History
The Mountain Rescue Service of SlovakiaSlovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
was officially founded as a nation-wide (at that time Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
) emergency service on December 1, 1954, although the history of mountain rescue dates more than 200 years back. It was reformed in the year 2003 by law number 544/2002, effective from January 1, 2003, which moved the Mountain Rescue Service to the scope of the Department of Interior of the Slovak Republic.
Structure
There are 6 main districts of the service in Slovakia:- High TatrasHigh TatrasHigh Tatras or High Tatra are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains...
- includes resorts of High Tatras and other - Low Tatras - includes resorts in Jasná - Demänovská dolina, Donovaly and other
- Western TatrasWestern TatrasThe Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north...
- Greater FatraGreater FatraGreater Fatra or Veľká Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area. It is situated approximately among the towns of Ružomberok, Harmanec, Turčianske Teplice and Martin...
- Lesser FatraLesser FatraLesser Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in the north-west of Central Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area....
- Slovak ParadiseSlovak ParadiseSlovak Paradise is a mountain range in central Slovakia. It is a part of the Spiš-Gemer Karst, which in turn is a part of the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains, a major subdivision of the Western Carpathians....
District branches of the Mountain Rescue in Slovakia and their contacts:
| District | Phone | Cellular |
|---|---|---|
| High Tatras High Tatras High Tatras or High Tatra are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains... |
+421 (0)52 4422820 | +421 (0)903 624 869 |
| Low Tatras - north | +421 (0)44 5591678 | +421 (0)903 624 070 |
| Low Tatras - south | +421 (0)48 6195326 | +421 (0)903 624 078 |
| Western Tatras Western Tatras The Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north... - north |
+421 (0)43 5395101 | +421 (0)903 624 066 |
| Western Tatras Western Tatras The Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north... - south |
+421 (0)44 5586218 | +421 (0)903 624 061 |
| Greater Fatra Greater Fatra Greater Fatra or Veľká Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area. It is situated approximately among the towns of Ružomberok, Harmanec, Turčianske Teplice and Martin... |
+421 (0)48 4199724 | +421 (0)903 624 049 |
| Lesser Fatra Lesser Fatra Lesser Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in the north-west of Central Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area.... - Vrátna |
+421 (0)41 5695232 | +421 (0)903 624 028 |
| Lesser Fatra Lesser Fatra Lesser Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in the north-west of Central Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area.... - Orava |
+421 (0)43 5863104 | - |
| Slovak Paradise Slovak Paradise Slovak Paradise is a mountain range in central Slovakia. It is a part of the Spiš-Gemer Karst, which in turn is a part of the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains, a major subdivision of the Western Carpathians.... |
+421 (0)53 4297902 | +421 (0)903 624 092 |
Center for Avalanche Prevention
The Mountain Rescue Service is also the operator of the national center for avalancheAvalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
prevention, which monitors the situation in all regions and issues avalanche warnings and other counter-measures, including controlled avalanche triggering by explosive detonations and other. The Center for Avalanche Protection runs its own Avalanche Information System and an online portal, where mountaingoers can check the current situation. The center can be reached under the phone number +421 (0)44 5591695.
Insurance and user pays
In 2006, a user paysUser pays
User pays, or beneficiary pays, is a pricing approach based on the idea that the most efficient allocation of resources occurs when consumers pay the full cost of the goods that they consume. In public finance it stands with another principle of "ability to pay," which states that those who have...
pricing policy was appointed by law, under which mountaingoers (both domestic and foreigners) are required to pay for the cost of their rescue. This effectively forced mountaingoers to take out a special kind of insurance, which covers the costs for the rescue in case of an emergency. The costs of a rescue need to be covered even if visitors get into an emergency situation staying on marked official paths. Exception of this policy are EMS
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
and medical transports (including by helicopter) resulting from accidents on marked ski slopes in skiing resorts, which are covered by common health insurances. Search and Rescue operations are not covered by common health insurances.
There are several commercial insurances offering insurance of mountain rescue including Union, Generali and Allianz
Allianz
SE is a global financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.Its Allianz Global Investors...
. The insurance is closed for a certain number of days either in an branch, online or by SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
. The price for the insurance varies with the method of subscription and insurance type between 0,50 EUR - 1,00 EUR per day. Hotels, branches of Mountain Rescue Service, Tourist Information Centers and others will provide assistance in closing this insurance to foreign and domestic visitors. No insurance is need for children and youth under 18 years old.