On July 15-18, 2021, 16 mountain rescuers (10 from the Ukrainian side and 6 from the Polish side) underwent theoretical and practical training in the organization and conducting of search and rescue operations in mountain areas.

Joint training was held in the Chornohora range of the Ukrainian part of the Carpathians, in the village of Dzembronia and in the Smotrych pasture (Verkhovyna district, Ivano-Frankivsk region).

During the training, rescuers learned about modern IT technologies that help to collect and process information during the preparation and conducting of search and rescue operations in the mountains; rescuers had the opportunity to compare the basic elements of equipment for search and rescue groups from Poland and Ukraine; they could test the operation of special navigation devices (GPS navigator GARMIN GPSMAP 64s). As part of the practical training, rescuers improved their skills in providing aid and transporting injured tourists using special equipment (e.g. KONG LECCO 2.0 rescue stretcher, ropes, etc.).

The training and the purchased equipment were financed under the project “Adaptation of the former observatory on Mount Pip Ivan for the needs of the mountain rescue service training center” (PIMReC), implemented with financial support from the European Union under the Poland-Belarus-Ukraine Cross-Border Cooperation Program 2014-2020.