| Mountain Rescue Service of Slovakia | |
| Common name | Mountain Rescue Service |
| Abbreviation | HZS |
| Logo of the Mountain Rescue Service of Slovakia. | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1954 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution and General Regulations |
| General nature |
|
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Horný Smokovec č.52, 062 01 Vysoké Tatry, Starý Smokovec, Slovakia |
| Website | |
| http://www.hzs.sk/ | |
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.
Contents |
The Mountain Rescue Service of Slovakia 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.[1]
There are 6 main districts of the service in Slovakia:[2]
District branches of the Mountain Rescue in Slovakia and their contacts:
| District | Phone | Cellular |
|---|---|---|
| High Tatras | +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 - north | +421 (0)43 5395101 | +421 (0)903 624 066 |
| Western Tatras - south | +421 (0)44 5586218 | +421 (0)903 624 061 |
| Greater Fatra | +421 (0)48 4199724 | +421 (0)903 624 049 |
| Lesser Fatra - Vrátna | +421 (0)41 5695232 | +421 (0)903 624 028 |
| Lesser Fatra - Orava | +421 (0)43 5863104 | - |
| Slovak Paradise | +421 (0)53 4297902 | +421 (0)903 624 092 |
The Mountain Rescue Service is also the operator of the national center for avalanche 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.[3]
In 2006, a user pays pricing policy was appointed by law, under which mountaingoers (both domestic and foreigners) are required to pay for the cost of their rescue.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6]
The Service has a cooperation agreement with its Polish counterpart (TOPR) in the Tatra Mountain, which lies on the border of both countries.[7]