Hungarian Soldiers Train Bosnian Mountain Rescuers

In October this year, an agreement was reached on the assistance of EUFOR (European Union Force) and the Mountain Rescue Service (GSS) Prenj from Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in special rescues, writes Honvedelem.hu. The international force was represented by Major General Dr. László Sticz, Hungarian Commander of EUFOR Althea, while the Bosnian side was represented by Almir Mahmutović, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the volunteer organization.

The aim of the agreement is to ensure mutual assistance between the two organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina for special rescues where helicopters need to be deployed. The rescuers have recently been trained in the winching procedures of the Hungarian H145M helicopters that are part of EUFOR. Learning how to winch is a challenging task, as it requires great care to be able to safely hook the injured and oneself.

Two search and rescue parachutists from the 86th Helicopter Brigade of the Hungarian Defense Forces arrived at Camp Butmir in the first week of November.

Eight volunteer rescuers participated in the three-day training.

The practical exercises were preceded by theoretical training, supplemented by ground exercises. In addition to the basic safety rules and the arm signals and techniques used, special emphasis was placed on the precise use of equipment, as even a small mistake can be fatal.

In the first phase of the training, the participants carried out individual and pair winching exercises from and to the aircraft. This was followed by a stretcher deployment, where they had to deploy a test dummy in a rescue device.

At the end of the training, Major General Dr. László Sticz handed over the certificate of completion to the rescuers.

As a result of this unprecedented cooperation, the members of the Bosnian NGO are now able to use the method they have learned to get injured people aboard Hungarian helicopters, even on their own.

Via Honvedelem.hu, Featured image: Honvedelem.hu