In the next three years, the Mountain Rescue Service of Serbia will participate in the European project “SIXTHSENSE”, which was created in order to monitor health with sensory feedback to achieve better situational awareness. The entire project will last 36 months, is financed by the European Union, through the Horizon 2020 program, and is worth 7,242,442.5 euros.
The goal of this multidisciplinary research and innovation project is to develop a wearable system for monitoring the health of rescue service operatives with tactile feedback, which allows rescuers to “feel” their current condition and possible health risks in dangerous situations. Using predictive models based on multimodal data from sensors that measure biological parameters (e.g., lactation, Na, K, heart rate, temperature), this system would allow rescuers to detect early risk factors that could lead to a rapid deterioration in their health or work ability.
This technology will enable real-time monitoring of multiple rescue teams and operatives in the field, improving team efficiency, their safety and the success of the operation. As part of the “SIXTHSENSE” project, rescuers from the Mountain Rescue Service will carry these devices in rescue operations.
The project consortium consists of 21 organizations from 9 European countries
Rescue organizations are also actively participating in the project, such as the Mountain Rescue Service of Serbia, the Association of Mountain Services of Bosnia and Herzegovina and four fire companies of various profiles from Gumpoldskirchen (Austria), Postojna (Slovenia), Rijeka (Croatia) and Pavia (Italy). and experts in the field of firefighter training and risk management – IFR (Austria).
The Mountain Rescue Service (GSS) of Serbia is a voluntary organization whose primary objective is assistance and rescue in inaccessible mountain and urban conditions.
To save human life, to help a person in need, is the basic task of the GSS of Serbia.
The GSC of Serbia was founded in 1952 by experienced climbers, while today the Mountain Rescue Service consists of about 250 active rescuers, many of them experienced mountaineers, alpine mountaineers, climbers, sport climbers, cavers, divers, skiers and paragliders.
According to the Law on Emergency Situations, the Mountain Rescue Service of Serbia is included in the factors of protection and rescue in Serbia and defined as a strategic partner of the Emergency Sector of the MUP of Serbia for performing rescue operations on inaccessible terrains. The Chief of the Mountain Rescue Service of Serbia is a member of the Republican Emergency Management Staff.
The GSC of Serbia is a member of the International Surface Rescue Organization – IKAR-CISA (International Commission Für Alpines Rettungswesen – Commission Internationale de Sauvetage Alpin), as well as the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA), and coordinates its work with the recommendations of these organizations.
