HGSS CAVE-RESCUE COMMISSION is an expert Commission of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and its main mission is performing rescues from underground objects.

Ever since its foundation, in 1950, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (earlier Mountain Rescue Service) has been also successfully performing speleo-rescues. By discovery of new large vertical drops on North Velebit, during 1990s, new requirements in the discipline of rescue have risen, which resulted in formation of special Sub-commission by HGSS in January 2001. It was later named Cave-Rescue Commission.

So far, in Croatia, there are approximately 9000 known underground objects of various morphology, which demand specific interventions during rescue missions.
Here are several examples:
- 3 vertical drops deeper than 1000 meters (Cave System Lukina jama – Trojama -1392 m, Slovačka jama – 1320 m, Cave System Velebita -1026 m; (jama=pit))
- 11 pits deeper than 500 m (Amfora -788 m, Meduza -679 m, Stara Škola -576 m, Vilimova Jama -572 m, Patkov Gušt -553 m, Olimp -537 m, Ledena Jama in Lomska Duliba -536 m, Ponor on Bunovac -534 m, Crveno Jezero -528 m, Lubuška Jama -521 m, Jama underneath Kamenitia vrata -520 m)
- Large verticals – Croatian pits are abundant with extremely large verticals and some of them are among the biggest in the world (two of them are deeper than 500 m and other two are deeper than 300 m, also there are as many as thirteen verticals that are deeper than 200 m) while 100 m deep verticals are quite common.
- Long and complicated caves (Cave System Đulin Ponor-Medvedica 16.396 m long, Panjkov Ponor – Kršlje 12.385 m long and many other )
- Long, deep and complicated pits (Kita Gaćešina 10.603 m long and 465m deep, Munižaba 5.993 m long and 437 m deep)
- Extremely tight channels (crawlways), (Jama Amfora, Lubuška Jama)
- Deep springs (spring of river Una -205 m)
- Deep pit siphons (siphon at the bottom of Lukina Jama -1355 m, siphon at the bottom of Slovačka Jama -1320 m)
- Underground object submerged under sea water
- Long and complicated siphons (Majerovo Vrelo, 942 m long and 104 m deep)

Performing rescues in these conditions requires top organization, large number of qualified and trained speleo-rescuers, large amount of specialist equipment and good logistic support considering the possibility of dealing with complicated rescue missions which could last for several days.
 

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:
PDF Croatian Mountain Rescue Service Act - June 30th 2006.

Speleo-rescue training on state level - Panjkov ponor cave, Rakovica, 2008. Photo: D.Bakšić

Speleo rescue training in Pepelarica pit. Photo: D.Bakšić