Trogir firefighters host this year's first official K9 team training
Acting on the orders of the Chief Fire Commander of the Republic of Croatia, Slavko Tucaković, the first of a total of nine planned official training sessions for K9 teams – fire rescue teams with dogs – was held from January 23 to 25, writes Trogir portal.
The three-day training was conducted at locations in Divulje and on the island of Drvenik Veli, and logistical support was provided by DVD Trogir, organized by the Croatian Fire Service (HVZ), headed by the Head of the Logistical and Technical Support and Training Service, Petar Kovačić. The training was led by Dejan Ranitović from DVD Jastrebarsko, the head of K9 teams in the Croatian fire service.
The training was attended by representatives of 14 volunteer fire departments, one public fire department and one city fire department, with a total of 22 search dogs, along with guests from Montenegro who participated with two search dogs from the Ministry of the Interior - Directorate for Protection and Rescue of Montenegro.
The training was conducted according to K9 training standards, whereby the dog, directed by the handler and without the use of a leash, searches a given location in search of a hidden "marker". After finding it, the dog informs the handler by barking about the person found. The role of the marker is extremely important because it participates in encouraging proper marking, which depends on the experience of the dog, its handler and their mutual relationship, while the breed does not play a decisive role in such activities.
The first day of training was held in Divulje
The entire training took place under the expert guidance of guide instructors: Dejan Ranitović (DVD Jastrebarsko), Goran Kmet (DVD Plamen – Višnjan), Bože Crljen (DVD Split) and Petar Šušnjara (DVD Sinj).
The first day of training was held at the premises of the State Fire Service (SFS) in Divulje, where educational presentations were conducted. Manuel Brković from the Zaprešić Fire Department gave a lecture on the topic of "Basics of Radio Communication in Firefighting and Rescue", while Anita Pavić Medur from the Sela Fire Department (Sisak) spoke about "Challenges in Legal Regulations in the Firefighting System".
Deputy Commander of the Trogir DVD Marin Vukman presented the work of the Trogir DVD K9 teams with the dogs Yoda and Koni, presenting their experiences with search interventions for missing persons in non-urban areas. During the afternoon lectures, several real firefighting search and rescue interventions were also analyzed, with special emphasis on the cooperation of all stakeholders in the rescue system.
After the lecture, the teams participated in night training at an abandoned facility in Divulje that served as a training ground for simulating ruins.
On the second day of training, in the presence of the commander of the Zagreb County Fire Department, Darija Kerezić, the K9 teams sailed from Trogir by ferry to the island of Drvenik Veli, where they were welcomed and greeted by the president of the local committee, Lovorka Kostović. The training took place at the location of an abandoned former JNA barracks, whose condition authentically simulates a ruin overgrown with wild vegetation, which provided exceptionally high-quality conditions for this type of training.
At this location, both inexperienced, unlicensed dogs and experienced licensed search dogs gained new knowledge and renewed existing skills. There are currently 11 licensed search dogs in the Croatian fire service system, and it is precisely this type of training that serves as preparation for taking the license exam. The Split-Dalmatia County, under the commander of the Split-Dalmatia County Fire Department, Ivan Kovačević, has three licensed search dogs from the Trogir, Split and Sinj fire departments.
On the third day of training, unfavorable, rainy weather conditions made it impossible to hold the planned daily training in the ruins in Divulje, thus concluding this year's first official training of K9 teams on Sunday morning.
K9 teams from the following units participated in the training: DVD Trogir 1 and 2, DVD Split 1 and 2, DVD Sinj 1 and 2, DVD Municipality Fažana 1 and 2, DVD Sela 1 and 2, DVD Orahovica, DVD Čačinci, DVD Plamen – Višnjan, DVD Nova Bukovica, DVD Zaprešić, DVD Hrnetić–Novaki, DVD Jastrebarsko, DVD Bistra, DVD Gornja Sela Dubrovnik, JVP Mljet, VZG Slatina 1 and 2, and K9 teams from Montenegro 1 and 2.
The second of a total of nine planned official training sessions for K9 teams is scheduled for the period from February 20th to 22nd in the Slavonian area of the Čačinci municipality, near the town of Orahovica.
AL
Source: Trogir portal
Photos: DVD Trogir
