Info Race

Info Race

Dear mountain rescuer friends from all over the world, between 19-21 March 2023, Salvamont Romania invites you to take part in the IMRRR - International Mountain Rescue Race Romania, an attractive and interesting activity aimed at highlighting the mountain rescue activity.

The pilot stage of the competition took place in 2022, and the format proposed by the organizers was tested by the Romanian mountain rescue teams and a team from Serbia. The success of this pilot stage confirmed that the format is both attractive and useful to the competitors, which led us to continue organizing it.

In 2023, at the first official edition of the IMRRR, 36 teams participated, including 25 teams from Romania and 11 teams of rescuers from Austria, the Czech Republic, Catalonia, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, Poland, and Ukraine. The event's location provides a safe environment for the competition, and the local community, sponsors, and partners of Salvamont Romania are supporting us to organize a memorable event. (IMRRR 2023 registered teams)

The proposed activity is intended to be a combination of specific mountain rescue activity tests, similar to the intervention in an accident in a mountain area in winter. These tests will assess 75% professional knowledge and 25% sports skills.

The participation fee is 800 euros/team (4 persons), representing accommodation, meals, cable transport, parking, and other specific expenses, but does not include transportation to and from Romania.

The organizers, Salvamont Romania & Gorj County Public Mountain Rescue Service, provide free participation for the first 10 teams registered, one from each country or one from each mountain rescue structure in each country.

Teams that have obtained free participation will have to deposit a participation guarantee of 200 euros in our account within 7 days from the registration date; otherwise, the place will be allocated to the teams registered for a fee.

AS.NAT.SALVATORI MONTANI
RO19 RNCB 0053 0091 6117 0003
BIC: RNCBROBU
SWIFT: RNCBROBUXXX
Banca Comerciala Romana

The participation deposit will be returned to the teams participating in the competition within a maximum of three days from the date of completion of the competition.

Entries will be made in an automated programme following the link on the website www.salvamontromania.ro, available as of November 23, 2023.
Registration deadline for free places: December 23

After this date, the free places left unoccupied or unconfirmed can also be accessed by other mountain rescue teams from the countries already registered.

Deadline for registration at IMRRR, free or with a fee: January 20, 2023.

We look forward to seeing you!

Sabin Cornoiu,
President Salvamont Romania

REGULATIONS OF THE PROFESSIONAL MEETING OF SALVAMONT ROMANIA 2024

Period: 19-21.03.2024
Location: Rânca, Parâng Mountains, Gorj County, South West of Romania

The competition consists of walking a mountain route with the following specific elements of mountain rescue action:

  • Traveling on touring skis according to GPS coordinates, safe ascent traveling and descending with ice crampons, searching for victims in an avalanche (choose between DVA, RECCO or dog), launching/recovering the stretcher with the injured person with a rope system, first aid, descent of the injured person in varied terrain and on the ski slope (only for those who make such rescues), surprise tests, twists...
  • A team consists of 4 competitors or 3 competitors and a delegate.
  • Depending on the test, 2 or 3 rescuers participate, and the rescuers can switch at the beginning of each test.
  • Required equipment: specific winter intervention equipment to be able to cover all sectors of the respective route, appropriate clothing and footwear, individual harness, double belay loop, helmet, ski touring/off-piste/slopes equipment, ice crampons, DVA, RECCO, GPS, ABS bag, avalanche probe and shovel, ropes, carabiners, descender, ice axe, ring loops, backpack, medical kit, stretcher. Helmets are compulsory throughout the entire circuit.
  • The avalanche kit is compulsory for all tests except the ski descent with Akja (optional for foreign teams that do not have this activity).
  • Mandatory: during the whole test, the mountain rescuers of each team will wear the equipment of their rescue team, identical equipment for all the members of the competition team, with the specific insignia.
  • At least one of the participants in the travel test will carry a mobile phone with the Vodafone Mountain Rescue app installed and the SOS tracking feature activated. The activation of the feature must be checked before the start. For the international teams, the phone will be provided by the organizers.
  • Throughout all the trail tests, teams can use their personal mobile phone to get information and support from their colleagues in the country, a sort of "call a friend" option.
  • Teams can take advantage of the "I want to try" option if they want to carry out an activity that is not specific to them or try a procedure seen in the competition that they are not familiar with, in which case they will benefit from the guidance of the Romanian Mountain Rescue instructors.
  • The competition tests take place in a relatively small area. The sectors are in a circuit and can be watched permanently by observers and, if the weather is favorable, also by spectators.
  • There are no penalties. Each team stays in their sector until they perform the sector-specific procedures correctly.
  • The sporting tests will be timed.
  • The participation fee is 800 euros/team, which includes all expenses for accommodation, meals, cable transport, organization, not including transportation to and from Romania.
  • The first 10 foreign teams registered in the competition on the automatic platform available on www.salvamontromania.ro will participate free of charge.
  • The teams registered free of charge will have to pay a participation deposit of 200 euros within 7 days of registration; otherwise, the place will be allocated to the teams registered on the paid slots. The participation fee will be refunded only to participating teams within 48 hours after the end of the competition.
  • The number of Romanian and foreign teams registered in the competition is limited.
  • Professionalism, competition, new places and people, traditions, fun and unforgettable memories!

The technical-professional competition consists of a mountain route with the following sectors:

  1. Sector 1 is a professional surprise test specific to mountain rescue and achievable with the teams' equipment.
  2. Sector 2: Ski touring of up to 10 km, approx. 50% on a level curve, 50% with a maximum level difference of 300 m, GPS tracking, DVA, and ABS bag. In this sector, the team is composed two rescuers. At the start, the team has to turn on the DVA and check it at the DVA stand. Here the team also receives an envelope with GPS coordinates for minimum 5 points they have to reach in the circuit (first point - Start, last point - Finish, the rest - the intermediate points to be reached. The teams' circuits are not necessarily identical in route but are the same in length. In this test, each competitor will carry an avalanche kit, airbag, helmet, smartphone, harness, 2 loops of min 60 cm, Y lanyards or similar products for self-secure with lanyards, 4 lanyards with safety, ice crampons and 1 team rope of min 50 m. The trial is against the clock. During this trial, the rest of the teammates or the organizers will carry the equipment required for the subsequent trials by chairlift.
  3. Trial 3- ascent on a slope using crampons and an ice axe to secure the lead climber and the second. The lead climber climbs belayed by the second, secures his/her belay point to the ice axe, and then belays the second who climbs to the next belay point. The second makes a belay point, belays his teammate climbing, and continues the ascent until they reach the final belay point, prepared with rappel pitons. If the snow does not allow setting up a belay point on the ice axe, belaying is done from the harness. The wall is not vertical, just sloping, so not very dangerous. In this sector, the team consists of two rescuers.
  4. At the end of the descent, a team of 3 rescuers will enter a marked avalanche search area. The search is performed at choice: 3 rescuers with DVA, 2 rescuers with DVA and 1 with RECCO, 2 rescuers with DVA and 1 with a dog or 1 rescuer with DVA, 1 with RECCO and 1 with search dog who will search for an actual person. In this sector, the team consists of three rescuers. The trial ends when all three ”victims” are identified. Rescuers can help each other to find the victims. In the search sector, the rescuers will have the deployed probe, the shovel, the search device, and the dog, where appropriate, and will receive from the organizers a flag to mark the place where they identify the victim. Teams that do not have their own dog but want to work with it in the workshop can get a search dog with a handler from the organizers.
  5. After exiting the avalanche, the medical sector follows. Medical first aid is given for one or more conditions drawn on the spot. Possible conditions: lower limb trauma, upper limb trauma following a fall. The organizers provide hand and leg splints with vacuum and cervical collars. First, medical first aid is given, and then medical materials are unpacked and remain on the stand. In this sector, the team consists of three people, two rescuers and one casualty.
  6. Descent of the injured person by ski lift, i.e. Akja lift, winter-equipped Tyral, UT2000 lift or Canadian lift. A "surprise trial" - halfway down the slope. In this sector, the team consists of three people, two rescuers and an injured person. The challenge will only be run by teams that do this kind of rescue in their current activity; for the other teams, it is optional and does not count in the final ranking.
  7. The casualty is secured with the stretcher system during the whole descent sector. Completion of the technical-application course.
  • At the end of each sector, participants will enter an isolation zone for 5 or 10 minutes until the clearing of the subsequent ground and for changing equipment.
  • The timer is started at the beginning and stopped at the end; the start is given at a particular time set according to the number of teams entered, and timing is done on different sectors of the competition.
  • The rescuers can switch between them at the start of each sector.
  • Required equipment: specific winter rescue equipment to be able to cover all the sectors of the respective route, appropriate clothing and footwear, individual harness, double belay loop, helmet, ski touring/off-piste/trail equipment, crampons, DVA, RECCO, GPS, ABS bag, avalanche probe and shovel, ropes, carabiners, descender, ice axe, ring loops, rucksack, medical kit, stretcher. Helmets are mandatory throughout the entire circuit.
  • The avalanche kit is mandatory for all trials except the ski descent with Akja on the ski slope.
  • All mountain rescuers of each team are required to wear, during the whole trial, their own team's equipment, with the specific mountain rescue team insignia, identical for all members of the competition team and with the mountain rescue structure insignia. Teams that do not meet this criterion will not be accepted into the competition.
  • Depending on the trial, rescuers may wear other mountain rescue equipment. E.g., in the avalanche trial, given that they may be sweaty or hot, they can wear a mountain rescue jacket/polar. The same applies to the ascent or descent trial. The rule is that it must be specific equipment of the mountain rescue team, and all the rescuers in the same trial must have identical equipment.
  • At least one of the participants in the touring ski trial will carry a phone with the Vodafone Salvamont app installed and the SOS tracking feature activated. The activation of the feature must be checked before the start. The phone is provided by the organizers. By using the app, the organizers will see in real-time the movement of the teams, their location in the field, and the fact that they reach the points of the route.
  • Throughout all the tests on the route, teams can use their mobile phone to get information and support from their colleagues in the country, a sort of "call a friend" option.
  • All sectors are on the circuit and can be traced continuously by observers.
  • The start is by random draw, but there may be situations where teams of participants from the same Mountain Rescue structure are put in a different order to benefit from some joint equipment.
  • Each participating team will receive a cup/trophy, regardless of size, shape, or material, which will be awarded by drawing lots in the friendly raffle organized at the festive table.
  • Participation diplomas and prizes will be offered to the participating teams and those who stood out in the professional competition, prizes that sponsors and partners of Salvamont Romania can support.
  • To facilitate the registration process, by February 20, each service will send the competition team's nominal composition, including the search dog's name, a photo of the team members, together or separately, where applicable.
  • Contact info: ansmr@salvamontromania.ro; sabin@cjgorj.ro
  • We look forward to seeing you!

Sabin Cornoiu,
President Salvamont Romania