The Mountain Rescue Service (MSS) is part of the Bulgarian Red Cross.

To date, the service has 530 licensed lifeguards, only 47 of them are full-time employees and support the PSS bases in different regions of the country.

The rest of the lifeguards are volunteers, they are not paid.

This became known from the words of the director of the Mountain Rescue Service, Emil Neshev, on the air of BTV.

There is no law to support these volunteers, there is no law to allow them to be released from work when they go to rescue in the mountains, Neshev also said.

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According to him, it is very difficult to gather rescuers on a working day.

He gave an example of the recent cases of rescue operations in Rila and Pirin, in which dozens of volunteer mountain rescuers took part.

"I know what it's like to raise 50 volunteers on a day off and what it's like to raise them on a weekday," added Emil Neshev.

In his words, the state must have a clear vision of what it wants to achieve in terms of rescue operations, not only in the mountains. 

Mountain rescue is an expensive activity, every rescue operation has costs.

We receive a state subsidy, but it is insufficient, explained the PSS director.

He appeals to tourists to take out insurance to cover possible costs for the rescue actions.

His observations indicate that about 20 percent of people rescued on the mountain have insurance.

The rest pay part of the amount for the operation in cash, but there are also those who do not respond to such a request, explained Neshev.

mountain rescuers

help from volunteers

Emil Neshev