On this occasion, they emphasised that, contrary to public perception, they more frequently rescue local residents than foreign tourists.
"There is a misconception that we rescue foreign nationals more often than locals," Jadran Kapović, head of the HGSS Commission for Information and Analytics, said on Monday. He added that, out of approximately 1,000 rescue operations carried out annually, only 15 per cent involve foreign tourists.
An interesting statistic, he noted, is that men are rescued far more often than women, accounting for 65 per cent of all interventions.
"Our volunteers have regular jobs -- they are doctors, bankers, private entrepreneurs, working in various fields. But when it comes to saving lives, emergency interventions and extraordinary situations, we become HGSS rescuers," stressed HGSS chief Marko Andrić.
He noted that volunteering with HGSS requires a great deal of free time and "never really stops", appealing to employers for understanding.
"A rescue mission will not conveniently happen at 4:30 p.m. when you finish work. It happens in the middle of the night, in the morning, during working hours, and in that moment, we drop everything and go on a rescue mission," Andrić said.
One challenge volunteers face, he added, is that training can last several weeks per year, often requiring them to take annual leave during these periods.
"In the near future, we want to discuss this issue with the relevant authorities and find a legal framework that would benefit volunteers, while also ensuring that employers see advantages in hiring an HGSS member," said Andrić.
He also emphasised the need to improve helicopter rescue operations.
The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) is a national voluntary, professional, humanitarian and non-partisan organisation. Its primary goals are accident prevention, rescue operations and providing first aid in mountainous and other inaccessible areas, as well as in extraordinary circumstances. To safeguard human lives, health and property, specialised expertise and technical equipment are essential.