Vodní záchranná služba ČČK

Vodní záchranná služba ČČK, z.s. (abbreviated VZS) is a Czech registered association founded in 1968. It describes itself as the largest and oldest nationwide organization dedicated to water rescue, education and rescue sport in the Czech Republic. It operates as a collective member of the Czech Red Cross (Český červený kříž, ČČK) and follows the principles and mission of the Red Cross movement. It is also a member of the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), through which it represents the Czech Republic internationally. VZS is an active component of the Czech Integrated Rescue System (Integrovaný záchranný systém, IZS). As the only nationwide organization of its kind, it operates at selected water bodies and bases, typically in 24-hour non-stop mode during the summer months. It is dispatched to primary interventions on and near water bodies by regional operational centres of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (HZS), Medical Rescue Services (ZZS) and the Police of the Czech Republic, and it also responds directly to emergency calls from citizens. It cooperates with the Air Rescue Service, the State Navigation Administration, municipal police, and managers of watercourses and reservoirs. The organization's activities rest on several pillars: rescue and provision of urgent advanced first aid on and near water bodies, including technical assistance and rescue; sport and leisure activities for youth and adults, including drowning prevention; and a comprehensive educational system for rescuers ranging from juniors to specialists in specific types of water environments and lecturers/instructors for IZS components. VZS prepares and provides education and training for its members, for main and other IZS components, and for the public and companies. Beyond water-rescue courses (Plavčík, Mistr plavčí, Záchranář na volné vodě), it runs first-aid courses in both classroom and experiential formats, including model situations, outdoor activities and teambuilding programmes. VZS develops work with children and youth, aiming to offer a leisure-time programme including rescue sport and competitions. Its junior and senior national teams participate annually in European and/or World Championships in lifesaving sport. It maintains a system of qualifying competitions through which athletes are nominated to the national team based on their results. Member clubs prepare athletes in regular training sessions and organize individual races, with the season culminating in the National Championship of Children and Youth in ILS disciplines and the National Championship in beach disciplines under ILS rules. VZS also organizes races for its senior membership, such as Blanenská 250 and Tvrdošíjní in Jablonec nad Nisou, and members test their fitness at the National Championship on open water. VZS has its own educational programme that prepares members from the age of 6 for their work in the organization. It cooperates in the training of members and employees of main and other IZS components, providing training in the operation of motor vessels, surface service, wild water and other specializations. The organization has been deployed in major emergencies, including the catastrophic floods of 1997 and all subsequent floods of greater or local significance, the tornado in the Břeclav and Hodonín regions, the COVID-19 pandemic response, humanitarian convoys at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the 2024 floods in the Czech Republic.

Vodní záchranná služba ČČK, z.s. was founded in 1968. It describes itself as the largest and oldest nationwide organization dedicated to water rescue, education and rescue sport in the Czech Republic. It operates as a collective member of the Czech Red Cross (Český červený kříž, ČČK) and follows the principles and mission of the Red Cross. It is also a member of the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), through which it represents the Czech Republic internationally. VZS is an active component of the Czech Integrated Rescue System (IZS). It is a component of the IZS based on an "Agreement on Planned Assistance on Request" concluded with the Ministry of the Interior – General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, and it is also listed in the Central Alarm Plan of the Czech Republic and in regional alarm plans. VZS is deployed not only during floods or inundations, but also in search operations on and near water for missing or drowned persons. It is also deployed in liquidation work and property rescue. Since the catastrophic floods of 1997, VZS has demonstrated its operational capability in the most demanding conditions. VZS has specialists for interventions on open and flowing water, who are deployed in difficult conditions where, thanks to their training and equipment, they are able to ensure safe evacuation or rescue of people and property. VZS and its rescue teams have participated in all floods since 1997, whether of greater or local significance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, individual associations across the country became involved in addressing the situation according to their possibilities. Some associations established cooperation with other volunteer organizations or directly with IZS components. VZS was also deployed in liquidation work and property rescue, for example during the tornado disaster in the Břeclav and Hodonín regions, where VZS built and secured a field dressing station in the village of Hrušky. At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, VZS, in cooperation with the Czech Red Cross, secured several humanitarian convoys carrying mainly medical and humanitarian material. Members of VZS also participated in the operation of the Operations Centre of the Crisis Staff of the Czech Red Cross. During the 2024 floods in the Czech Republic, VZS rescue teams participated in rescue work throughout the Czech Republic. The main activity took place mainly in the Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian regions, where they helped more than 100 people. At the same time, the largest search operation in the organization's history took place, when VZS members searched the Staříč river in the village of Lipová-lázně in the Jeseník region, where a car had fallen into the river. VZS operates at selected water bodies, typically in 24-hour non-stop mode during the summer months. It is regularly used for primary interventions on and near water bodies by regional operational centres of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (HZS), Medical Rescue Services (ZZS) and the Police of the Czech Republic. VZS operates especially in locations that are difficult to reach without rapid deployment of a motor vessel. Very good knowledge of the water bodies, banks and surroundings is also crucial, which is often absolutely key for rapid intervention and saving lives. Rapid response, for example to a call of drowning or a condition immediately after drowning, fundamentally increases the chance of survival. VZS provides its boats as a means of transport for ZZS crews to difficult-to-reach places and for subsequent rapid transport of the patient by VZS boat to an ambulance or helicopter of the Air Rescue Service (LZS). VZS is directly connected to the Záchranka application, through which automatic information about an emergency call from the application in the VZS intervention perimeter on a water body is transmitted, which is a water body and bank part up to a distance of about 300 metres. First aid stations of Vodní záchranná služba ČČK are located at state-owned water bodies. For calling help in acute cases, it is appropriate to use the emergency lines 112 or 155. For non-acute conditions and consultations, each first aid station has an on-call telephone contact. The monitored locations include Lipno – Dolní Vltavice and Lipno – Modřín, Orlík, Slapy, Hracholusky, Dalešice, Novomlýnská nádrž I (Mušovská – horní), Novomlýnská nádrž III (Novomlýnská – dolní), Těrlicko, Rozkoš, Nechranice, Seč, Pastviny, Slezská Harta, Vranov, Jesenice, Hlučín and Mšeno. VZS has its own educational programme that prepares members from the age of 6 for their work in the organization. VZS cooperates in the training of members and employees of main and other IZS components, providing training in the operation of motor vessels, surface service, wild water and other specializations. The organization also develops sport and leisure activities for youth and adults, including drowning prevention. Its junior and senior national teams participate annually in European and/or World Championships in lifesaving sport. VZS has a system of qualifying competitions where all competitors are nominated to the national team according to their results. Member clubs prepare athletes in regular training sessions and organize individual races, with the culmination of the competitive season being the National Championship of Children and Youth in ILS disciplines and the National Championship in beach disciplines under ILS rules. Based on the results in these nomination races, representatives are selected for the European and World Championships. VZS also organizes races for its senior membership, such as Blanenská 250 and Tvrdošíjní in Jablonec nad Nisou. Members also test their fitness at the National Championship on open water.

• 2024

  VZS rescue teams participated in rescue work during the 2024 floods in the Czech Republic, helping more than 100 people and conducting the largest search operation in its history.

• 2022

  At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, VZS cooperated with the Czech Red Cross on humanitarian convoys.

• 2021

  VZS built and secured a field dressing station in Hrušky after the tornado in Břeclav and Hodonín regions.

• 2020

  During COVID-19 pandemic, VZS associations assisted with the situation.

• 1997

  VZS demonstrated operational capability during catastrophic floods; has participated in all floods since.

• 1968

  Vodní záchranná služba ČČK founded.

The largest and oldest nationwide water-rescue organization in the Czech Republic, operating as a collective member of the Czech Red Cross and an active component of the Integrated Rescue System.

• Water rescue services

• First aid courses

• Lifesaving courses (Plavčík, Mistr plavčí, Záchranář na volné vodě)

• First aid training for IZS components

• Rescue sport programmes for youth

• Teambuilding and outdoor programmes

1. 1Vodní záchranná služba ČČK, z.s. – official websitevzs.cz
2. 2Vodní záchranná služba ČČK – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Vodní záchranná služba ČČK – Czech Wikipediacs.wikipedia.org