The new center of the Mountain Rescue Service at the Seven Rila Lakes will shorten rescue operations by at least two hours. The premises are part of the Control and Information Center of the Rila National Park Directorate and will be used jointly with the mountain rescue team in Dupnitsa. The premises are already being equipped with the necessary specialized equipment.

The center was built a year ago, but due to administrative obstacles and protracted inter-institutional communication, it was not possible to use it for rescuers until now.

“For the first time, the center will be used according to the arrangements with the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) and by representatives of the Mountain Rescue Service (MRS), who will also have a place to deploy their equipment. But also for the first time they will have their own space in the region of the Seven Rila Lakes”, said the Minister of Environment and Water Rositsa Karamfilova. The Minister and Emil Neshev, director of the MRS at the BRC, Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Maria Boyadzhiyska, the Acting Director of the Rila National Park Directorate Margarit Delin, representatives of the park, of the MRS, and the ministry announced the start of work at the rescue center, after the contract between the MOEW and the BRC was signed a few days ago. The event took place at the Visitor Center – Panichishte and was attended by the Regional Governor of Kyustendil Alexander Pandurski and the Mayor of the Municipality of Sapareva Banya Kalin Gelev.

“The center was built exactly one year ago, and the administrative obstacles have now been solved and the right of use by the MRS has been established. I took the task to heart as a personal cause and thanks to the Directorate of the National Nature Protection Service and the Rila National Park Directorate at the MOEW, we found a solution and managed to remove all obstacles to signing a contract and MRS so they could find their place”, added Minister Karamfilova. She emphasized that the center is a symbol of the partnership between the Rila National Park Directorate and the MRS of the BRC, because the cause is common - to preserve the Seven Rila Lakes as a unique natural complex of world importance and at the same time with timely actions to prevent risks to human health.

Emil Neshev explained that the new center gives the opportunity to save time and for the mountain rescuers to be even more efficient, faster and to be able to save more human lives. “The most important thing is that we will have a place to position all our facilities, including medical equipment. We will not have to transport equipment from Dupnitsa to the mountains every time, which will save at least 2 hours in quick response in emergency situations. This is very important to us, because over the years we have suffered from the lack of a medical center and all the necessary equipment to provide emergency medical care”, said the director of the MRS. He explained that the station is already equipped with oxygen, an automatic defibrillator, avalanche search equipment, sleds, vacuum mattresses, etc. “Thus it will not be necessary to transport such machinery and equipment for every operation from Dupnitsa to the Rila Lakes. This is very labor-intensive, energy-intensive, but also slows down our actions in the field gretly. Sometimes minutes are decisive”, said Neshev.

“I am grateful to everyone who made an effort. We will do all that depends on us, we will always be available to justify the trust that we have been given. Bearing in mind the large flow of tourists, including from all over the world, the area is very busy all year round,” commented Kiril Cholakov, head of the rescue team in Dupnitsa. “That is why there is nothing more natural for the MRS to have a center located in the high part of the mountain, specifically in the Seven Rila Lakes,” he added.