Agreement on cooperation in the field of protection and rescue signed between the municipalities of Foča (BiH) and Plužine (CG)
Yesterday, the Mayors of the Municipalities of Foča (BiH) and Plužine (Montenegro) signed a mutual agreement on cooperation in the field of protection and rescue in Foča within the project “Tourism, Adrenaline and Rafting Adventure (T.A.R.A.), financed by the European Union.” The agreement was signed between these municipalities, as well as between the National Park Sutjeska and the Nature Park Piva, all with the aim of improving the security of this cross-border area.
The general conditions for cooperation in protection and rescue from disasters are defined, and especially in the planning and implementation of measures for protection and rescue from floods, earthquakes, open fires, search and rescue in the mountains and other disasters. Among other things, the mehanisms of mutual notification in cases of danger and potential catastrophes, and mutual assistance in the implementation of preventive and operational protection and rescue measures are defined.
The Mayor of the Municipality of Foca, Radisav Masic, emphasized the importance of cooperation between these municipalities, both in the field of protection and rescue, and in other segments related to the improvement of the tourist offer in this cross-border area. Mijuško Bajagić, the Mayor of the Municipality of Plužine, praised the successful cooperation so far and emphasized the importance of connecting the National Park Sutjeska and the Nature Park Piva in the field of safety at tourist locations.
In addition to the agreement, the project also developed a Study on risks at tourist locations in these municipalities (available at: https://bit.ly/3nMqs05). Standard operating procedures for dealing with emergencies have been developed, as well as instructions for recording disaster events, reporting, data exchange, seeking and accepting assistance, which will be used by representatives of the rescue services of both municipalities.
The project is implemented by the municipalities of Plužine (Montenegro) and Foča (BiH), in cooperation with the Tourist Organization of Foča and the Nature Park Piva, with the aim to develop and promote the cross-border area of these two municipalities as unique tourist destinations for active tourism. The project is financed by the European Union in the amount of 499,654.00 euros within the Cross-border Cooperation Program BiH-Montenegro, and will last from December 1, 2019 to the end of November 2021.
STUDY ON RISKS IN NATURE PARK PIVA, TARA RIVER CANYON AND NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA, AS WELL AS JOINT STANDARD OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE DEVELOPED
In order to map potential risks at tourist locations in the cross-border area of the Municipality of Plužine and the Municipality of Foča, a Study on risks in the Nature Park Piva (Montenegro), the Tara River Canyon and the National Park Sutjeska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) was prepared.
The study focuses on the potential risks to the safety of people, animals, cultural and material goods and the environment at the main tourist locations in these municipalities, ie. areas of the Nature Park “Piva”, the Tara River Canyon and the National Park “Sutjeska”, which includes determining the real individual risks for each of these three tourist locations.
Within this activity and with aim to improve safety at tourist locations and establish cross-border cooperation in the field of protection and rescue, standard operating procedures for emergency response and instructions for reporting on disaster events, reporting, data exchange, search and accepting assistance are also developed.
The Study and standard operating procedures will be distributed and used by representatives of rescue services from both municipalities.
More details:
With the support of the European Union the municipalities of Plužine and Foča are working together to improve the safety of tourist locations
Last week, the municipalities of Plužine (Montenegro) and Foča (BiH), as part of the project “Tourism, Adrenaline and Rafting Adventure (TARA)” supported by the European Union, organized the second coordination meeting for representatives of their rescue services (civil protection, police, health care institutions, fire services and associations, protection and rescue services, GSS ) where the management, coordination and planning in the protection and rescue system were discussed.
The importance of security at tourist locations was emphasized at the meeting, as one of the most important aspects of the project. Regretting that the corona virus pandemic has slowed down certain project activities related to safety, it was stated that rescue equipment will be procured within the project which will improve the work of the rescue services. When the epidemiological situation allows, joint rescue drills will be organized, and safety exits in the Tara canyon will be installed. Participants had the opportunity to hear a lecture on the protection and rescue system in Montenegro and management and coordination in protection and rescue. One of the topics of the lecture was planning in the protection and rescue system with a focus on development of protection and rescue plans on national, local and entrepreneurial level, as a basis for the implementation of protection and rescue measures in the preventive, operational and remedial phase. The risks at tourist locations in these municipalities are analyzed, as well as the ways in which rescue services act. Participants shared their experineces in the work in rescue services, and proposals for the topics of the remaining six coordination meetings were given. Participants also received relevant materials (guides, instructions and brochures) on actions in case of earthquakes, floods and fires, both in buildings and outdoors.
The project is implemented by the municipalities of Plužine (CG) and Foča (BiH) in cooperation with the Nature Park “Piva” and the Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Foča, and is funded by the European Union within the Cross-border Cooperation Program BiH-Montenegro. The goal of the project is the development and promotion of the cross-border area of these two municipalities as unique tourist destination for active tourism.
The realization of the project began on December 1, 2019 and will last for two years, until the end of November 2021.