A new portable operations center for the volunteers of the Hellenic Rescue Team

The volunteers of the NGO Hellenic Rescue Team now have a new portable operations center at their disposal, thanks to donations collected for the hiking project "Olympus 12 Refuge Trail." The mountaineering project was completed last October by Lorenzo Nerantzis, a member of the HRT Telecommunications Department, and comprised a solo hiking trip to the 12 mountain refuges and emergency shelters of Greece's highest mountain.

The donations collected through the crowd funding campaign, which accompanied this effort, exceeded € 2,000, an amount which was used to support the work of HRT volunteers in mountain rescue and telecommunication support for all search and rescue operations in Greece. In addition, the equipment will be utilized in both urban and non-urban areas to provide health coverage for sports and other activities.

The portable operations center consists of a hand luggage that contains all the necessary telecommunications equipment and accessories for a seamless communication between the HRT members and other first responders involved in a rescue operation.

In particular, it includes the following specialized equipment:

- Two transceivers VHF and UHF

- A short-wave HF transceiver  

- Two VHF and UHF antennas

- Two speakers and

- A signal amplifier

The small size and portability of the portable operation center contribute to the ability to set up quickly and at any place in the operation field. The above factors in combination with the flexibility in its use, have as a result the improvement of the operational capacity of the HRT volunteers.

The device has already been placed into service and successfully tested as part of the telecommunications coverage of the 100-kilometer Olympus Mythical Trail, a challenging race since the relief of Olympus prevents direct communication between rescuers at the route's refueling stations.

In addition, using the campaign's donations, climbing equipment was acquired to replace or maintain the existing equipment in the HRT mountain rescue department. This equipment is as follows:

- Ropes

- Climbing gear

- Straps

The project "Olympus 12 Refuge Trail" aimed to raise awareness of those involved in mountaineering about the importance of prevention and proper preparation, but, at the same time, to highlight the role of the Hellenic Rescue Team in mountain rescue in Greece.

The solo effort started on 22nd of September, from the Mpountolas refuge, located above Litohoro, and was completed two weeks later at the "Spilios Agapitos" shelter. The route included both the organized refuges and the emergency shelters in the most inaccessible areas of Mt Olympus (Koromilia, Petrostrouga, Krevatia, Apostolidis, Kakkalos, Laka Christaki, Salatoura, Agios Antonis, Migotzidis and Livadaki).

During his trip, Lorenzo became aware not only of the importance but also of the wide level of coverage that HRT’s hum radio network offers on Mt Olympus. Throughout the route, he was able to communicate with his fellow HRT members in Thessaloniki through walkie-talkies. The radio network permits the daily communication between the shelters and climbers, while it has been widely used the last 25 years in every rescue operation on Mt Olympus and the entire Greek territory.

More about project:

Facebook «Olympus 12 Refuge Trail»:

https://www.facebook.com/12refugetrail

Instagram «Olympus 12 Refuge Trail»:

www.instagram.com/12refugetrail