Search and rescue dog handlers joined forces with modern technologies Introducing the Pátrač application

The number of interventions varies every year but cynology teams are an integral part of the Czech security system. Only the Czech Mountain Rescue has twenty-three handlers with their dogs. And it's not only them who help the Integrated Rescue System to search for lost children, disorientated persons or those with suicidal intentions.

At times like those, success depends on speed. Rescue cynology, therefore, joined forces with modern technologies and the pilot version of the Pátrač application now sees the light of the day. It is supposed to help search and rescue cynologists with the rescue by having their search area divided into sectors based on the input information and experience of the participating cynologists,  as well as the physical condition of the animal. There are no wasted overlaps in open areas, which increases the effectiveness of the whole rescue.

In action, a search and rescue dog can work for several hours, usually around three, four hours. "It depends on many factors. Whether the dog has had any load that day and what sort. Whether he's rested and when he last had something to eat. There are situations when cynologists are asked for help at times when the animal isn't able to provide maximum performance," explains Ondřej Vank, mountain rescuer and the first Czech Mountain Rescue cynologist from Ore Mountains.

He thinks that the application enables the deployment and maximum use of all available dog search forces. Thanks to this project, a dog that's recovering from a rescue action is allocated a smaller sector. "Without smart technology, which analyses sectors according to the difficulty of the terrain, records and processes data including searched areas, their safety/risks, etc., it wouldn't be possible to plan the use of search and rescue dogs in real life so effectively," adds the handler Vank.

Rescuers and members of cynology teams also help with searching for pets in inaccessible terrain. You can use the Záchranka application to call them. However, do inform the operator that you do not need help for yourself but for your animal friend.

Photocredit: Ondřej Vank