Mountain Volunteer Search and Rescue

[2] Currently, the service is governed by the Polish Parliament's 2011 Act on safety and rescue in mountains and on organized ski areas (Polish: Ustawa o bezpieczeństwie i ratownictwie w górach i na zorganizowanych terenach narciarskich).

[3] According to this Act, mountain rescue services are financed from the national budget, local budgets, national park entry fees, and other sources, and such services cannot therefore require insurance or charge rescue fees.

[5] In order to join the service, each rescuer needs to pass an exam and go through a trial period, during which they already begin to participate in rescue missions.

[6] GOPR is divided into seven divisions, one for every major mountain range in Poland, and is headquartered in Zakopane.

It oversees a total area of 20 410 km2, comprising all major mountain ranges in Poland, with the exception of the Tatras, which are managed by a separate team.