Women as big as mountains: In mountain rescue services everyone contributes equally

Through the “Women, Peace and Security” Agenda, which has been implemented in BiH since 2010, and recently with the support of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), attention is drawn to the irreplaceable role of women in creating safer communities. Members of mountain rescue services have for years shown the courage to, regardless of risk, provide help to those who need it most. On International Mountain Rescue Day (marked on August 28), we spoke with Matilda Anđelić, member of the Mountain Rescue Service – GSS Konjic Station, and Arina Bešlagić and Nisada Višća, members of the Mountain Rescue Service – GSS Sarajevo Station. 

Being a member of the mountain rescue service usually implies that a person already has developed emotions towards nature, especially the mountains. Is that the case with you, and can you briefly explain how that love was born? 

Matilda: When you are lucky enough to be born under Prenj mountain, by that very fact you are predisposed to love mountains. I was also lucky that my parents were mountaineers, they hiked a lot, and taught us to love nature from an early age. For more than 20 years I have been a member of a mountaineering club, I hike in the mountains, and now being in nature gives me such peace, pure zen. I work with a lot of people and the mountain is my rest from everything. In that way a person pushes their limits, talks with themselves. 

Nisada: Yes – there is a connection between mountaineering and Mountain Rescue Service (GSS). Through the history of GSS we see that in the past only the most experienced mountaineers could be mountain rescuers. Today that has changed a little, but still, if you are not connected with nature and the mountain, you will not even feel the need to become a mountain rescuer or do some volunteer work related to nature. I grew up in nature, in the countryside, and regular trips to the mountain, outings, and walks were implied. That continued through the school mountaineering section and the mountaineering club. 

Arina: When I was in primary school, we had a scout section and I, of course, wanted to join. We went camping at Jablaničko Lake and on the second day I wanted to go home because I could not bear to live in a tent for the next seven to ten days, and I said never again. I believe there is a right time for all of us. Now nature is something I enjoy. So, my story is a little different. 

Why did you decide to join the mountain rescue service, what was the main motive, and what does it mean to you today to be a member of such a team? 

Matilda: Earlier, the mountain rescue service was not a separate legal category, but a section within a mountaineering club. When the mountain rescue services separated, I joined the Konjic station immediately when it was founded. For me that was a logical step because I had already been a member of the mountaineering club for years. Since the mountain rescue service is exclusively about volunteerism - we do not receive any compensation - I think the only motive for everyone, including me, is to help people in trouble. That is the empathy a person has inside. 

Arina: I worked in the Sector for Protection and Rescue within the BiH Ministry of Security on administrative, logistical, and coordination tasks. That sector did not have an operational rescue team, but I closely cooperated with entity civil protection administrations and the Public Safety Department of Brčko District. I could not be a member of the field team because there are conditions for being part of civil protection rescue teams that I did not meet. To better understand the needs of rescue teams, I decided to join the mountain rescue service and at the same time help and also understand how teams actually function, and understand their needs when they request something from the administration. 

Nisada: I am not originally from Sarajevo, and in my town, there was no mountain rescue service, so when I learned more and found out about GSS, I realized that I could use my love for mountains to help someone. I believe that helping others in trouble is the greatest act of humanity and we should use it if we already do mountaineering. 

Is there a rescue operation that particularly left its mark on you, maybe even tested your strength and courage? How did you overcome the obstacles in that situation? 

Nisada: We had one intense and exhausting operation in bad weather conditions, where it was very cold with strong winds, and visibility was minimal. But the motivation and focus on the person we were searching for kept us focused and moving. Our training and team harmony helped us a lot because when you see everyone giving their maximum, then you also give your all because you cannot and must not do less. That operation left a big mark on me, especially since it had a negative outcome. I would also mention the operation in Turkey during the 2023 earthquake. The scenes we saw and experienced there are something none of us had encountered before, and I hope we never will again. It was difficult in the field, but we all endured stoically, although it left consequences we felt when we returned home. 

Matilda: The operations of my team, since we live in Konjic, are usually stressful, distant, and in the mountains. The challenges are always endurance and strength because mountain rescue saves people in inaccessible terrain where an ambulance cannot reach. We had a night operation when we climbed Cetina; unfortunately, we knew a colleague had died, but we had to reach him and retrieve him. I have never been colder in my life, I think it was February, we spent around 12 hours at minus 15. All those challenges are overcome through teamwork. In our station we talk a lot, we are there for each other, after every operation we have a briefing where we talk, and respect emotions. 

Arina: That was one of the first search and rescue operations for me. When we found the person, unfortunately, he was dead, he had died of a heart attack. We could not influence that, only if we had found him at that very moment could we have tried to save him. Sometimes things happen like that. Later, I saw a woman I recognized approaching, who was the sister of the deceased person. That was the hardest for me. She just ran to me, and that was the moment when I realized how weak I am, but that I must overcome it and be strong for that person and for the whole family, and somehow suppress my own emotions. Because the family expects us to dedicate ourselves to them, not to ourselves, and we are not important at that moment. The biggest mark on all of us from BiH who were part of the rescue team was left by the earthquake in February 2023 in Turkey. I think we are not yet ready to talk about what we saw and the way each of us experienced it. I know I am not. 

Are there additional challenges that women in GSS face compared to men? 

Arina: As for physical exertion, we somehow carry it equally. Our colleagues will never allow us to carry a 200-meter rope, they will step in, but all the courses we go through are the same. Some handle it more easily, some harder, but I think the biggest barrier is mental, and the ego we will overcome by asking a colleague to help us. What is most important in the field is that we are safe, that our colleagues are safe, and then comes everything else. I think women contribute with empathy and conversation, we have a women's instinct, and gather the team. We keep things gentler and make it easier to endure rescue operations or very stressful situations.

Nisada: The advantage of a woman is that she can react a little better emotionally if we have, for example, a search operation. There we have family members who are worried and desperate, and somehow we calm them better than male colleagues because we pay more attention to such things. But as for participating in operations themselves, sometimes there are prejudices when a woman joins GSS, in the sense that someone thinks she is not physically ready and strong enough for certain tasks. But through the quality of work itself, expertise, and readiness to go out into the field shoulder to shoulder, those differences and prejudices are lost and mutual respect in the team is built. 

Matilda: We had an operation in the Rakitnica canyon, a British citizen fell, broke her leg. We immobilized her leg and carried her for hours. I happened to be the only woman in the team, and at one point I asked her if she needed to go to the toilet, to which she said she did. She could not get up from the stretcher, and I told the guys let’s put her down, everyone, move away, so I could help her, undress her, and return her to the stretcher. That is just one example of how important the presence of women is in the mountain rescue service team. That women's attention stands out especially if the injured person is a woman. We have the strength to calm, comfort, even hug those in distress. 

What does the path to joining GSS look like, what conditions must you meet, and what are the duties and responsibilities that come with membership? 

Nisada: Unfortunately, in BiH we do not have a law that regulates the work of mountain rescue services and requires that all have the same standards, so I can speak for the Sarajevo Station. First, we have a public call where anyone can apply, with certain requirements such as being of legal age, physical fitness, practicing some outdoor sport. After the introductory interview with all candidates, basic training begins, which lasts at least six to eight months and is very intensive. When you successfully complete this training, you become a member of the station and obtain the title of candidate for trainee. This gives you the right to participate in courses organized by the GSS Federation of BiH, as our umbrella association, after which you acquire the title of trainee. The trainee period lasts two years. This means that the person is very active, and also has the right to participate more actively in operations. The period of training, courses, and trainee status is already a period of at least five to six years, after which you have the right to take the exam for mountain rescuer, which is very demanding and includes everything learned until then, in both winter and summer conditions. 

Matilda: Duties and responsibilities are big. You must practice some type of activity that involves being in nature – mountaineering, alpinism, cycling, and/or other activities that contribute to rescue operations. You must be ready to respond at any time to help. You also need to safeguard the privacy of the rescued person because it is not up to us to decide whether the public will find something out before the family does. You must continuously improve your own psychophysical abilities, knowledge, and skills necessary for rescue. 

What would you say to girls and women who are thinking about practising mountaineering and exploring nature, but maybe also dream of becoming members of GSS? What should they keep in mind? 

Matilda: Join the mountain rescue service. You will certainly acquire skills that will make you love yourself. Being part of a team that saved a life is invaluable, above all, personal satisfaction. Contact the mountain rescue station in your city, it will be an honor for us to have you, girls, in the team. 

Arina: What we need to have is the ability to build selflessness and generosity within ourselves. It is fine to put yourself first, but at the same time, the most important thing, not only in the mountain rescue service, but generally in life, is to treat others with respect because everyone can contribute - whether they work in administration, logistics, rock rescue, or a specialization such as diving, water, and underwater rescue. Building a career through mountain rescue is not possible, it is done voluntarily, and it really requires going into it with heart and soul. 

Nisada: I would tell girls not to think in terms that gender should be a question of whether they can or cannot do something. The most important thing is that a girl is ready to dedicate herself because this is a very long and intensive process that requires a lot of sacrifice, effort, and learning. It is important that the person is a team player because here, one person alone cannot do anything. You can be perfect in rescue techniques or first aid, but if you are not a team player and do not work with colleagues, you cannot do anything. Women can, if they want, do everything equally as men. 

The initiative “Women Lead the Way Towards Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, is supported by the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and jointly implemented by UN Women, UNFPA, and IOM on behalf of the United Nations in BiH in partnership with the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.