This year, for the eighteenth time, organizations members of the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) met to exchange knowledge and experience related to cave rescue. The 2025 edition took place in Wojcieszów, a town located in the Lower Silesia region of southwestern Poland, in the Western Sudetes, at the heart of one of Poland’s karst areas. For many years this town has periodically become a center for Polish caving activities thanks to the national Speleological Championships held in the nearby quarry.
Between 24 and 28 September 2025, Wojcieszów hosted the largest ECRA meeting to date, bringing together 193 participants from 30 countries around the world.
This meeting was organized by GOPR and GRJ on behalf of the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA), with the support of local authorities and services.
Author: Mohamed Anass Bouabdallah, Verein für Höhlenkunde in München e.V., Moroccan Cave Rescue Association
PreECRA
PreECRA participants could explore the area hosting the event through cultural, tourist, mountain and caving excursions. For many international guests it was their first visit to one of Poland’s most scenic karst regions.
The diving section began its activities even earlier, on Tuesday 23 September, with preparatory dives in the flooded Czech mine Důl Hranicna. Divers had to transport equipment deep into the mine after a two-hour drive across the border. Both open and closed circuit systems were used.
Another training site was the flooded Maria Concordia mine located about 70 kilometers from Wojcieszów. Transporting equipment required lowering all the gear 40 meters into the mine shaft. Again, both open and closed circuit dives were conducted.
Other participants joined cultural and speleological excursions organized during the pre-meeting. These included visits to the Riese complex, Grodno Castle, Książ Castle, the Old Mine Museum in Wałbrzych, and the fortresses of Kłodzko and Srebrna Góra. Cave-oriented trips included the Bear Cave and Szczelina Wojcieszowska.
On Thursday, cave divers met at the flooded Zimnik quarry to demonstrate the technique used by the Polish Cave Rescue Group for rigging cave passages with thick static rope. The same system was later applied to prepare an underwater section of the rescue course for the following day’s dynamic demonstration.
ECRA Meeting – Main Event
Friday, 26 September 2025
Opening Ceremony
The official opening ceremony of the 2025 ECRA Meeting took place on Friday morning in the concert hall of Wojcieszów. Among Polish officials and guests who spoke were also the President of ECRA, Dinko Novosel, and Werner Zagler.
Rescue Exercise at the Zimnik Quarry
A new feature of this year’s edition was a joint rescue simulation combining the work of the Technical, Medical and Diving Commissions. The objective was to analyze and test issues that may arise at the intersection of these three domains under controlled, semi-realistic conditions. A technical route was prepared within the flooded, inactive Zimnik quarry to simulate a cave rescue operation involving the evacuation of an injured caver.
From the technical commission’s perspective, the exercise represented a cave section that included both dry and flooded passages, as well as horizontal and vertical rope transport segments. The quarry’s structure provided realistic conditions for all these scenarios.
Throughout the exercise, the casualty’s condition was continuously monitored by medical teams. Multinational rescue teams, after selecting their leaders, handled specific segments of the evacuation using their own methods adapted to the terrain. This allowed for direct exchange of experience and showed how vital communication is, both within a team and between different groups.
After the simulation, a debriefing session was held where team leaders and observers shared insights and identified lessons that could help optimize future rescue operations.
Following the main exercise, the Technical Commission, led by Giuseppe Conti, conducted workshops on stabilization and leveling of cave stretchers during rope transport. Several teams presented their methods and field-tested solutions.
From the medical commission’s perspective, rescuers were tasked with managing a simulated injured diver with leg trauma who was unable to move independently. They assessed the casualty, monitored vital signs, and secured him in a cave stretcher. Since the diver was conscious and cooperative, the underwater segments of transport could be performed using his own diving equipment.
After the initial underwater transport, rescuers transferred the casualty to a dry section and checked his condition before lowering him again for the next submerged phase. Each transition between the underwater and dry segments required additional monitoring and coordination with rope teams.
The casualty was finally brought to a thermal point located on a rock ledge, where hypothermia prevention procedures were implemented. Hypothermia poses one of the most serious risks during cave rescues, particularly for immobilized casualties who cannot generate body heat. Divers and rescuers regularly checked the casualty’s thermal comfort. Data and observations were recorded in waterproof medical logs kept in English to ensure consistent communication among international teams.
After the final extraction, the casualty was handed over to a surface medical team, who performed a complete examination, including a twelve-lead ECG, immobilized the injured limb and prepared the casualty for ambulance transport to hospital.
From the diving commission’s perspective, the diving teams participated in three major segments of the exercise. First, they transported the casualty through a submerged section exceeding one hundred meters, using diver propulsion vehicles. In the next phase, divers took over the stretcher suspended from a rope system over the quarry and towed it across the water surface to another extraction point. The final task involved surface towing from the quarry wall to the recovery zone, where the simulation concluded.
During the exercise, the casualty used a chest-mounted closed-circuit rebreather for breathing, which may have been one of the first uses of such a device during a simulated casualty transport.
Saturday, 27 September 2025
Saturday morning began with the annual ECRA General Assembly. Key agenda items included the activity and financial reports from the past year and the admission of three new members: Bavarian Mountain Rescue, the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO) and the Moroccan Cave Rescue Association (MCRA).
After the GA, the work of the individual commissions resumed.
Diving Commission
The diving team presented full-face masks and demonstrated an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that participants could operate themselves. Various diver propulsion vehicles were available for testing, and participants practiced underwater stretcher handling techniques.
Technical Commission
The Technical Commission focused on two main topics: underground communication and cave passage widening.
Underground communication
Theoretical presentations included an overview of the ECRA Communication Catalogue, a long-term database of underground communication systems. The Bulgarian cave telephone, which proved effective during the Morca Cave rescue in Turkey, was discussed. Ryszard Głowacki (GOPR) presented the SPELLCOM system, a Polish solution enabling both underground communication and geolocation of rescuers.
Practical workshops included tests of the Nikola 4 device, experimental connections with the Bulgarian telephone system, and a demonstration of SPELLCOM led by Paweł Jeziorny (GRJ, GOPR). The session offered an excellent opportunity for international teams to exchange knowledge and jointly test innovative communication tools.
Cave passage widening
Parallel workshops were held in the Winnicki quarry on the subject of enlarging narrow cave passages. Specialists from the Central Mining Rescue Station (CSRG) presented equipment for clearing blockages and lifting rock masses. GOPR and GRJ instructors discussed safe and precise rock fragmentation methods using commercially available materials and techniques derived from traditional stonemasonry, all applicable to different phases of rescue operations.
New stretcher development and cooperation with Petzl
A discussion panel with Petzl representative Bartosz Baran focused on feedback from rescue groups concerning the newest model of cave rescue stretcher. Observations and improvement suggestions were recorded and will be analyzed by the manufacturer for potential implementation.
Medical Commission
The Medical Commission dedicated its sessions to international cooperation, standardization of medical protocols, and the use of modern technologies to support underground medical operations through video and audio transmission. One of the most notable presentations introduced the Penthrox inhaler, a compact and easy-to-use device for rapid pain management, which could be valuable in confined cave environments.
Summary – A Meeting that Connects
The 2025 ECRA Meeting in Wojcieszów was not only a collection of lectures, workshops and rescue simulations, but above all a gathering of people who share the same passion. For cave rescuers, cross-border cooperation is an everyday reality.
The combination of technical expertise, medical knowledge and diving skills created a unique learning and collaboration environment. Each participant, regardless of origin or specialization, contributed valuable experience to this international event.
Thanks
The success of the 2025 ECRA Meeting in Wojcieszów was made possible by the dedication and collaboration of many people and organizations. The organizers thank everyone who contributed to this exceptional event.
