With the passage of the Ministry of Defense bill, only reserve frogmen and commandos, as well as those holding recognized first aid, lifesaving and diving diplomas, will participate in rescue operations. Those of the 200 or so volunteers today who do not fall into one of these categories will be released<\/p>\n
Under the microscope of the deputies of the Defense Committee, the bill that defines the legislative framework for the participation of volunteers in the Search and Rescue System of the Republic of Cyprus is being considered today. This legislation should have been filed a long time ago by the Ministry of Defense to prohibit all sorts of experts – who are not – from voluntarily participating in rescue operations, endangering their own lives and the lives of others.<\/p>\n
As indicated in the Ministry of Defense bill, search and rescue operations will involve personnel who are properly trained and have the relevant experience to respond to the assigned missions and primarily not to put themselves in danger. The bill introduces an explicit provision that prohibits search and rescue volunteers from conducting or participating in search and rescue operations without the approval of the Search and Rescue Coordination Center (SRC), which is under the Ministry of Defense, not only individually but also as a member of a non-governmental organization or association or voluntary group. In case of participation in operations without the approval of the KSED either individually or as a member of an NGO, the search and rescue volunteer status will be removed.<\/p>\n
The criteria<\/b><\/p>\n
According to the draft law, a citizen of the Republic or of another EU member state or of a third country who has not reached the age of 65 and has resided permanently in the Republic of Cyprus for at least the last three years, may acquire the status of a search and rescue volunteer if meets one of the following conditions:<\/p>\n
*He is a reservist of the Underwater Disasters Unit of the EF and a member of the Association of Reservists of Frogmen.<\/p>\n
*He is a reserve commando of the EF and a member of the Voluntary Emergency Department of the Pan-Cypriot Association of Reserve Commandos.<\/p>\n
*He is a person who holds first aid, lifeguard, autonomous and free diving diplomas recognized by the competent authority for each of them.<\/p>\n
According to the bill, no search and rescue volunteer shall be liable to a third party or the Republic for any personal injury, loss or damage caused by his act or omission while providing voluntary services to the KSED in the search and rescue area of the Republic of Cyprus.<\/p>\n
Obligations of employer<\/b><\/p>\n
Based on the bill, employers are required to allow search and rescue volunteers to participate in an operation when called upon by the Ministry of Defense CSED, the conduct of which is evidenced by the order to mobilize primary and auxiliary means. In addition, it is provided that the time spent by a search and rescue volunteer in a KSED operation will be counted as employment time in his main job with all the labor rights that this entails.<\/p>\n
Grants in case<\/b><\/p>\n
injury or death<\/b><\/p>\n
In the event that a search and rescue volunteer is injured while performing his volunteer duties, he is provided with free hospital and medical care.<\/p>\n
Any dependent person (spouse, child or even parent) volunteer search and rescue, who, while performing the tasks assigned to him by the KSED, was injured or died due to drowning or trauma or disappeared during the performance of the above task will be entitled to compensation, the amount and the method of payment which will be decided by the Council of Ministers based on the data of each case brought before it. Compensation will also be paid in the event that the search and rescue volunteer becomes unable to carry out his usual work or any work due to injuries he suffered or an illness he contracted while performing the duties assigned to him by the KSED.<\/p>\n
When will it be suspended?<\/b><\/p>\n
status of a volunteer<\/b><\/p>\n
*When there is a serious health reason that does not allow the performance of his duties.<\/p>\n
*Defective performance of his duties following a relevant assessment.<\/p>\n
*Non-compliance with the orders and instructions of KSED.<\/p>\n
*Improper and indecent behavior during the performance of his duties.<\/p>\n
*Upon his wish and submission of a relevant application.<\/p>\n
The 200 volunteers will be checked<\/b><\/p>\n
At the moment KSED has around 200 volunteers. Once the bill is passed into law, everyone will be screened without exception to see which of them meet the three requirements set out in the law to qualify as a search and rescue volunteer. Those who do not meet them will be dismissed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Ministry of Defense has passed a bill stating that only reserve frogmen, paratroopers, and those with recognized first aid, lifeguard, and diving licenses will be allowed to participate in rescue operations. The approximately 200 current volunteers who do not belong to these categories will be released. The bill also outlines the criteria for individuals to become volunteer rescuers, including being a citizen or permanent resident of Cyprus and meeting certain qualifications. Employers are required to allow volunteer rescuers to participate in operations when called upon by the Ministry of Defense. In case of injury or death during volunteer duties, free medical care will be provided. The volunteer status can be suspended for various reasons, including health issues, failure to perform duties properly, non-compliance with orders, inappropriate behavior, or at the volunteer's request. The 200 current volunteers will be evaluated to determine if they meet the criteria outlined in the bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[122,3,210,171,572,389],"class_list":["post-2919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyprus","tag-aid","tag-cyprus","tag-health","tag-iiiiiiii","tag-injury","tag-rescue"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n