As a part of the European Union project for the support of tourism development, a joint exercise of the Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) stations from Zavidovići and Travnik took place at the Tajan Park of Nature on 12 March 2011, at the mountain Vlašić plateau. 

“With this exercise we are trying to prepare the location of the Tajan Park of Nature to receive a large number of tourists. It means that we need to provide the safety measures which are in accordance to the international standards. This exercise is a proof that all goes in that direction. The exercise is a constituent part of the Project Tajan-Tourism, Adventure, Joy, Attractions, Nature, supported by the European Union. We have engaged BiH Mountaineering Association and Mountain Rescue Service. The exercise is organized as a part of the training of the MRS Station Zavidovići, which will be operative at the area of the Park of Nature Tajan. The total value of this project is 468.000 EUR, and the European Union contributed 350.000 EUR to Project Tajan through its Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA). The rest of the funds have been provided by partner organizations such as the Tourist Association of Zenica-Doboj Canton, the Municipality Zavidovići, Forest Company and Sports-Science-Research Club “Atom” which has started the whole initiative to declare this area protected”, said to the journalists Samir Softić, the Manager of Tajan Project.

The joint rescue exercise of the injured was followed closely by the Directors of the Cantonal Administration for Civil Protection of Zenica-Doboj Canton and Srednja Bosna Canton, Sead Džanović and Nikica Stipinović, who expressed their satisfaction with the exercise. 

“With our colleagues from Travnik we accomplished many tasks. We had two heavily injured at the difficult terrain, which required vertical transport. We also had one injured skier on the slopes and it required special transport with the “AKI boat” and bringing down the two injured persons from the tower due to the imploded stairs. There is also the exercise of the rescue from the avalanche, search of the avalanche, night exercise. The European Union has financed, within the project Tajan, six weekends training, as well as supply of equipment. This is one of those six weekends, enriched by the cooperation with the MRS Station Travnik. The equipment that we receive through this project is worth over 30.000 BAM and it has got a great significance for our future work”, emphasized Admir Bajraktarević, Head of the MRS Station Zavidovići.

The rescue exercise was monitored by the MRS instructors from the BiH Mountaineering Association and 31 rescuers – 16 from Zavidovići and 15 from Travnik participated in the event. The rescue of the injured at the difficult terrain was demonstrated on the cliff, after which the special transport in the “AKI boat” was shown, as well as the rescue of the two injured from the tower of the ski jump on Vlašić. 

“MRS Stations of the BiH Mountaineering Association have very good cooperation and they have regular joint exercises in order to respond to joint tasks in specific cases at any terrain. The aim is for people to get to know each other, to check the state of equipment since we have the same instructors, we use the same techniques and the goal is that all MRS Stations in BiH work together. The MRS Station Zavidovići, by coincidence, had its first rescue steps here on Vlašić and since then we have excellent cooperation and do our exercises jointly, at our and their terrain”, said Amer Mušić, the Member of the MRS Station Travnik and the Exercise leader.

The basic idea of Tajan project has been to offer the natural location of the Park of Nature Tajan as a tourist product, combining the three main sets of activities: development of tourist infrastructure, coordination and development of the human resources, as well as the segmentation of the market, i.e. establishing the connections with the target markets.

The training of the members of MRS and the purchase of equipment represent one of the steps in creating the overall tourist offer of the Park of Nature Tajan which will, among other things, include safety measures in accordance to the international standards that can respond to the requirements of the increased number of tourists at Tajan destination.