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The Governor is responsible for planning, heading and
coordinating a rescue service in Svalbard under the
leadership of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in
North Norway. The police unit's personnel mans the local
rescue service centre (LRS Svalbard) and supervises and
coordinates operations in the field.
Organisation
The rescue service in Svalbard is integrated in the
Norwegian rescue service and is thus organised the same
way as on the mainland. It depends on voluntary efforts
of which Longyearbyen Red Cross contributes a great deal.
Public bodies and private enterprises have at their
disposition material and human resources that are
extremely important for the rescue service. By and large,
LRS Svalbard has access to excellent equipment and
skilful personnel.
The Governor also heads a helicopter ambulance service
for the archipelago and adjacent waters.
Severe Conditions
Rescue operations in Svalbard tend to be called for under
particularly severe weather conditions and in exposed
areas. Great demands are made to the equipment and to the
skill of the participants if operations are to be carried
off safely and successfully. The rescue service is a
matter of priority for the Governor, so development,
planning, joint exercises, and collaboration between
principle players are stressed at all times.
The Governor of Svalbard's Resources for Rescue
Operations
The Governor has a contract with Airlift AS about the use
of two rescue helicopters, a Eurocopter Super Puma
AWSAR-AS 332 LI and a Eurocopter Dauphin AS365N2, both of
which are amongst the best equipped rescue helicopters in
the country. They have been specially prepared for use in
extremely cold weather and have long range, auto-hoover
and thermal imaging capacities and can be flown at night.
Moreover the Super Puma has de-icing equipment.
The Governor also has at his disposal the service vessel
M/S Nordsyssel during the period May-September. The 71 m
long ship with high ice tolerance, a helicopter pad and a
operations centre room is owned by Rana Ship Service.
In addition the Governor of Svalbard has the following
equipment:
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Two tracked vehicles
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Snow scooters
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Small inspection boats
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Service cottages and fuel depots for helicopters
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Communication equipment, including base stations that
cover most areas where there is likely to be traffic
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Rescue and personal gear for field operations
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Gear for rescue operations on glaciers
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Oil protection gear
Statistics for the rescue and ambulance services in
Svalbard.
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