What is your name?
Angel Panovski

What is your agency/organization?
MACEDONIAN RESCUER Water and Mountain Safety Association – Veles, Macedonia

How long have you been with the Macedonian Rescuer organization?
Since the association’s foundation in 2010.

What is your mission, & How do they prevent drowning and promote water safety?
The Water and Mountain Safety Association MACEDONIAN RESCUER from Veles, Republic of Macedonia is formed with free joining of the water and mountain rescuers in Republic of Macedonia and is independent, non-government, non-political and not profitable association acting on or from the territory of the Republic of Macedonia.

Objectives of Macedonian Rescuer:

1. Save the lives of the swimmers and hikers and reacts whenever there is a need for that;
2. Fights against abuse of the water and mountain rescuers;
3. Protecting the water and mountain rescuers from the self willingness of the beach and mountain houses owners, initiate and helps with preparing of collective agreements;
4. Protection of the prestige and the dignity of the rescuer and his profession;
5. Promotion of the social and material status of the rescuers;
6. Represents the members and presents them in front of the social community participate actively in the preparing of legal regulations and international conventions of profession interest according the code of the water and mountain rescuers;
7. Gives legal support to its members;
8. Performs training, seminars and courses to improve the quality of the water and mountain safety, education of the rescuers , first aid and other;
9. Education of the citizens of the water and mountain danger;
10. Education of implementation of the First aid;

In achieving of its objectives MACEDONIAN RESCUER will stand for the professional and material interests of the water and mountain rescuers to protect them with the acts and regulations of the association and the agreements with the employers and on national level will initiate and involve preparing of the water and mountain safety law and regulation in cooperation with the government of the Republic of Macedonia;
TO HELP, PREVENT AND SAVE HUMAN LIVES…

How will rescue board from the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation help your agency?
It already helped in enormous way because it is the first and only one rescue board ever used in Republic of Macedonia which we are very grateful. We deployed the board this summer at the nearby lake and it was a fantastic experience doing the lifeguard voluntary duties and we found the rescue much more easier and more faster which is crucial for the rescue it self. As you can see from the pictures of the Junior lifeguard training the children were asking to do the board rescue more than the rescues with the other rescue equipment.

How did you find about that H.S.H. Princess Charlene was going to donate rescue boards to you?
We found out about the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation from ISLA President Henry Reyes. He asked us if we were interested in getting a real professional rescue board at which we respond positively.

How did you feel when you received the rescue board?
We felt overwhelming and were happy and joyful as a young children getting their favorite toy.

Have you used the rescue board?
Yes we used it this summer at the lake Mladost in Veles

What is the best thing about the rescue board?
The best thing is that we can do the rescues more professionally as well as it can help us to present the drowning prevention to the wider population in Republic of Macedonia.
How has the rescue board prevented drowning in your area? How has it made a difference?
This summer was a rainy one an we didn’t have so much swimmers so we didn’t have a board rescue but the rescue board has already made a difference with only being here ready to use it when ever there is a need.

What does drowning prevention mean to you?
Drowning prevention is a way of life, wanting to help someone before he enter the water and to educate people of the potential dangers of swimming.

How do you prevent drowning?
Educating by lectures in the elementary an d high schools, at the beach by putting proper water safety signs, talking directly to the swimmers by warning them of the water danger or their behavior in the water leading to a drowning.

What would you like to say to H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco?
A huge thanks for the rescue board, we will never forget what they did for us and our organization and especially for the lifesaving in Macedonia
p.s. if it is possible for us to visit their new water safety facility in Monaco ?