From Friday to Sunday, from 17 to 19 May 2024, already the 24th International Rescue Dog Exercise Earthquake – Ljubljana 2024 was held in Ljubljana and its surrounding area, checking the reception, accommodation and use of foreign rescue assistance, the rescue skills of handlers and dogs in rubble and the search for missing persons in nature.

The exercise was designed to replicate a real-life situation as closely as possible. The focus of the activities of the teams of rescue dog handlers was on finding missing persons. The teams of rescue dog handlers had to be available for rescue throughout the exercise without being informed of the schedule, type of work or number of missing persons in advance.

Eighteen teams of rescue dog handlers from abroad and Slovenia took part in the exercise, each consisting of three handlers and three dogs. They had to perform ten tasks at different work locations during 15 hours of continuous activity:

• search for missing persons in the rubble,
• search for missing persons in nature,
• use of rope techniques for overcoming obstacles,
• administration of first aid,
• an orientation hike.

During the rescue, the teams had to provide their own shelter and food (self-sufficiency check) in the camp, and they also had to have their own equipment to carry out tasks.

The organisations and their members who are responsible for protection, rescue and assistance in the City of Ljubljana were involved in the organisation and execution of the exercise. Together with the observers and competitors, the team counted some 250 people.