Stay safe by the water with the ‘Ratunek’ app
The holiday season is in full swing. Kayaking, pedal boating on the lake, fishing trips by boat – there are many ways to spend your free time by the water. With the safety of holidaymakers on lakes and rivers in mind, a special, free app called ‘Ratunek’ (Rescue) has been created, enabling the location of an injured person and quick assistance from the emergency services. We encourage you to download it. Emergency number on the water: 601 100 100.
Many tourists relaxing by lakes and rivers do not know the names of individual bodies of water and, when forced to call for help, are not always able to specify their location. The ‘Ratunek’ app allows the injured person to be located with an accuracy of 3 metres,” emphasises Maciej Banachowski, president of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Water Volunteer Rescue Service.
The free Ratunek app (for mobile phones with Android and iOS operating systems equipped with GPS) enables the injured person to quickly contact the WOPR in a life-threatening or health-threatening situation. The system automatically connects to the appropriate emergency number integrated with the app, and rescuers receive information about the caller’s location with an accuracy of up to 3 metres. It can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store.
Calls from the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodship to the water emergency number (601 100 100) are answered by the Regional Water Rescue Coordination Centre in Kruszwica (Inowrocław County). Calls are answered 24 hours a day, all year round.
This season, over 1,300 water rescuers remain on standby.
Marshal’s support for WOPR
Every year, the regional government of Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodship provides financial support for WOPR patrol activities and preventive campaigns organised by the association. This year, we have allocated PLN 130,000 for this purpose. See Water rescuers ready for the holiday season
As part of the cooperation, rescue teams affiliated with WOPR, equipped with motorboats, will ensure safety at:
- Włocławek Reservoir
- Żur Reservoir (Świecie County)
- Lake Gopło (Inowrocław County)
- Lake Żnińskie Małe and Duże
- Lakes of the Brodnica Lake District
- Vistula River
- Brda River
- and Wda River.
Rescue services will also be on duty at WOPR stations and bathing areas in Bydgoszcz, Tleń (Świecie County), Borówno (Bydgoszcz County), Toruń, on the Koronowski Lagoon, on the Włocławski Lagoon, on Lake Gopło, in Żnin, Brodnica, Tuchola, Solec Kujawski (Bydgoszcz County) and Ciechocinek (Aleksandrów County).
As part of the European Funds for Kujawy and Pomerania 2021-2027, we are allocating PLN 7 million for the purchase of equipment for WOPR, including cars, quads, kayaks and defibrillators. Details on the website of Kujawsko-Pomorskie WOPR
RPO 2014-2020 funds enabled the purchase of training tools and equipment to improve search and rescue operations.
Thanks to the implementation of an EU training project, nearly a thousand residents of our region have obtained the necessary qualifications to work in water rescue and first aid.
Beata Krzemińska
spokesperson for the Marshal’s Office
18 July 2025