Cars, Quad Bikes and Boats for Water Rescue Services
The Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region, Piotr Całbecki, met today (17 June) with water rescue volunteers to inaugurate the summer season at bathing sites across the region. This year, the regional government is financing summer duty shifts and patrols carried out by WOPR units with a total of PLN 130,000. The ceremony began with the handover of equipment worth nearly PLN 7 million, purchased with European Union funding.
“For many seasons we have been supporting the work of the Volunteer Water Rescue Service, and thus the safety of people spending their leisure time near water. With proper equipment and highly trained rescuers, they patrol not only lakes and rivers but also support the police and fire services during emergency operations,” said Marshal Piotr Całbecki. “The next stage of EU-funded support will be the modernisation of WOPR stations. In this way, we are comprehensively strengthening water rescue capabilities in our region, providing rescuers with modern equipment, necessary qualifications, and appropriate conditions for effective assistance.”
“This is the largest project in the history of WOPR organisations in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region,” said Maciej Banachowski, President of the Regional WOPR. “We have drawn conclusions from operations carried out during the 2024 floods. We saw what resources and equipment were lacking, which is why we purchased mobile rescue units, off-road vehicles, and boats that can be quickly deployed to incidents. Another innovation includes specialised command and water rescue vehicles designed primarily for locating missing persons. They are equipped with extendable antenna masts to improve communication and thermal imaging cameras to support observation of water bodies and surrounding areas.”
The modern equipment purchased with funds from the European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze programme – including cars, quad bikes, kayaks, boats, and defibrillators – has been distributed to the following units:
- WOPR of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region
- Nadgoplański WOPR
- Włocławek WOPR
- Wdecki WOPR
- Lipno WOPR
- Pałuki WOPR
- Regional WOPR Bydgoszcz
- Regional WOPR Toruń
- WOPR Chełmno
As every year, the regional self-government is also financing summer duty shifts and patrols carried out by WOPR teams. PLN 130,000 has been allocated for this purpose. Rescue teams equipped with motorboats will ensure safety at:
- Włocławek Reservoir
- Żur Reservoir (Świecie County)
- Lake Gopło (Inowrocław County)
- Żnin Small and Large Lakes
- Lakes of the Brodnica Lake District
- Rivers Vistula, Brda, and Wda
Rescue services will also be on duty at WOPR stations and bathing sites in Bydgoszcz, Tleń (Świecie County), Borówno (Bydgoszcz County), Toruń, at the Koronowo Reservoir, Włocławek Reservoir, Lake Gopło, Żnin, Brodnica, Tuchola, Solec Kujawski (Bydgoszcz County), and Ciechocinek (Aleksandrów County).
“To safely spend time near water, we should first and foremost choose supervised bathing areas,” said Witold Guber, President of Wdecki WOPR. “Alcohol and reckless behaviour remain the most common causes of dangerous incidents near water. That is why we conduct preventive activities and regular inspections together with the police.”
Modern infrastructure for water rescue purposes will also be developed in Tleń (Świecie County) and Tuchola. The total value of the co-financed projects amounts to PLN 5.6 million.
Supporting Water Rescue Services
The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Self-Government consistently supports water rescue services in investments and equipment purchases. Funds from the previous EU financial perspective (2014 – 2020 Regional Operational Programme) enabled the purchase of training tools and equipment to support search and rescue operations. WOPR units received, among others, underwater scooters, thermal imaging drones, sonars, rescue sleds, protective suits, radios, boats, and defibrillators.
- Modern equipment for WOPR
- Training equipment for future water rescuers
- Modern equipment for WOPR rescue teams
Thanks to an EU-funded training project, nearly one thousand residents of the region obtained qualifications required to work in water rescue services and provide first aid.
For the safety of people spending time near water (and in the mountains), a free mobile application “Ratunek” has been developed. It enables the location of injured persons and rapid emergency response. The system automatically connects to the appropriate emergency number integrated into the app, and rescuers receive the caller’s location with an accuracy of up to 3 metres. Emergency number near water: 601 100 100. Calls from the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region are handled 24 hours a day by the Regional Water Rescue Coordination Centre in Kruszwica (Inowrocław County).
Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office
17 June 2026
