On February 28, 2014, the City of Ljubljana awards for distinguished service in the protection against natural disasters and other accidents were conferred in the City Museum of Ljubljana to credit all who offer their assistance in emergencies, i.e. when the help is most needed.

For 13 years now, the City of Ljubljana has been conferring medallions and awards of gratitude for protection against natural and other disasters to symbolically express appreciation and recognition for work, commitment, knowledge and unselfishness of individuals and organizations who help the citizens of the City of Ljubljana in hard times - i.e. when a helping hand is most needed.

Holders of medallions

Anita Caruso

Anita Caruso, as a long-standing member of the Red Cross of Slovenia, has also been an associate of the Civil Protection Service, both as a professional and as a volunteer. Care, compassion, humanity and volunteerism are the values she lives by and demonstrates especially through deeds and not just words. Her determination and zeal in protecting and fighting for the rights of workers and socially weak and deprived is really something to respect. Her willingness to help is often almost unimaginable. She reinforced her professional work with bravery and commitment to the essential principles of the Red Cross and humanitarian work. She always was and still is there to help people in need. She always pursues and exemplifies the values of solidarity.

The medallion was nominated by the Red Cross of Slovenia – Regional Association Ljubljana.

Drago Omahen

Drago Omahen sees fire-fighting as his personal mission. His strong will and the wide knowledge he acquired through professional training and constant improvement significantly contributed to the realization of the public fire-fighting service concept as an integral part of protection and rescue service in the City of Ljubljana. During 2004 and 2005, he participated in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan at the Kabul airport. His role in the mission was to coordinate the fire-fighting and fire prevention activities in the military camp.

He is also deeply engaged and interested in heraldry and vexillology. Drago Omahen is the designer and co-designer of schemes and symbols pertaining to the foregoing areas: Professional fire-fighter emblem, Slovenian Professional Fire-fighters Association emblem, insignia and symbols of professional fire-fighters and Ljubljana Fire Brigade members’ favourite – dress uniform.

The medallion was nominated by the Ljubljana Fire Brigade.

Holders of the Awards of Gratitude

Ana Jager

That day in March, Ana Jager was on her way home when she came across an overturned vehicle in the Reka stream. She saw a driver with his head in the water. Without hesitation and thinking about her own safety she waded into the cold stream water. Her determination and brave action saved a human being, the life of a man, a father, a granddad. Her endeavours earned respect and gratitude of not only his family, but also from whole society of the town of Lipoglav in the eastern part of the City of Ljubljana.

The award of gratitude was nominated by Alojz Levičnik, Chief Fire Officer of the Lipoglav Volunteer Fire-fighter Department.

Viktor Kosec

Viktor Kosec is a member of the Rašica Volunteer Fire-fighter Department covering the northwest area of the City of Ljubljana. Already before his 26th birthday, he has taken over the function of Chief Fire Officer of volunteer fire-fighter department and dealt with personnel and organization issues: Migration of young fellow citizens and lack of motivation for work in the volunteer fire-fighter department. By taking small steps, achieving minor objectives and showing care for town protection he stimulated the participation of youth in the Rašica Volunteer Fire-fighter Department and their training for field operations. Thus, he has succeeded in forming a small, but skilled core of the operation unit to provide protection of the town of Rašica, with which he joined in several rescue and fire-fighting actions in natural disasters throughout Slovenia.

The freezing rain catastrophe, gripping and paralyzing the major part of Slovenia in February 2014, left the town of Rašica without electric power for several days. Through great personal engagement he immediately provided the minimum necessary power supply, while after the delivery of a more powerful power generator he assisted in transportation of a previous 60 kW power source to the eastern hilly part of Ljubljana which was also without electricity. It was during this transportation that he got injured by a beech tree, which knuckled under the heavy ice and fell on the fire-fighter vehicle. Despite his unfortunate situation he did not show any low spirits and bitterness during his stay at the hospital, but only optimism and already started to coin new plans of taking risks for the protection and rescue operations.

The award of gratitude was nominated by the Department for Protection, Rescue and Civil Defence Ljubljana.

Elektro Ljubljana

The award also goes to the employees of the Elektro Ljubljana and its distribution units for their brave and efficient work in recovering the catastrophic situation in the power network caused by sleet and ice in the beginning of February. During the most critical period, 95 employees conducted over 130 interventions and compiled 8040 hours of work. This efficiency rate speaks for itself about the immense scope of interventions conducted by employees in very hard and dangerous conditions. They worked day and night with tremendous efforts in the first half of the February in order to mitigate troubles caused by the meteorological disaster to the citizens of the City of Ljubljana.

The award of gratitude was nominated by the Department for Protection, Rescue and Civil Defence Ljubljana.