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Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue

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Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue
Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg
AbbreviationICE-SAR
Formation2 October 1999
TypeNon-profit, non-governmental organization
PurposeSearch and Rescue
HeadquartersReykjavík, Iceland
Coordinates64°07′58″N 21°55′14″W / 64.1328073°N 21.9204699°W / 64.1328073; -21.9204699
Region
Iceland
Official language
Icelandic
Chairman
Borghildur Fjóla Kristjánsdóttir
Endowment2.6 billion ISK (2024)
Volunteers5,500 (2024)
Websiteicesar.com

Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR; Icelandic: Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg) is a national association of volunteer rescue units and accident-prevention divisions in Iceland. The association’s network spans nearly 100 local rescue units, dozens of accident-prevention divisions and youth sections, with several thousand active on-call volunteers nationwide.[1][2] Although ICE-SAR teams provide a public emergency service, they are charities funded primarily by donations and fund-raising, notably the nationwide New Year fireworks sale and the annual Neyðarkall (emergency keychain) campaign.[3][4]

Two rescue team members in field work during the Fagradalsfjall eruption in 2021.

History

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ICE-SAR traces its origins to 1918, when the first organized rescue team in Iceland was founded in the Westman Islands in response to frequent maritime accidents; women on shore were central organizers of the early effort.[5][6]

Organized SAR expanded rapidly after the 1950 Geysir air crash on the Vatnajökull glacier (14 September 1950), when the crew survived but became stranded; a U.S. rescue aircraft itself became stuck, and an Icelandic civilian overland expedition ultimately effected the rescue.[7]

The modern association, Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg, was formally established on 2 October 1999 by merging the Icelandic Lifesaving Association (Slysavarnafélag Íslands) with Landsbjörg, the national federation of rescue teams.[8][9]

Rescue units

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Ingibjörg, an ICE-SAR rescue vessel, in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland

ICE-SAR coordinates local rescue units across Iceland that respond 24/7 to emergencies on land and at sea.[10] Active on-call volunteers number in the thousands; public sources commonly describe roughly 100 local teams and a total membership historically around 10,000 (with ~4,000–5,000 regularly on call).[11][12] Units train year-round; new rescuers typically complete extensive multi-month coursework and frequent field exercises before full operational membership.[13]

International urban search and rescue (USAR)

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ICE-SAR maintains an international USAR unit composed of experienced volunteers from local teams. The unit’s first foreign deployment was to the 1999 İzmit earthquake (Turkey).[14] In September 2009 the unit achieved INSARAG External Classification as a Medium USAR team.[15][16]

Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Icelandic team arrived in Port-au-Prince within about 24 hours; early reports credited it among the first foreign USAR teams on scene and rescuing survivors from the Caribbean Market complex.[17][18]

International missions (selection)

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Accident prevention

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ICE-SAR also coordinates local accident-prevention (slysavarnadeildir) initiatives and public safety campaigns (e.g. child passenger safety outreach, school programs, seasonal firework safety).[25] Fund-raising activities include the long-running New Year fireworks sale and the annual Neyðarkall keychain drive that support local teams’ equipment and training.[26][27]

Accident prevention branches

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There are 70 AP Branches in ICE-SAR. Of which about 40 are very active. The work of the AP Branches is to promote accident prevention in the local community and support the local rescue team. The AP branches work on different assignments depending on the local people's needs. About 15 years ago, the main mission was to raise funds for the local rescue teams.

Life skills

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In Icelandic primary schools, the curriculum area lífsleikni (life skills) includes safety and accident-prevention topics. ICE-SAR has supported this with teaching materials developed for grades 4–6 under the title Geimálfurinn frá Varslys (“the space-elf from Varslys”), produced in collaboration with the educational portal Skólavefurinn; the package includes a reader, worksheets, slides and short videos for classroom use.[28][29]

Surveys about the use of child safety equipment in vehicles

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Since 1996, ICE-SAR has helped run annual observational surveys outside preschools across the country, in cooperation with national traffic-safety bodies (then Umferðarráð/Umferðarstofa, now Samgöngustofa) and teacher-training students. By 2006 the survey was in its 11th year and covered 68 preschools nationwide (2,132 participants).[30][31]

National traffic surveys show a steep improvement in child-restraint use during the late 1990s and early 2000s: by 2002, the share of children riding with appropriate safety equipment was reported near 98% in observed samples.[32]

Follow-up preschool surveys conducted with ICE-SAR and Samgöngustofa continue to track usage. In 2015, reports highlighted that only ~2% of children were completely unrestrained (compared with ~80% in 1985).[33][34] More recent datasets (2021–2023) show further gains, with some municipalities at or near 100% correct restraint use and <1% completely unrestrained.[35][36]

Emergency shelters

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Since the early 20th century, ICE-SAR has been building Emergency shelters by the coast. This was begun because of a serious accident that occurred on the remote coastline. In 1960, the use of these shelters became commonplace with tourists, and some were built in mountain areas. Today, most of these shelters are used as emergency shelters for tourists, and ICE-SAR units own them and use them for accident prevention.[citation needed]

Youth sections

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ICE-SAR supports dozens of youth sections (typically ages 14–18) that introduce first aid, navigation, outdoor skills and SAR fundamentals; many graduates later join local rescue units.[37]

Rescue school

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ICE-SAR operates an Icelandic Rescue School (Björgunarskólinn) at its headquarters in Reykjavík and runs field training at Gufuskálar on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.[38] Training includes regular classroom instruction and frequent field exercises for new and active rescuers.[39]

Maritime safety

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ICE-SAR also owns and operates the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre (Slysavarnaskóli sjómanna), founded in 1985 and based on board the training ship Sæbjörg, berthed in Reykjavík harbor.[40] In July 1998, the Icelandic government donated the ferry Akraborg to replace the previous training vessel; after refit she entered service as Sæbjörg in October 1998.[41] The centre provides courses in sea survival, liferaft/lifeboat handling, firefighting, and related topics, serving primarily fishermen and merchant mariners.[42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Icelandic association for search, rescue & injury prevention". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  2. ^ Hafstað, Vala (3 January 2022). "Icelanders Welcome 2022 with Fireworks". Iceland Monitor / Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  3. ^ "Fjárhagslegar upplýsingar – Fjáröflun björgunarsveita". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  4. ^ "ICE-SAR Reports Another Strong Year for Fireworks Sales". Iceland Review. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Félag í þágu þjóðar". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  6. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (9 November 2015). "Life Is Rescues". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Geysir crash in Bárðarbunga". NAT.is. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Verndari – Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg". Office of the President of Iceland (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  9. ^ "Samstarfssamningur samgönguráðuneytisins og Slysavarnafélagsins Landsbjargar" (PDF). Stjórnarráðið (Government of Iceland) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Icelandic association for search, rescue & injury prevention". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Sale of Fireworks Has Started". Iceland Monitor / Morgunblaðið. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  12. ^ "From the Ambassador". Embassy of Japan in Iceland. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  13. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (9 November 2015). "Life Is Rescues". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  14. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (9 November 2015). "Life Is Rescues". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  15. ^ "INSARAG External Classification – snapshot 2022" (PDF). INSARAG. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  16. ^ "INSARAG USAR Team Leaders Meeting (Chairman's Summary, 2009)". INSARAG. 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Icelandic team rescues first earthquake-victims in Port-au-Prince". ReliefWeb. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  18. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (9 November 2015). "Life Is Rescues". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  19. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (9 November 2015). "Life Is Rescues". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  20. ^ "SAR in Iceland (conference slides)" (PDF). International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  21. ^ "SAR in Iceland (conference slides)" (PDF). ICAR. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  22. ^ "Icelandic team rescues first earthquake-victims in Port-au-Prince". ReliefWeb. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  23. ^ Þorláksson, Máni Snær (9 February 2023). "Íslenski hópurinn tekur til hendinni í Tyrklandi". Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  24. ^ "Íslenskar björgunarsveitir fengu viðurkenningu frá Erdogan". Vísir (in Icelandic). 25 April 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  25. ^ "Icelandic association for search, rescue & injury prevention". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  26. ^ "Fjárhagslegar upplýsingar – Flugeldamarkaðir & Neyðarkall". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  27. ^ "Sale of Fireworks Has Started". Iceland Monitor / Morgunblaðið. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  28. ^ "Lífsleikni – Geimálfurinn frá Varslys". Skólavefurinn (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  29. ^ "Umferðarfræðsla í grunnskóla sem hluti af lífsleikni" (PDF). Vegagerðin (Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration) (in Icelandic). 2010s. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  30. ^ "Skýrsla til Alþingis um stöðu umferðaröryggismála" (PDF). Alþingi (in Icelandic). 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2025. Gerð var athugun á öryggisbúnaði barna … við 68 leikskóla víða um land. Þetta er 11. árið sem könnunin er gerð.
  31. ^ "865. mál – staða umferðaröryggismála". Alþingi (in Icelandic). 2000s. Retrieved 9 October 2025. Könnun á notkun öryggisbúnaðar fyrir börn í bílum var gerð í samstarfi Slysavarnafélags Íslands, Umferðarráðs …
  32. ^ "Umferðarkannanir 1985–2002 / Traffic Surveys 1985–2002". ResearchGate (report abstract and figures) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025. Hlutfall barna í öryggisbúnaði … hefur breyst frá 20% í um 98% á tímabilinu.
  33. ^ "Fréttatilkynning: Könnun á öryggi barna í bílum við leikskóla 2015" (PDF). Fjallabyggð (press release) (in Icelandic). 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  34. ^ "Könnun á öryggi barna í bílum við leikskóla". Reykvíkingur (in Icelandic). 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  35. ^ "Öryggi barna í bílum (niðurstöður 2021–2023)" (PDF). Betri borg fyrir börn / Samgöngustofa (compiled results) (in Icelandic). 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  36. ^ "20 börn voru alveg laus í bílum". FÍB – Félag íslenskra bifreiðaeigenda (in Icelandic). 2 December 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  37. ^ "Icelandic association for search, rescue & injury prevention". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  38. ^ "Samstarfssamningur samgönguráðuneytisins og Slysavarnafélagsins Landsbjargar" (PDF). Stjórnarráðið (Government of Iceland) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  39. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (9 November 2015). "Life Is Rescues". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  40. ^ "Slysavarnaskóli sjómanna – Sæbjörg". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  41. ^ "Skólaskipið Sæbjörg". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  42. ^ "Slysavarnaskóli sjómanna – Sæbjörg". Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR) (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
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