National Rescue Service (Ringerike)

The National Rescue Service is a government organization that fulfills with a multitude of Rescue and emergency service roles such as Air-Sea rescue, air ambulance services and mountain rescue among a plethora of other specialized tasks, formed in 1960 as a consolidation of a number of separate agencies.

Mountain Rescue
The RNJ operates both full and volunteer part time mountain rescue services in several areas across the country, with a focus of activity around popular ski resorts and hiking routes.

Air-Sea Rescue
Air-Sea Rescue services are run by the RNJ in tandem with the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard to provide 24/7 coverage along the country's coastline.

Air Ambulance
A fairly recent addition to the RNJ's capabilities air ambulance services are provided across a large proportion of the country in co-operation with the previously in-place charity funded services, the goal is to improve major trauma survival rates by by cutting injury-treatment times.

HAZMAT Search and Rescue
The RNJ maintains a HAZMAT rescue capability centered around large industrial areas and primarily tasked and equipped to deal with industrial incidents including those involving nuclear materials.

Firefighting/EMS
The RNJ directly operates Firefighting and Emergency Medical Services at 'sites of critical national interest' for example major airports and infrastructure not owned by another governmental body such as the military.

Specialist Search Teams
The Specialist Search teams consist of personnell trained in navigating and accessing complex, often dangerous and unstable environments such as collapsed buildings, flooded areas, and landslides alongside others, they are also also responsible for the employment of search dogs in such capacities.

Specialist Reserves
The RNJ retains on call and part-time volunteer reserves to fill gaps in niche capabilities such as subterranean rescue which are used too infrequently to justify the cost of having them manned full time.

2006 Dramhavn Tunnel Fire

 * See more: 2006 Dramhavn Tunnel Fire

One of the largest scale incidents the NRJ has responded to in it's history is the 2006 Drammen Tunnel Fire, caused by the derailment of a passenger train in the Drammen Rail tunnel and resulting in the loss of 32 lives among several hundred injured, the NRJ is credited for it's rapid deployment of specialized rescue teams, reinforcing the overloaded capacity of local emergency services.