Absurdity on Zlarin: Helicopter Drives Swimmers Off the Beach
Saving lives on the island has become problematic because the existing helipad is unusable, and the issue has persisted for years despite warnings.
Saving lives on the island has become problematic because the existing helipad is unusable, and the issue has persisted for years despite warnings.
For an emergency medical services helicopter to land on the island of Zlarin, the beach, which holds around 200 swimmers, must first be cleared. The reason is simple and disheartening: the island's only helipad, built back in 2003, is buried under waste and completely unusable.
The consequences of this situation were felt firsthand by Iva Borac, a Zlarin resident who recently needed urgent medical assistance. "I turned toward the bathroom, told my family I wasn't feeling well, and at that moment I lost consciousness. After that, I don't remember anything, and I only started recalling things when the nurse arrived," Iva told Nova TV's Dnevnik.
Martin Ercegovac, chief technician at the Šibenik-Knin County Emergency Medicine Institute, provided precise details about the intervention timeline. "The call to the emergency medicine institute was logged at 4:03 PM. The helicopter departed at 4:20 PM and arrived at 4:49 PM. From the call to arrival at the scene took 46 minutes," said Ercegovac. Adding to the drama, this summer the helicopter has already had to circle above the island three times while the beach was cleared.
Dario Gregov, a member of the Zlarin Volunteer Fire Department, described the frustration of local firefighters who have been warning about the problem for years. "It all falls on us, because when you circle the island for an hour and have nowhere to land the helicopter, it's an unpleasant situation. We've had a helipad since 2003, but it's been deteriorating for the past 15 years," Gregov emphasized. He also noted that equipment for lighting the helipad once arrived on Zlarin, but no one ever installed it.
Šibenik's mayor, Željko Burić, confirmed that the City had already participated in clearing some of the waste, but this time he refuses to intervene under public pressure. "It's rubble and waste created by the very people who live on Zlarin; it's not trash brought to the island by outsiders. Of course, when you dump something undesirable, you expect the owner to intervene, and if they don't, I assume it was by agreement," Burić stated.
The mayor claims he doesn't know who owns the land and says his departments told him the plot is not under the city's jurisdiction. "The logic is obviously that it's much cheaper to dump somewhere for free, and then label someone who intervenes under public and media pressure. That won't happen this time," he said.
In the land registry, the Zlarin Parish is listed as the owner of the land. The Diocese explained that in 2001, the parish signed a twenty-year agreement with the City of Šibenik for the construction of the helipad. After the agreement expired, the parish sent an inquiry to the City about future intentions but received no response. In that letter, they also highlighted that the land had become an illegal dumping site and that a solution was necessary. The City responded by putting up a sign warning: "No Dumping!"
Further complications arise from a new contract signed in 2024 with a private individual for 25 years, which envisions the construction of a dry dock for smaller vessels. Since the lessee has not fulfilled obligations for two years, the parish initiated contract termination in June. "In 2023, we reported the illegal dump that needs to be remediated. The main problem is that the property issue is unresolved. We're currently in a status quo, and no one knows anything," said Sonja Landekušić from the Zlarin Local Committee.
Iva Borac warns that such situations could happen to anyone. "It's truly terrifying. I was in that position now, and tomorrow, God forbid, it could be someone else. I think something should be done about this," she concluded.
