He attended the event for the first time years ago, as a professional soldier. He was there when the 157th Rescue Batallion of the Czech Armed Forces transformed from an army unit to a firefighting unit. He started as a deputy commander, now he commands the Emergency Unit of the Fire and Rescue Service of the Czech Republic himself. As he said, he and other members of the department do not do it for money - but for people and they get paid. And the equipment they use to save lives and eliminate the consequences of natural disasters is presented every year at the NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days. David Kareš, Commander of the Emergency Unit of the Fire and Rescue Service of the Czech Republic.

The dynamic display by the NH90 Display Team of the German Bundeswehr has literally lit up the sky above the Mosnov airport twice already. One of the pilots of this machine is Captain Heinz Nilsmann, who was part of the NH90 helicopter crew last year and it was supposed to be the same this year. Although the plan fell through, he still told us a number of interesting things - like how and where the friendship between the NH90 Display Team and the Bavarian Tigers with Typhoons started, how both teams got involved when they heard about the floods, or the journey of a German soldier up to the cockpit of the NH90. 

The Ostrava Regional Military Command is one of the units that have been participating in NATO Days in Ostrava since the first years. Nowadays, many people have these territorial army units associated mainly with active reserve units. We talked to Col. Jaroslav Medek, Director of Ostrava Regional Military Command.

Ostrava Municipal Police officers and their canine partners are an integral part of the NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days. You could see Erika Szabová with her four-legged colleague GERIM among them. Erika has been serving with the Municipal Police since 1st September 2015. What is the most challenging part of being a police dog handler? Does the bite hurt despite the padded suit? And how do service dogs get along with their colleagues from mounted police? She revealed more than that in our interview.

The A330 MRTT tanker and its international crew were also due to attend the event. They were planning to sell patches for a good cause - specifically, for a sick little boy. But the floods changed that plan. And the crew and family they wanted to help had others in mind - those whose lives had been changed by the water. The patches are on sale, but the money will go elsewhere.