A talk with Chief Commandant of the SFS General Brigadier Wiesław Leśniakiewicz about the amended Act on the State Fire Service of 29 October 2010 and about the plans for 2011. By Bogdan Romanowski.
Railway Inferno
In the first few minutes of the action the firefighters did not know what was burning and what the size of the fire was. The fire was spreading very quickly onto the railway track and the derailed trains. Fuel boilovers from the damaged tankers sparked intense fire development and increased its power. The flames reached several dozens of meters. Twisted rails and deformed tankers proved how strong forces acted during the disaster. By Dariusz Sadowski.
Between Tankers and Small Screen
My phone started to ring on Monday, just before dawn. The director of the Białystok division of the TVN 24 TV channel was the first to call. On the question whether I know something about an accident of the railway tankers and a fire I answered negatively, which was true. I called the Regional Center for Rescue Operation Coordination for necessary information. On my way to the Fire Service HQ my phone kept ringing all the time. Succesive data came from the alarm and dispatch center. By Marcin Janowski.
Controlled Delivery
The problems with recognizing the dangerous substances during the railway accident, which happened on 8 November 2010 in Białystok (in the railway terminology this was an A 04 class accident) made me write this article. More details in the latest issue of Fire Review in the article by Wiesław Jaroszyński.
SFS Action After Railway Accident
After a railway accident of a passenger train, the rescuers usually have to help a great deal of casualties; sometimes it is very difficult to reach them. The access is limited because of the degree of damage of the wagons, their configuration and hampering phenomena accompanying the disaster. The area of the incident, in comparison with road accidents, is usually larger, and the access time is longer. By Krzysztof T. Kociołek.
Railway Rescue
Simplifying, the teams of railway technical rescue work in a way similar to the units of the SFS and VFS - some of them are ready all day round, taking duties all the time in the place where the rescue train is being stationed, while other go on incident site on call, performing other duties on a daily basis. By Anna Łańduch.
Investigative SFS
The State Fire Service, as a body of state administration, is obliged by law to preestablish the cause and circumstances of the outbreak and spreading of a fire.
Pre-establishment of the fire causes is conducted by the SFS within the frameworks of surveillance over following the fire regulations by conducting exploratory and control activities. This can be conducted by the SFS firefighters authorized by the Chief Commandant of the SFS, a Regional Chief Fire Officer or a District (City) Chief Fire Officer, as well as by other persons authorized by a Regional Chief Fire Officer. By Tomasz Sawicki.
Anwil - Responsibility and Modernity
Anwil SA is one of the largest companies in the Kujawy-Pomerania region and is the leader in the great chemical synthesis in Poland. It is the only Polish producer of the suspension grade polyvinyl chloride and important manufacturer of nitric fertilizers. Modern safety system in the plant is to eliminate possible fire, explosion or chemical threat or - if it occurs - to minimize its negative effects. Technical and organizational solutions used in the company protect people, natural environment and technological installations. By Agnieszka Wójcik.
Efficient Industrial Fire Services
Fires and failures in the chemical industry plants, as well as the specific character of the upper tier establishments cause that it is necessary to equip the industrial fire services working there into the best highly-efficient equipment, including fire engines. By Paweł Frątczak.
Wetting Agents or Water?
A wetting agent developed, among others, by the employees of the Fire and Chemical Testing Laboratory Department of the Scientific and Research Center for Fire Protection was awarded with gold medal on the 59th international exhibition of Inventions, Research and new Technologies BRUSSELS INNOVA, which was held in Brussels in November. By Ryszard Szczygieł, Bożenna Porycka, Joanna Rakowska, Mirosław Kwiatkowski.
About Corruption
As a rescue service, the State Fire Service has enjoyed high level of social trust for many years. Nevertheless, it is not free from the corruption threat.
This pathology appears on the border of the public and privat interest - when the personal gain is given priority over common property. After all, corruption is not a contemporary product, it has been present in our culture for ages. However, nowadays the public behaviour is assesed more strictly than ever before. Corruption (lat. destruction) started to be notorious in Poland in the mid-1990s, mainly when it comes to the ethical aspect (demoralization of power) and legal aspect (illegal behaviour). Fighting corruption has become later a leading, often only populist slogan of politicians from different parties. By Elżbieta Przyłuska.
Decade with EDURA
Paraphrasing the lyrics of the song from "Czterdziestolatek" (The Forty-year-old) movie, it can be said that 10 years of the Education and Rescue Technique Foundation EDURA passed like a day. The ceremony of the anniversary was held in the Forest Research Institute in Sękocin Stary. The ceremony was attended, among others, by: undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Interior and Administration Zbigniew Sosnowski, chairman of the Senate Firefighters Group Zbigniew Meres, Chief Commandant of the SFS General Brigadier Wiesław Leśniakiewicz, his deputy Chief Brigadier Piotr Kwiatkowski as well as numerous friends and sposors of the EDURA Foundation. More in the article by Bogdan Romanowski.
Enforcement Proceedings. Part 1
Supervision over following the fire safety rules is within the scope of tasks of the district (city) chief fire officers of the State Fire Service specified in the Act on the State Fire Service of 24 August 1991 (Journal of Laws from 2009, No. 12, item 68). By Wojciech Pokojski
Civil Protection System
Common E-learning
The tasks of the civil protection system are performed by rescue services and relief services, bodies of government administration and local government administration. Education of society is also a part of the system. More in the article by Jan Czajka.
16th Indoor Polish Championships in Fire Service 5-a-Side Football
Ball in the Game
Held in Milówka and Węgierska Górka (the Silesia Province) this time, the competition was attended by firefighters from the Lower Silesia Province, who arrived there with mixed feelings. Their chances to win the champion title were waning just before the start of the game. By Lech Lewandowski.
Parent on Duty
Being a parent is a pleasure, but also a serious challenge. We do not prepare ourselves especially for thie responsible role, but we base rather on the experience from our family home and from observing life. Does the profession of a firefighter pose any particular challenge for a parent? The answer in the article by Monika Marcinkiewicz.
Leon Frączek - Engineer, Constructor and Patriot
Apart from preparing exhibitions and collecting museum pieces, the Central Museum of Fire Service conducts research on people involved in the history of the fire services. Unknown to the general public, Leon Frączek is an extraordinary example of a fireman and a patriot who, against the difficulties of history, remaind faithful to his vocation. An article by Dariusz Falecki in the latest issue of Fire Review.
Never-ending Marathon
At first this was a form of recreation and entertainment typical for teenagers. Piotrek Grzyb was a member of school sport club, he participated in school sport competitions and in his free time he liked to play football with his friends. No-one, even he himself, expected that the sport effort would turn into something more than just a way of spending free time in an attractive and healthy way and that overcoming the weakness would be like climbing other, more difficult mountain peaks for an alpinist. By Lech Lewandowski.
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