Specialist Radiation Reconnaissance Unit "Różan" - the only such unit in the State Fire Service is a proof that life is full of paradoxes: although firefighters perform just auxiliary function during a radiation incident, they are usually the first to arrive there. A talk with Brigadier Arkadiusz Gołębiewski, the commander of the legendary "Różan", about his unit, its history, equipment and tasks.
Last Mission
The Regional HQ of the SFS in Wrocław, 17 February. It is still early, shortly after half past seven in the morning, but there is an unusual commotion in the building. The duty officers of the Regional Center for Rescue Operation Coordination have just received a notification that a helicopter of the Polish Medical Air Rescue from Wrocław crashed a while earlier. It was flying to help the victims of a pile-up on A4 motorway. Lech Lewandowski writes about the tragic incident.
Match Interrupted
The question, whether for a firefighter training e.g. volleyball, the Regional Chief Fire Office Cup is more important than a fire seems to be a rhetorical one. Certainly, what is more important is ... Well, what? It turns out that the answer is not that easy. Fortunately, firefighters usually do not have to make such difficult choices. Although there are exceptions even to this rule. Lew
Firefighters Prevented Attack on Clergyman
This happened on a winter evening. The crew leader Aspirant Artur Kuma, Aspirant Przemysław Dwojak, Senior Sergeant Harald Tkaczyk and Senior Firefighter Paweł Maczuba were returning from an action in the town. Via radio they received another notification about a smoke-filled apartment. Approaching a crossroads they noticed a priest standing on the pavement, who was attacked by three individuals. Lew
Pity for Horses ...
Two stables in Silesia burnt within less than two weeks. Eight horses, a pony and a dog got poisoned with carbon monoxide in one of them. Fortunately, from the other stable the animals were brought out just in time. Horse enthusiast started to panic. They began to suspect that the fires were not accidental, but were started by an arsonist. Police together with fire experts investigate the circumstances of both incidents. By Agnieszka Rękas
Tanker at the Edge
It is early afternoon, 30 January. A semi-trailer truck with a tanker goes downhill. It takes a curve at high speed. The driver, seeing that half of his vehicle is on the opposite lane where other cars are approaching, brakes rapidly ... Krzysztof Łangowski describes the rescue action.
Medical Rescue in Road Incidents - Practical Remarks for the Rescuers of the National Rescue and Firefighting System
Principles Like Guidepost
Equipping the rescue entities in devices, organizing trainings covering the rescue techniques or developing appropriate documentation of the actions are of fundamental importance for the level of efficiency of the rescue services. However, without the knowledge of the principles of rescue tactics, as it unfortunately often happens, in a hurry, often in difficult conditions, the rescuers will subconsciously aim at simplifying the action and finishing it as soon as possible. In such a situation it is not difficult to suffer from secondary injuries or other injuries, which may result in death of the victim or in disability drastically lowering the quality of life of the rescued person. To achieve professional effect of the action it is necessary to obey adopted principles, both in the scope of rescue techniques and rescue tactics. By Ignacy Baumberg.
LOTOS Flower
A fire brigade operating at Grupa LOTOS S.A. company was separated as an autonomous company on 1 March 2004. The 5th anniversary of the fire service operating under new rules in the LOTOS company is an opportunity for its firefighters to make first resumes. By Elżbieta Przyłuska
Fire Vehicles of LOTOS in Gdańsk
Fires of the petrol tankers in Rafineria Trzebinia refinery in 2002 and Rafineria Gdańska refinery of the Grupa LOTOS company one year later, as well as the specific nature of the upper tier establishments, such as refineries or petrochemical plants, clearly show that fire brigades operating at such establishments have to be equipped in the best highly-efficient devices. Paweł Frątczak describes the equipment.
Old Magirus Still Modern
Iveco Magirus - one of the oldest European companies producing firefighting equipment celebrates its 145th anniversary this year. The company was established by Conrad Dietrich Magirus in South German city of Ulm in 1864, where he founded earlier also voluntary fire service. Marek Pisarek presents the history of legendary Magirus.
About Titan Steel and Giant Fires
I watched a movie about attack on the World Trade Center entitled "Loose Change". Dylan Avery, its director and writer, opposes the official version of the events. I borrowed the movie from a professional firefighter, who was worried with what he saw; moreover, he believed in that. Other firefighters supposedly also saw it and believed in it. I saw the film and I did not believe. To avoid further devastation in the minds of people professionally involved in fire protection I decided to correct this a bit in Fire Review. By Paweł Rochala
Fort Regained
Hewelianum Center is an institution presenting achievements of science and technology. It is located on a hill in the city center of Gdańsk - on the area of a historic Grodzisko fortress. Unexpectedly, in January a fire broke out in a caponiere housing the center (a building protecting the inside of the moat, which made it possible to open fire along the embankment). Elżbieta Przyłuska writes about the protection of the building.
New Crisis Management Strategy
The Council of Ministers adopted on 3 February a draft act amending the act on crisis management, which was developed in the National Security Center. The draft, completed with the contents of secondary legislation, will be considered by the lower house of Polish parliament. Witold Skomra comments on the new legislation.
The Main School of Fire Service in a Community Training Programme
It is another time in a row when the Main School of Fire Service in Warsaw in cooperation with the Academy for Crisis Management, Emergency Planning and Civil Protection of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (AKNZ-BBK) of the Federal Republic of Germany has won a contest for organizing two High Level Coordination courses of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism in a sixth training session (2008/2009), announced by the European Commission in 2007 - by Tomasz Zwęgliński
Time for Changes
While a modern rescue system is being created according to the 21st-century standards, the scope of tasks of the State Fire Service expands. The competences of a firefighter, commensurate to contemporary threats, should include not only technical issues, but also knowledge about social and psychological functioning of a man and the ability to cope with difficult situations, claims Joanna Pluczyńska
Col. Władysław Pilawski Jubilee
Steadfast Man
It is very difficult to write about a man, whose life is an essence of the greatest achievements of Polish fire service in the 20th century, personification of what is most valuable in the Polish firefighting; a man, who proves with his life that there are objective values one has to stick to and that it is worth to stick to them and that the ethos of the fire service is not just a cliché, but a real determinant of our mission and vocation. Robert Klonowski writes about the anniversary of the prominent fireman.
Yearlong Showcase
Calendars are always an appreciated gift. At the same time they serve important image purposes popularizing the output of their publishers, who do not spare often considerable expenses to prepare projects attracting the attention of a recipient and prospective customer. Jerzy Linder's overview of this year's calendars.
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