"It is our dream to turn the Praga Hospital into a model institution operating in a situation of chemical contamination. Therefore we place our hopes on the agreement concluded between the State Fire Service and the hospital," says Piotr Buda, National Consultant on Clinical Toxicology. "This is to be a big step towards organizing toxicological rescue service in Poland," he claims. Interview by Anna Łańduch.
Tragedy on Road no. 786
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.
Coordinating Training of Żuławy Support Brigade of the Warmia-Masuria Province 2009
Struggle with Embankments
The Regional HQ of the SFS in Olsztyn together with the City HQ of the SFS in Elbląg prepared exercises conducted at the mouth of the Elbląg River flowing into the Vistula Lagoon. The scenario of the exercises included the embankment breach and flooding of several villages located on the depression area. By Michał Kamieniecki.
Fire Before the Dawn
Just before the dawn the residents of a building at Śniadeckich Street in Częstochowa were woken up by acrid smoke of a fire spreading on the second storey. By Jerzy Ostrowski.
Medical Rescue in Mass Incidents in the National Rescue and Firefighting System
Difficult Decisions in Difficult Conditions
A mass incident, because of its social and emotional context, is almost always a political event. Therefore, it is very difficult to make a reliable analysis of the rescue actions conducted during such incidents and it is also difficult to use possible conclusions in everyday work. Moreover, there is still a lingering conviction that the exercises should be, first of all, of demonstrative nature and should be a manifest of power rather than a subject of detailed analysis. By Ignacy Baumberg.
Collision on a Turn
It is 5 March, shortly after 7 a.m., regional road no. 240. A truck with a closed loading platform and a trailer takes a turn next to a church in Bysław in the Tuchola district. At the same time a semi-trailer coming from the other direction takes the same turn at high speed. A loud noise a moment later marked a front-to-side collision of both vehicles. Report by Krzysztof Łangowski.
Experts from All Around the World in Sunny California
For many years California has hosted experts from the whole world dealing with fire material research, analyses of fire development and fire investigations. Global elite of scientists and experts on this field meet there every year under the motto "Fire and Materials." By Piotr Guzewski.
Operational Service and Prevention in Belarus
In Fire Review no. 11/2008 I made no secret of my admiration for the organization of Belarusian Command and Engineering Institute (CEI), which is a counterpart of the Fire Service Officers College in Poland. This school trains commanders for Belarusian (and not only Belarusian) fire protection and this training can be expressed in short as youth, energy and discipline. What is visible is the ethos of the service and the sense of professional distinctiveness. Apart from the school I have also had contact with two aspects of the activity of Belarusian firefighters: operational and preventive one. Impressions of Paweł Rochala from his visit by Belarusian firefighters.
Vehicles of Belarusian Fire Service
In Belarus only the fire protection units in the largest cities have imported fire vehicles - mainly turntable ladders, hydraulic platforms and vehicles of technical and chemical rescue service. Fire vehicles of different types manufactured in Russia constitute over 95% of their equipment. By Paweł Frątczak.
"Medical Rescue - New Problems and Solutions" Seminar
We Cannot Afford Any Mistakes
Medical rescue is still a very young element of the national rescue and firefighting system. Translating this into a school language we are still in... a primary school. So, we are at the beginning of a long educational path - covering the way will be a guarantee that the tasks of this rescue field are fulfilled on a proper level... (brom)
Who is Responsible for Training Volunteer Firefighters?
In Fire Review no. 2/2006 Brigadier Jan Kielin described the rules of training volunteer firefighters in Western Europe. Making a comparison it is needless to say that in this scope there is much we have to make up for. Meanwhile, years pass and the situation is not improving. Considering the qualification standards specified for the volunteer fire service we have to train dozens of thousands of firefighters, which is a preliminary condition for allowing them to participate in rescue actions. By Wiesław Chmielewski
Crisis Information
Life writes tragic scenarios - crashes of MI-2 rescue helicopter, MI-24 military helicopter and M-28 Bryza aircraft, a fire of a council house in Kamień Pomorski. All of these prove that crisis situation can happen every day. And in such cases not only the precious knowledge is necessary, how to cooperate with mass media, but also significant experience in this field. By Paweł Frątczak
Solar Storm
The Sun is not only the center of a planetary system and a source of life-giving energy. Its structure and the processes occurring there can cause a huge threat for human civilization. By Jarosław Zarzycki.
Law in the Forest
Before Poland's joining the European Union, despite their information and appeals, many state services and social organizations were unsuccessful in limiting the burning out of vegetation on meadows, pastures, wastelands, roadsides and in ditches. Today the problem has been minimized by financial influence on the farmers. By Włodzimierz Szaga
12th National Indoor Championships in Firefighting Biathlon
Successful Season Start
For firefighter athletes early spring has only one meaning: time of struggle to be best in indoor events of firefighting biathlon. This sport has been embedded in the landscape of Grudziądz and Toruń - cities which guarantee spectacular game on a high level. By Małgorzata Jarocka-Krzemkowska.
26th National Volleyball Championships of the Fire Service
Favourits Met Expectations
For the volleyball team from the Lower Silesia Provence, who played to defend the national master's title won during the last year's championships in Giżycko, this year's tournament was a difficult challenge. The position of a favourite does not only ennobles, but also is a commitment. By Lech Lewandowski.
Futsal Fire Service
March brought much excitement connected with indoor soccer: at first because of the Media Tournament, and a week later because of a prestigious tournament of uniformed services "Euro 2012 in Uniform." Both events took place in Sieradz. By Jarosław Wasylik.
Lifestyle and Heart
Service, additional job, family. Days and weeks are filled with duties, tasks and treats. And we can do all of these due to, among other things, an intensive and continuous work of our heart. Unfortunately, sometimes its work can be seriously disturbed because of a heart attack or coronary disease - warns Anna Kacperczyk, a psychologist.
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