The Kielce Trade Fairs welcomed dozens of Polish and foreign companies and thousands of visitors during the 7th International Exhibition Fire and Rescue Technique EDURA 2009 which took place from 17 to 19 June and was organized by the Rescue Education and Technique Foundation with the cooperation of the National HQ of the SFS and General Board of the Union of the Volunteer Fire Service of the Republic of Poland. (brom)
Goal: Integration with Rescue Services
"It is our goal to cooperate with the governmental administration when it comes to the crisis management and with the national rescue system. Practice shows that social organizations complement perfectly public services. All the resources will be engaged in the case of a disaster, we will need people for work," says Boris Poleganow, rescue supervisor of the Polish Red Cross. Interview by Anna Łańduch
Tragedy in Kamień Pomorski
Long awaited Easter has started - days associated with revival, family meetings and relaxation. Nothing foreshadowed the enormous tragedy which happened at night on 13 April 2009. Many families living in the council house in Kamień Pomorski did not see Easter Monday - a beautiful and sunny day. Comprehensive report on the tragedy by Tadeusz Jopek.
Delayed Action Bomb
"The fire, the District Alarm and Dispatch Center was notified about at 12:32 a.m., must have started at least 20 minutes earlier, since it is not very probable that four minutes after the notification, when first units of the SFS arrived, the fire was in such an advanced stage. Any evacuation through the staircases was out of the question, especially when it comes to people living on the second floor," says Senior Brigadier Janusz Skulich, Deputy Chief Commandant of the SFS and head of the team dealing with rescue action analysis in Kamień Pomorski. Interview by Bogdan Romanowski.
Lower Category - Greater Hazard
A disastrous fire broke out in a council house in Kamień Pomorski on 13 April this year. It claimed 23 victims. We still do not know answers on many questions concerning this issue. It is not clear what exactly the cause of the fire was. However, some irregularities were found, which undoubtedly influenced the spreading of the fire and conditions for evacuation. By Paweł Janik and Dariusz Dziwulski.
Media Fuss
One of the journalists who was at the site of the fire and reported on its effects when asked why his reports are unreliable, despite the fact that he has access to reliable information, answered directly: "I am 24 years old, this is the subject of my life, this will not happen again, therefore I have to do this in this way ". No comments for this declaration. Paweł Frątczak writes about the media aspect of the tragedy in Kamień Pomorski.
Responsibility
The fire in Kamień Pomorski reminded us about the simple truth - buildings constructed totally of inflammables may burn down very quickly. The second commonly known truth says that each even the smallest obstacle in the fire escape may turn into an insurmountable one in the situation of a fire. And the third one - inflammables in the fire escape route turn it into a passage for the fire, not for people. A lecture by Paweł Rochala about what all of us can do for safety.
Bad Daydream
Traumatic events like the fire in Kamień Pomorski happen suddenly and unexpectedly. They cannot be foreseen and one people cannot prepare themselves especially for them. Daily shift changes, routine tasks and suddenly the firefighters find themselves in an extreme situation requiring quick decision-making and quick actions, posing a threat to their health and even life. By Monika Marcinkiewicz and Joanna Pluczyńska.
Trap Under Flyover
When the head of the Świdnica district decided to organize broad exercises Amoniak 2007 (Ammonia 2007) some skeptics suggested that the scale of this project is a bit exaggerated. They claimed that it was true that in practice different incidents may happen and one have to be prepared for them, but it is going too far to mobilize the whole district, engage all the services and even the medical air rescue. Time showed they were wrong. By Lech Lewandowski.
Struggle against Time, Gravel and Weight
A Scania truck and Volkswagen Transporter T4 collided in Ćmińsk Wykień (the Kielce district) on national road no.74 on the route Kielce - Łódź at 4:32 a.m. on 31 March. This was a bloodcurdling incident but at the same time it stimulated services to take decisions and actions quickly. By Wojciech Wąsik.
Poland Handed Over Presidency
General directors of civil protection of the Visegrad Group member states met in Szczecin. Poland presided the group for a year from July 2008 to June 2009. Now the Republic of Hungary has taken over this task. (brom)
3rd Fire Investigation Workshop
Mine Trail Experts
Unlike two former editions organized in the Fire Service College of the SFS in Poznań, the 3rd fire investigation workshop for court experts took place in Polkowice in the Lower Silesia province. The workshop focused on fire hazard and fire causes in underground mining facilities. Belonging to the KGHM Polska Miedź SA. concern, the Rudna mine in Polkowice served as an example. By Tomasz Sawicki.
From Play To Fire
Many children and teenagers experience periods of fascination with fire which is displayed e.g. by playing with a lighter, matches or fireworks. This interest is a natural part of the process when children learn the world around them. However, it is worth to underline that sometimes it acquires some pathological features and requires medical intervention. By Tomasz Sawicki
Slovakian FIRECO
An International Exhibition of Firefighting Appliances, Rescue Accessories and Security Systems took place on the TMM a.s. exhibition ground in Trenčin (Slovakia) from 14 to 16 May 2009. The exhibition is organized every two years - alternately with PYROS fairs in Brno (the Czech Republic). Although this year less equipment was presented than two years ago the exhibition was successful. By Marek Pisarek.
Against Hazards With Technology
Climatic changes, growing number of sudden weather phenomena, globalization, expansion of international terrorism, increasing dependence on technology in everyday life - all of these mean that crisis situation happen increasingly often and affect a large number of people. To meet the increasing requirements solutions based on cutting-edge technology are used. By Jacek Świetnicki and Zbigniew Sural.
Appreciated Effort
In a rank of schools of higher education presented by Rzeczpospolita daily and Perspektywy magazine in this year, the Main School of Fire Service in Warsaw was awarded with the honourable distinction MISSION 2009. (M. Chmiel)
Officer Epaulettes
The officer promotion of the graduates of the Main School of Fire Service and firefighters from the organizational units of the SFS took place at Piłsudski Square in Warsaw on 30 May. (brom)
Stronger Than Steel
Encouraged by Toruń residents and numerous tourists, the firefighters from whole Poland and abroad contended for the title of the Toughest Firefighter in the picturesque scenery of the old Town in the city of Kopernik. This was the first time when the TFA-POLAND (Toughest Firefighter Alive) contest was organized in Poland. It was the last accent of the celebration of 100th anniversary of the Professional Fire Service in Toruń. By Janusz Woźniak
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