"How to urge people to evacuate? With a well-formulated message which should include no courtesy phrases but firm instructions," says Anna Kołodziej-Saramak from the Scientific and Research Center for Fire Protection in a talk with Anna Łańduch.
Explosive Fire
The sound of an explosion in a building of "Plastochem" chemical processing plant awoke the inhabitants of Imielin (the Silesia province) before 7 a.m. on 8 May. The first person calling the District Alarm and Dispatch Center in Tychy was unable to give any detailed information. Only further notifications which inundated the alarm and dispatch centers not only in Tychy but also in nearby Mysłowice made everyone realize the scale of the tragedy. By Jarosław Wojtasik.
Way of Professional Rescue
The 9th edition of medical rescue maneuvers in Jelenia Góra was similar to the previous editions in many aspects. However, this edition was of special importance as the moment is getting closer when decisions will be made to include upgrading the skills of firefighters concerning this scope into a system framework. It is highly probable that the experience from Jelenia Góra will be popularized in the whole country. By Lech Lewandowski.
Fire in Złoty Potok Forests
Preparing the volunteer fire service units of the national rescue and firefighting system to act during a forest fire and to prevent the devastating consequences of a fire, the training maneuvers took place on the area of Złoty Potok forest inspectorate (the Silesia province). The officers of the City HQ of the SFS in Częstochowa commanded the action. By Jerzy Ostrowski.
Caustic Bath
A swimming pool of the PKE SA Power Plant Jaworzno III was swamped with people on 17 May. It was a sunny Sunday. Swimming enthusiasts arrived here from the town of Jaworzno and the whole region. Nobody expected that having fun in water may have dramatic consequences. Ten liters of sodium hypochlorite leaked to a 10-cubic large paddling pool. By Agnieszka Rękas.
Evacuation: Walking on Thin Ice
Evacuation of people takes place during many rescue actions. Evacuation is a difficult and complex process requiring appropriate preparation. Badly organized or unnecessary evacuation may pose an additional threat. Particularly complicated is the mass evacuation covering several places, a few smaller towns or a large part of an urban complex. Jerzy Ranecki describes the rules of evacuation.
Tactics in Action
During welding works on the olefin installation II, ethylene getting out of a leaky flange connection ignited and led to a fire near the container. This happened on the area of the PKN Orlen SA Production Plant in Płock at 10 a.m. on 25 June. Report by Elżbieta Przyłuska.
Use Your Imagination
A motorcycle season started along with warmer days. Our roads have swarmed with choppers, sportbikes and scooters driven by people of different age and skills. The consequences were quickly visible... - Agnieszka Rękas warns against recklessness on roads.
Return from the Brink of Disaster
This could not have been a casual meeting. The City HQ of the SFS in Wrocław was visited by Andrzej Nabzdyk, M. D., who is the only survivor from the helicopter crash which happened near Wrocław in February. By Lech Lewandowski.
Firefighters Without Borders
The Regional HQ of the SFS in Poznań signed on 26 May a letter of intent concerning cooperation with Fire Service HQ in Hannover. The firefighters from Poznań will go to Germany to participate in trainings preparing them among other things to Euro 2012 Championships. Why Hannover? It was one of the German cities hosting FIFA World Cup in 2006. Sławomir Brandt writes about arrangements made before Euro 2012.
Feast for the Firefighters' Eyes
On 17-19 June the area of Kielce Fair turned red with rescue equipment of the leading producers and distributors who met there on a next, already 7th International Exhibition of Fire and Rescue Technique EDURA 2009. Bogdan Romanowski describes this year's edition.
EDURA 2009: Awards
Award in the category fire vehicles
Pojazdy Specjalistyczne Zbigniew Szczęśniak Sp. z o.o. specialist vehicles
Heavy fire and rescue vehicle water/foam/powder on the chassis of Scania P380 DB 4 x 2 HNZ 4 x 2
Revenue weight: 18,000 kg.
By Jerzy Linder.
Exhibition Gems
Fair comes and goes... This is how this year's exhibition in Kielce could be described in brief. Everyone who spent three days of fair in this city felt that time passed by very quickly. Both EDURA 2009 organizers and the exhibitors took care to make the time of the exhibition visitors enjoyable. Paweł Frątczak describes the most interesting products presented on the exhibition.
More Than Alarm
The purpose of the voice alarm systems (VAS) is to inform people about hazards in a possibly efficient way (which, unfortunately, cannot be achieved using only alarm signals). They make it possible not only to give the alarm but also to convey important information, for instance evacuation guidelines. By Anna Kołodziej-Saramak.
How to Make Picture Shows Safe
Hardly anyone thinks about safety, sitting in a comfortable seat in a modern multiplex cinema. Filled with inflammables, cinemas have to comply with appropriate safety requirements. Improper exploitation, e.g. changes in food stall décor, using additional promotional stands, advertisements and other inflammables in inappropriate places contributes to a fire spreading and hinders evacuation. Marzena Półka and Ewa Piechocka write about safety in a cinema auditorium.
American Fire and Rescue System
A fundamental rule of American model of public authorities is the rule of supporting the level, which is responsible for given field. Moreover, if possible, every task should be performed by local authorities at the lowest level. An incredible dispersion of both police and fire service resources is the result of such an attitude. By Witold Skomra.
All-Polish Art Contest Results
Organized by the Chief Commandant of the SFS, the 11th edition of All-Polish Art Contest for children has finished. This year's motto was "Disaster, Flood, Hurricane - Fire Service Helps". By Joanna Matusiak.
Art of Relaxation
All of us would like to be healthy and happy, possibly just like that, without any effort. Health is connected with balance in the organism. Maintaining balance between effort and relaxation is one of the elements of taking care of widely understood human organism stability. Strain is important for mobilization while relaxation entails regeneration. Monika Marcinkiewicz encourages us to relax.
Championships Full of Surprises
During 26th Polish Championships in Fire Sport which took place in the Central School of the SFS in Częstochowa on 24-25 June, the participants had to compete not only with their rivals but also with unpredictable weather. That is why the championships were full of sports surprises. By Bogdan Romanowski.
High Level Championships
The 6th International Polish Championships of Height Rescue Groups are over. This year Łódź welcomed 15 teams representing the State Fire Service, Volunteer Fire Service, the Voluntary Mountain Rescue Service, Polish Red Cross, Copper Mining and Smelting Industrial Complex (KGHM) and the Internal Security Agency. Out of the foreign teams, the group from Slovakia was here for the first time. By Anna Łańduch.
Right Decisions
The 5th Polish Championships in Emergency Medicine and Road Accident Procedure of Subjects Creating and Supporting the National Rescue and Firefighting System took place in the Sucha Beskidzka District and the Żywiec District. As many as 56 teams participated in the championships, mainly from the SFS and the VFS, including 5 foreign teams. The tasks were performed in two classes: teams with a doctor or paramedic and teams without anyone with medical education. Jacek Nitecki describes the struggle of the rescuers.
Regular columns:
Kaleidoscope, Views and Opinions, Law and Service, Events Overview, Fire Service Stamps, www.firefighting, Miniature Maniacs Club, Service and Faith, This Is Worth Reading, Postscript, Firefighting Crosswords.
