Ochotnicze Straże Pożarne w systemie zarządzania kryzysowego Polski
Voluntary Fire Brigade in Emergency Management in Poland

Summary/Abstract: Volunteer Fire Departments are among the oldest social organizations operating in Poland. Their occurrence is dating to the beginning of the 18th century, while in the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century, they evolved into uniformed organizations, equipped with specialized equipment. Their main objective is to implement tasks which are covering topics of public safety, fire protection and fighting against natural and civilizational disasters. Volunteer Fire Departments are a social phenomenon. Volunteer Firefighters are social activists. They are always ready at any given moment and under any circumstances to help those in need. Risking their own life and health is not important to them. In the emergency management area we can notice disproportions between the capabilities of state services and needs and expectations of general public.In many cases this gap in public safety is filled by Volunteer Fire Department. A special role here play Volunteer Fire Departments, which are part of National Rescue and Firefighting System. The purpose of this article is to identify roles and tasks of Volunteer Fire Department as a part of National Crisis Management in Poland and to present the results of qualitative research of contribution made by Volunteer Fire Department in emergency management of district Brzeziny (the province of Lodz).

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