“An inventory of shelters has been launched in all fire brigade districts”, stated Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration Maciej Wąsik. The campaign will last two months.

“We have 62,000 such facilities across the country. This has been declared by the managing entities – mainly local governments. Firefighters are checking their condition, whether they are equipped and fit for use. If they are not, we will take measures to adapt them for use”, announced the deputy head of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA).

Deputy Minister Wąsik added that firefighters, as the formation responsible for civil defence, know best what is needed for the shelters to function.

In times of war or other state of emergency, firefighting units are supposed to transform themselves into civil defence formations. They will extinguish, rescue, evacuate, provide food and shelter. Asked whether the duties imposed on the fire brigade are not too heavy, the deputy minister said that the fire brigade cooperates with other civil protection units, with local authorities and with volunteers, and the current system will work perfectly well.

Deputy Minister Wąsik emphasised that Poland is not at risk, and that the stock-taking is a planned action.

“We are in NATO; we are part of the European Union. We are not participants in this war, although we strongly support Ukraine. Poland is a safe country. The actions are routine. It was planned some time ago”, noted the deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration.

Wąsik stressed that the Polish fire service cooperates closely with Ukrainian firefighters.

“We observe how they organise their civil defence, we draw certain conclusions from this, and it seems, I am even convinced, that we are going the right way”, assessed the deputy minister.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński