The Government Center for Security (RCB) has prepared a set of instructions and desired behaviors in the event of crisis situations, including war. The RCB created it in response to public demand and the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. The manual “Be ready – a guidance for times of crisis and war” can be downloaded from the RCB website. 

The publication clearly explains how to avoid a threat and how to behave when it occurs. The manual consists of two parts. The first contains information needed to prepare for a threat, the second part offers tips on how to act in a crisis. 

The material contains information about how to prepare for a possible evacuation; how to behave in the case of contamination of the area, lack of electricity supply or being a hostage; how to provide first aid; how to protect yourself from disinformation, not to panic; how to behave during an alarm and what the different alarm signals mean. 

The Government Center for Security emphasized that the ability to deal with emergencies is an important element in building a resilient society, and this translates directly into the country’s resilience. Crisis situations may have various causes – and it does not always have to be an intentional human action, but for example an accident/breakdown in an industrial plant that uses dangerous substances in the technological process – therefore it is always worth being prepared. 

The illustration of the publication is the third part of the “RCB Security Academy”, which was prepared in cooperation with the press spokesman of the Chief Commander of the State Fire Service and a security expert, a former soldier of the GROM military unit. The materials are available on the RCB website and on the Centre’s social media profiles. 

Arkadiusz Słomczyński