On 8 December, exercises involving volunteer fire brigades from Gromadka Municipality were held at the Prodigo facility located in the Legnica Special Economic Zone, near Osła. The facility processes waste into alternative fuels. Its production profile includes, among other things, the storage and processing of waste.
Firefighters from KP PSP Bolesławiec:
Due to the nature of the facility’s operations, the exercises were planned in two scenarios. The first scenario involved a fire breaking out in the waste storage area, as well as a fire on the facility’s production line. Five crews from the following units were assigned to this scenario: OSP Gromadka (2), OSP Wierzbowa (2) and OSP Nowa Kuźnia (1).
Once the exercises began, the crews were deployed in a realistic response. The firefighters laid out firefighting hose lines and also operated a water-and-foam monitor, taking into account the possibility of high temperatures. Each firefighter operating the hose lines was equipped with a breathing apparatus.
Using a 10-metre portable ladder, one crew checked the partitions between the facility’s production lines. They also checked whether any facility employees were present in the smoke-filled area. Two crews worked to supply the fire engines with water.
The second scenario involved a local hazard.
Uniformed officers:
A load that had previously been transported fell onto a facility employee. The worker became trapped beneath a pallet carrying packages with a combined weight of approximately 1.5 tonnes. Two crews from OSP Różyniec were assigned to this scenario. Firefighters from this unit often cooperate with those from JRG Bolesławiec when dealing with the effects of local hazards occurring on the A4 motorway near Różyniec.
After arriving at the scene, the firefighters carried out an assessment. They determined the injured person’s condition, secured them in the position in which they were found and called for medical assistance.
They then began lifting the pallet to a height that would allow the injured person to be evacuated. During these activities, the cervical spine was immobilised with an orthopaedic collar, the casualty was placed on a rescue stretcher, their level of consciousness was assessed and they were protected against heat loss. After these steps had been completed, the exercise was declared over.
From the beginning of 2018 until the day of the exercises, 114 incidents occurred in Gromadka Municipality, including 57 fires, 49 local hazards and 8 false alarms.
More information and photos are available on the website of the Bolesławiec County Headquarters of the State Fire Service.