The exercises began on 16 May at 9:00 a.m. in the common room of the Bolesławiec County PSP Headquarters with theoretical training, during which representatives of cooperating services familiarized firefighters with issues concerning road traffic hazards and areas containing unexploded ordnance.
Police officers from the Traffic Division of the Bolesławiec County Police Headquarters presented changes to road traffic law, paying particular attention to the rules applicable when driving emergency vehicles, traveling in convoy, and firefighters using their private vehicles to respond to an alarm announced at an OSP unit.
Next, soldiers from the Sapper Patrol of the 23rd Silesian Artillery Regiment in Bolesławiec discussed the hazards associated with unexploded ordnance and shells, mainly in forest training grounds and former military training areas.
The practical part of the exercises was then conducted in the area of the Daniel Forestry District (Bolesławiec Forest District), near Kliczków. These forests form part of the Lower Silesian Wilderness; for many years, they were used as a military training ground.
Firefighters from Bolesławiec:
The exercise scenario assumed that the forces arriving at the site would be deployed in organized subunits. Initially, two platoons formed from OSP units in Bolesławiec County, a platoon made up of crews from the Bolesławiec JRG, and crews from the Military Fire Services in Świętoszów and Dobry nad Kwisą were sent into action.
A staff was also established to support the organization of the operation. It included representatives of PSP units from Bolesławiec and Wrocław, employees of the State Forests, and WSP soldiers from Świętoszów and Dobry nad Kwisą.
In addition, an SDiŁ vehicle (a battalion command and communications vehicle) from the Wrocław Provincial PSP Headquarters was used to organize the operation and coordinate communications systems.
The uniformed officers add:
Implementing the tactical plan of the officer directing the rescue operation, firefighters applied extinguishing streams in an attack on the burning heathland and defensively to protect pine forests. Water supplies were organized using underground and open water reservoirs belonging to the Bolesławiec Forest District.
To improve the effectiveness of the operation, water was also dropped on the fire from a Dromader aircraft, normally stationed at the airport in Lubin.
Then, taking into account the fire’s rapid development, which threatened an area of 200 hectares, additional platoons from the Provincial Operational Reserve were dispatched to the exercise site through the Command Post of the Wrocław Provincial PSP Headquarters. They consisted of PSP and OSP crews from Lubań and Zgorzelec counties.
An additional difficulty planned by the exercise organizers was the presence of simulated unexploded ordnance in the fire area, which was to be removed by the sapper patrol. During an attempt to secure the dangerous material, one patrol soldier was injured in an explosion. Evacuation and first aid for the injured man were provided by members of the OSP Warta Bolesławiecka unit.
The County PSP Commander in Bolesławiec, Brigadier Andrzej Śliwowski, thanked the participants for their commitment and noted that as many as 10 forest districts operate in Bolesławiec County. In the event of very large fires, it may be necessary to deploy additional forces and resources from across the entire Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
The entire exercise was observed by a team from the Wrocław Provincial PSP Headquarters, led by Brigadier Marek Hajduk. Its task was to assess the readiness of rescue forces from Bolesławiec, Lubań and Zgorzelec counties to fight forest fires.