Firefighters Summarized the Past Year. More False Alarms

As we read on the website of the State Fire Service County Headquarters in Bolesławiec:

Despite unfavorable weather conditions—with long periods without precipitation—the number of fires in the county fell from 599 in 2018 to 498 in 2019.

Of the 790 interventions in 2019 involving so-called local hazards, rescue operations were most often carried out at transport facilities—229 cases—and in residential buildings—218 cases.

The number of false alarms increased from 77 to 100, caused, among other things, by the construction of new buildings covered by fire monitoring systems in industrial areas.

The development of civilization also contributed to the increase in false reports: unconfirmed alarms were generated by vehicle emergency notification systems, the so-called e-call, as well as by reports following the faulty activation of carbon monoxide detectors in residential buildings.

Fires most often occurred in the “other facilities” category, which includes, among others:

• freestanding waste containers—28 fires
• lawns and grass in non-agricultural areas—140 fires.

Unfortunately, there were also 119 fires in residential buildings, most of them in detached or semi-detached houses, where improper use of heating equipment was often the suspected cause.

There were also 44 vehicle fires and 47 fires in forest areas. Arson was identified as the suspected cause in 96 cases (fires in wasteland areas).

In addition to the State Fire Service Rescue and Firefighting Unit in Bolesławiec, rescue intervention duties in the protected area of Bolesławiec County were also carried out by 9 volunteer fire service units included in the National Rescue and Firefighting System, as well as 15 OSP units outside the system.

Additionally, crews from the Military Fire Service in Świętoszów were also dispatched; under an agreement, it was incorporated into the National Rescue and Firefighting System in June 2019.

JRG crews in Bolesławiec responded within the county to 406 fires and 679 local hazards, and also attended 89 false alarms. In addition, JRG forces were dispatched 54 times to incidents outside Bolesławiec County. OSP units assisted neighboring counties in 21 rescue operations.

Summary of OSP units’ participation in rescue and firefighting operations in 2019: