Over 1,500 interventions, over 300 fires, 17 fatalities

Over 1,500 interventions, over 300 fires, 17 fatalities Officers from the County Headquarters of the State Fire Service summed up the past year.

As reported by Komenda Powiatowa PSP w Bolesławcu:

Fire protection units in Bolesławiec County responded to 1,556 incidents in 2021, including:

• local hazards 1,102 (71% of incidents)
• fires 339 (22% of incidents)
• false alarms 115 (7% of incidents).

Firefighters explain:

Of the 1,102 interventions involving so-called local hazards in 2021, rescue operations were most often carried out—476 times—at other sites, such as fallen trees, oil-product spills or in assistance to other services; in 158 cases, they involved means of transport, and in 344 cases, residential buildings.

More fatalities

In 2021, 17 fatalities were recorded during operations, including 1 in fires. Officers said: “When analysing the past year, it should be noted that the number of fatalities increased compared with 2020, when 12 fatalities were recorded.”

What caught fire most often?

Fires most often occurred in group 119, “other objects,” which included, among others:

• freestanding rubbish bins—11 fires,
• grass in non-agricultural areas—46 fires
• 51 fires involving other unusual objects.

Unfortunately, there were also 118 fires in residential buildings, most of them in detached or semi-detached buildings, where the probable cause was often improper use of heating appliances.

There were also 37 fires involving means of transport, 11 fires in forested areas and 36 in agricultural areas, including fires involving agricultural machinery and livestock buildings.

More false alarms

The number of false alarms increased from 86 to 115 compared with the previous year. Firefighters said: “The largest number—80 false alarms—was classified as ‘in good faith.’ Calls to alarms from buildings connected to fire monitoring systems accounted for 27 incidents, while only 8 interventions concerned so-called malicious alarms.”

The fight against COVID-19

Firefighters from Bolesławiec County were also involved in fighting the pandemic. Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic, State Fire Service and Volunteer Fire Service firefighters have worked with other emergency services to limit the effects of the pandemic, including by distributing disinfectants and protective masks, delivering medicines and food to those most at risk and in need, and helping older people reach vaccination centres.

In addition to the PSP Rescue and Firefighting Unit in Bolesławiec, 9 volunteer fire service units included in the National Rescue and Firefighting System and 15 VFS units outside the system also carried out rescue intervention tasks within the protected area of Bolesławiec County.

How many interventions—and of what kind—did the individual fire service units attend?