The experiences of recent years show how important the role of women and men village heads is in hazardous situations. During the floods that affected Poland’s south-western provinces in 2024, they were the first organizers and coordinators of aid for residents in many communities: they organized evacuations, often using private equipment, and handled the distribution of donations because they knew the local community best and knew who needed what kind of support. This knowledge is invaluable, as not everyone in need had the courage to ask for help openly. In turn, when communication with municipal offices was difficult, village heads acted as intermediaries and local coordinators.
– Women and men village heads cannot replace efficiently operating emergency services. Nor can they take on the tasks of managing and coordinating crisis-response activities – says Dawid Sześciło. – However, they are an invaluable asset in hazardous situations and an essential element of the entire architecture of social resilience. They can relieve public institutions conducting rescue operations while also ensuring that aid reaches people faster and is better tailored to local needs – Sześciło adds.
The great absentees in the legislation
The 2024 Civil Protection and Civil Defence Act was intended to respond to new challenges related to state security – from natural disasters to military and hybrid threats. It introduces a broad catalogue of tasks for public administration and provides for cooperation with various institutions, the private sector and social organizations.
However, it fails to recognize the role of village councils to a sufficient degree. In practice, it mentions them only in the context of participation in training and educational activities. It does not, however, recognize them as entities within the civil protection system and provides no formal role for them in planning or coordinating activities in hazardous situations.
A similar problem also occurs in the Crisis Management Act. It does not provide for the participation of women and men village heads in municipal crisis management teams, which are the primary mechanism for coordinating local activities in emergency situations.
The potential of village councils – what can be done today
Although legislative changes would be the most comprehensive solution, many measures strengthening the role of village councils can be undertaken now. Dawid Sześciło proposes that municipal authorities:
- include women and men village heads in municipal crisis management teams, since the applicable regulations allow village heads and mayors to largely determine the composition of these teams independently;
- include civil protection tasks in village council statutes, such as participation in training and exercises, information activities aimed at residents, assistance in evacuation planning, or co-management of local infrastructure and supplies in the event of a crisis;
- entrust village councils with managing elements of local crisis infrastructure, such as storage rooms intended for equipment and supplies or temporary shelters for residents;
- fund activities that increase the resilience of local communities, such as training for residents, purchasing rescue equipment or creating local emergency warehouses.
Systemic changes are also needed
The most important thing, however, is the formal recognition of auxiliary units of municipalities – above all, village councils – as an element of the civil protection system. This would make it possible to assign them specific tasks and include them in the activity coordination system. Such a solution could also improve the flow of information between public institutions and local communities.
However, introducing these changes requires decisions at the systemic level.
It is worth advocating for them – if only in the context of Village Head Day, observed on 11 March, which provides an opportunity to recall the role of local women and men leaders in community life and residents’ safety.