Fire of car wrecks and cylinders in Kladno

On Thursday, April 27, 2023, a fire at the premises of KOVOŠROT GROUP CZ, s. r. o., in Kladno, was reported to the emergency line 112 of the Fire Rescue Service of the Central Bohemian region. A unit from Kladno station was dispatched to the scene of the incident, the fire started in the middle of the areas of stored wrecks at a height of 10m. It quickly spread to the bottom of the pile and produced a high amount of toxic combustion products and radiant heat. About 5 000 tons of car wrecks were stored at the site. A special level of fire alarm was gradually declared. The total damage caused by the fire was CZK 36 million, the saved values amounted to CZK 250 million.

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Exercise CZECH MODEX 2023

Last year in October, the three-day international exercise CZECH MODEX 2023 took place in the Moravian-Silesian region within the framework of the Union´s Civil Protection Mechanism with the participation of international modules whose activities are connected with floods and are focused on high-capacity pumping. The aim was mainly to train cooperation and exchange experience during practical activities, but also to test procedures for crossing the borders, coordination of activities in the international coordination staff on site and cooperation with local authorities in the Moravian-Silesian region. A total of five high-capacity pumping modules from Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Poland, Sweden and a special extreme high-capacity pumping module from the Netherlands participated in this exercise.

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A conference on cooperation that crosses borders

On October 4 and 5, 2023, the final conference of the project "Joint solution to crisis management and cooperation of security forces during the refugee wave of persons from Ukraine to the Czech-Polish border" which is implemented as part of the Interreg V-A Czech Republic - Poland programme, took place in Jeseník. The conference was attended by 120 representatives of project partners and cooperating entities, mainly Czech and Polish fire services and other relevant institutions. The goal of the project is to create a systemic and institutionally sustainable tool for effective cross-border cooperation of public administration institutions.

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Virtual reality as part of preventive educational activity

The Fire Rescue Service of the South Bohemian region and Moravian-Silesian region uses a three-dimensional educational environment as part of preventive educational activities. Its involvement in the preparation of the population is primarily aimed at older pupils and students, but it can also reach other hard-to-reach population groups, especially adults. The FRS of the Moravian-Silesian region has been working for several years on the creation of educational programmes in the upcoming Health and Safety Center called Safety City. At České Budějovice fire station, they purchased HTC Vive Pro glasses with financial support, thanks to which they can use the created virtual game "Escape 112". The required level of preparedness of all residents can be better achieved through experiential education, where it is possible to safely experience dangerous situations.

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Fire in the production hall in Žebrák
In August 14, 2023, at 10:55 a.m., a fire in the production hall of the NOVARES company in Žebrák, Beroun district, was reported to the regional Operational and Information Center of the Fire Rescue Service of the Central Bohemian Region. The event was reported as "plastic parts warehouse fire, 700 to 1,500 m2, 200 people inside, black smoke". The intervention was complicated by the placement of a cylinder with a volume of 10,500 l of nitrogen and two silos with a supply of plastic granulate. After about an hour, a special level of fire alarm was announced. Part of the D5 highway was closed in the section between 34 and 41 km, production was interrupted and the premises of the hall were evacuated. Damage was preliminarily estimated at CZK 1.5 billion.
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RadTech International Workshop 2023
In May 17 and 18, 2023, the RadTech 2023 international workshop took place at the airport in Vyškov and at the University of Defence. Its goal was to present the current state-of-the-art possibilities for monitoring the radiation situation and at the same time show the equipment and readiness of the integrated rescue system for this type of emergency.
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When firefighters encounter violence
Emergencies, in which fire protection units participate, are often characterized by a high degree of burden and strain for the affected persons and the intervening bodies of the integrated rescue system. In the course of their work, firefighters encounter people who, due to a strong stress reaction, may show borderline behaviour, including aggressive and violent reactions. Likewise, firefighters may meet individuals who are influenced by mob behaviour or are involved in criminal activity. The one-day training of the post-traumatic care team of the Fire Rescue Service of Zlín Region, focused on the topic of managing interventions in which there is a risk of violent behaviour by the affected persons, took place in November 2023.
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Camp school with firefighters for seniors
From the point of view of professional firefighters, senior citizens are among the population groups at risk. That is why every opportunity to give them a lecture or a practical demonstration is welcomed - whether everything takes place in homes for seniors, in retirement clubs, or at a camp school for seniors. The organization of one of the camp school was sponsored by the Regional Council of Senior Citizens of Olomouc Region. It is a one-week stay for seniors in a non-traditional environment with the aim of maintaining active old age as long as possible, regardless of age. In the versatile program, there was also room for a lecture on Safe Household, or how to prevent fires.
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Fire in the batteries of the photovoltaic power plant near Frýdek-Místek

On Tuesday, August 29, 2023, a fire in a family house in Lhotka near Frýdek-Místek was reported to the emergency line. During the intervention, the battery of the photovoltaic power plant exploded. The fire units disconnected the electricity supply from the photovoltaic panels to the house in the technical room, as well as the external supply and extinguished the fire in the cabinet with a powder fire extinguisher. The intervention commander requested a technical vehicle with the CCS Cobra device, which, after a brief introduction at the intervention site, was immediately deployed to cut through and flood the batteries. The use of this device in an intervention showed that with its help the fire units are able to get fire-fighting water inside the accumulators and pass through their container without any problems. At the same time, such a procedure proved to be very effective.

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Helmet divers checked on the final dive

In the fall of last year, eight firefighter-divers completed the "Diver and helmet diving operator" course, who improved both theoretical knowledge and practical skills as part of self-education. The final dive in backwater in the premises of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ostrava was preceded by several days of practice dives in the Šumbark indoor pool in Havířov. The conditions of diving in clean water were gradually made more difficult for divers, e.g. by sealing the visor of the helmet, and the resulting loss of visual perception.

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Implementation of cross-border cooperation for solving floods in the Western Balkan countries

Members of the Fire Rescue Service of the Moravian-Silesian region organized several workshops, the aim of which was to create methods and procedures for managing flood risks within the framework of cross-border cooperation on rivers flowing through the territory of the Western Balkans. The key point was sharing of experiences, identification of shortcomings and finding good practice in the field of cross-border cooperation on watercourses at the national, regional and local level.

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Two years of conflict in Ukraine from the point of view of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism

In February, two years have passed since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. This unprecedented act of war, taking place on the European continent, has become commonplace for us in two years and we already perceive it as a common reality. Most of the countries in the world and international organizations still support Ukraine, not only morally and militarily, but especially in terms of the delivery of humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, the huge wave of solidarity that started at the beginning of the conflict and was unprecedented in modern history has subsided. Currently, the support provided through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism is steadily decreasing.

The fire at the sleeper dump in Tisová near Sokolov
The biggest fire in the last thirty years in the Karlovy Vary region broke out on Friday, August 25, 2023 in the evening. The fire started inside a closed area with a dump of railway sleepers and other flammable materials, such as tires. After the arrival of the fire units, two work machines were already fully affected by the fire and the fire was fully developed. A huge column of black smoke rose from the dump. Firefighting units from several regions, helicopters for aerial firefighting and special equipment of the Rescue Unit of the FRS of the Czech Republic intervened during the liquidation. A mobile chemical laboratory was also called in for air monitoring. According to the conclusions of the investigators and the owner, the damage caused by the fire is almost 50 million CZK.
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Air accident at Air Show Roudnice nad Labem Air Show – tactical exercise
At the end of September last year, the airport in Roudnice nad Labem was the scene of the largest tactical exercise of the integrated rescue system bodies in the district of Litoměřice in the last few years. The subject was the fall of a small sports plane into an area with a large number of spectators during the traditional Memorial Air Show event. The goal was a realistic exercise of coordination of all intervening units during a joint intervention in the emergency - a plane crash with a subsequent fire and a large number of injured persons at the site of the intervention.
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The Institute's international activities contribute to strengthening the Czech Republic's strategic goals in Africa
Population Protection Institute regularly conducts chemical safety training in the East African region. The year 2023 has become a milestone for pan-African chemical security. A large-scale "CHEMEX Africa" exercise was organized for the entire African continent and training courses were handed over to the newly formed East African Instructor Team.
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Emergencies at the level of the European Union
At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, several European countries faced devastating floods. The northwestern part of the European continent was particularly affected. The situation was worst in Germany and France. Both of these countries activated the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and requested flood relief equipment and teams to assist them manage the situation. The Czech Republic also responded to France's request and deployed a team to the Canton de Calais, Hames-Boucres and Les Attaques regions in January.
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A forest fire in Jetětice in Písek district

The response to the forest fire in Jetětice in Písek district in July last year was quite exceptional in terms of its scope, climatic conditions, rugged terrain and the number of  and intervention equipment. It was very demanding both physically and psychologically for the firefighters who intervened. The summer temperatures were high and the wind was blowing strong. The fire spread to an area of about 40 hectares. The combination of continuous ground and aerial firefighting clearly contributed to preventing the further spread of the fire. The fire was brought under control after less than 20 hours. The damage caused by the fire was preliminarily estimated at 10 million CZK.

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Joint training of German and Czech firefighters in the border area of the Karlovy Vary region

In March this year, several joint training sessions of German and Czech firefighters took place in the border town of Waldsassen in the Federal Republic of Germany. The training took place on a mobile fire simulator that simulated a fire in a burning product pipeline and on a simulator designed for extinguishing fires with portable fire extinguishers. Firefighters could thus get closer to a real intervention conditions during training. The goal of the joint training was to get to know and subsequently understand the different tactics of leading an intervention in the same type of emergency.

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Special backpack for firefighters-sawyers

Members of the Fire Rescue Brigade of Hradec Králové region came up with the idea for the production of a new technical device for firefighters specializing in operating chainsaws. They were led to this mainly by the experience gained during the liquidation of the fire in the territory of the Behemian Switzerland National Park in 2022 and during technical accidents. The result is a backpack made of durable material, which is designed for intervention in inaccessible terrain, and which allows you to carry all the necessary technical and personal equipment. The purchased ten pieces will be tested both during courses and during special interventions.

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Twenty years of membership of the Czech Republic in the European Union in the field of civil protection

On Saturday, May 1, 2004, the Czech Republic became a member of the European Union. This membership for 20 years now entails not only obligations, but also benefits, including the possibility of drawing financial resources. During this time, it has already headed the Council of the European Union twice and was thus able to influence the topics discussed in the Council of the European Union. The Czech Republic also participated in the approval of key legislative standards affecting civil protection and critical infrastructure protection at the European level. The topic of our first CZ PRES was "Raising the awareness of EU citizens in the event of emergency situations” and in 2022 the current issue was "Prevention, preparedness and response to long-lasting emergencies".

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Fire at an agricultural building in Prasek
The intervention during a fire at an agricultural building in the village of Prasek in the district of Hradec Králové lasted seven days from the announcement of the alarm until its liquidation. The emergency was reported to the emergency line shortly after 1:00 p.m. on November 7, 2023, when flames reached part of the building with a large amount of stored straw. About 80 bulls were stabled in the adjacent part of the building. The liquidation of the fire was announced in the morning hours of November 14, 2023. At the same time, the intervention site was handed over to the owner of the agricultural building, all the straw was taken outside the building and left to burn under the supervision of the owner, who had a fire tank available on site.
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Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
In June 2024, Belgium's six-month presidency ends. This brought in particular the intensification of discussions on the future of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and the Emergency Response Coordination Centre as part of it. The priority of the Belgian Presidency was the architecture of risk management in the European Union. This includes striving for greater intersectoral cooperation, developing a society-wide approach and exploring deeper cooperation of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism with the private sector and other civil protection actors. A presidential seminar on this topic was held in Antwerp at the beginning of January with the participation of more than 80 delegates from most of the member and participating states of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Other important events during the Belgian Presidency were the two meetings of the Directors General of Civil Protection held in Brussels in February and April this year.
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„Jamboree 2023" – presentation of the activities of the IRS bodies at the largest scouts meeting in the Czech Republic since 1931
The motto that applies to Scouts all over the world is: "Be prepared!" And this is very close to the hearts of firefighters and members of the integrated rescue system. This was also the reason why the Fire Rescue Brigade of Hradec Králové Region joined the National Scout Jamboree project. The goal of the event was to have a preventive effect on a specific age group and present the activities of the individual bodies of the integrated rescue system in an entertaining way.
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Modernization of the School and Training Unit of the FRS CR in Brno
In the course of 2023, a new training area was put into operation at the School and Training Unit of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic in Brno. The main objective of this project was to modernize the existing facility in order to create conditions for acquiring expertise and training skills for solving real situations. It was co-financed from European structural and investment funds, specifically from the Integrated Regional Operational Program for the period 2014-2020, and was prepared and implemented in the period 2017–2023.
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