Methodology of Threat Assessment of Municipalities and Districts

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the article is to discuss theoretical and practical aspects of the emergence and use of the method of assessment of threat occurring in areas of particular municipalities and districts in the activities of organizational units of the State Fire Service. One of the reasons for returning to this topic is the modification of the method finalized last year, in order to include within it another factor of fire danger, which are non-forest terrestrial eco- systems. Moreover, updates in this area have been made to allow those who have not previously had the opportunity to learn about the subject matter. Introduction: Last year, a new regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration of 17 September 2021 on the detailed organization of the national rescue and firefighting system (Polish Journal of Laws: Dz.U. 2021 poz. 1737) came into force. In relation to the content of the previously existing regulation, it has changed the methodology on how to assess the risks that may occur on the area of the district and the province, in which the analysis is subject to risk factors occurring respectively in the areas of individual municipalities, making their subsequent aggregation at the level of the districts. Taking into account the fact that it has been ten years since the original inclusion of this tool in the regulations on the functioning of the national rescue and firefighting system (KSRG), it is considered a good moment to share with the readers some of the author’s reflections on both theoretical and practical aspects of its creation and application in the activities of organizational units of the State Fire Service. Methodology: The paper uses the results of the author’s own work in creating the aforementioned hazard assessment method, based on the theoretical foundation of hazard analysis and risk assessment. Fire experience was also used, including data analysis of incidents that occurred. Conclusions: As a result of the carried out work, a method of assessment of hazards occurring in individual municipalities and districts was created, implemented in 2011, used for the preparation and annual update of district and provincial rescue plans. In practice, its results are directly applicable in the process of determining standards of additional equipment for district and city fire stations of the State Fire Service, requirements for the organization of specialized rescue groups and methodology of building a plan for the network of volunteer fire departments to be included in the national and rescue firefighting system. Ten years of using this method and its recent extension with a new risk factor are the reasons to formulate the thesis that it has been positively verified in terms of practical usefulness of its results. There is also a possibility of its further improvement, e.g. in the context of introducing additional tools that could increase the quality of the obtained results, e.g. enabling its stronger connection with currently available geospatial databases. Keywords: threat assessment, threat levels, national rescue and firefighting system, State Fire Service Type of article: review article