SYSTEMIC CIVIL PROTECTION IN CONDITIONS OF LIMITED RESOURCES OF FIRE BRIGADE UNITS IN POLAND IN THE EVENT OF A PANDEMIC. EXAMPLE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN POLAND

Abstract

Ensuring an adequate level of security should be the responsibility of every civilised developedcountry. The overall functioning of the civil protection system depends on the efficiency of thedecision-making entities, which are entities of the public administration at various levels andthe executive entities such as fire protection units, the Police, the Armed Forces, the MedicalRescue System, etc. Each of the aforementioned institutions and organisations has at itsdisposal the resources that are necessary to maintain organisational capacity and to maintaincontinuity of operations. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on society, as wellas on administrative entities, organisations and institutions. Its impact created a very high riskof adverse effects that affected organisational resources. The aim of this article is to determinehow to systemically ensure the civil protection under conditions of limited institutional resourcesin the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fire protection units, more specifically organisationalunits of the State Fire Service and volunteer fire services, were taken as an analytical basis. It wasinvestigated by means of empirical research, quantitative and qualitative research methods onhow the COVID-19 pandemic affected the resources of these fire protection units, in particular:human, financial, information and material resources. The results of the research were analysedand used to define guidelines and a system model of providing civil protection in conditions oflimited resources of fire protection units in Poland in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.