PRINCIPLES FOR ORGANISING EMERGENCY COMMAND STRUCTURES

Proactive responding to emerging emergencies by effectively intervening and combating hazardous
incidents, which by their nature are qualified for elimination by fire protection units (FPUs), place
the area of fire protection within the framework of state security structures.
In order to ensure the expected level of efficiency, the state security system makes use of structures
and implementation systems that bring together entities carrying out a variety of tasks, in such
a way enabling them to function efficiently in their respective fields. One of the most significant
elements of the state security structure of this type is the National Firefighting and Rescue System
(NFRS). It performs its tasks by carrying out hazard analyses, preventive safeguarding and
combating the immediate threats identified in the area by taking up rescue operations. The NFRS,
as a system, has been evolving since its inception, both in terms of its structural shape and the tasks
it is carrying out. Therefore, the subject of this paper is to consider the evolutionary changes it has
undergone, actively adapting to the changing hazard map and improving the model for organising
rescue operations. The authors focus on the fact that the levels of rescue action leadership defined
in the regulation [6] are interpreted in a variety of ways, and also point out the importance of the
function of a commander of a rescue operation (CRO) in the organisation of a rescue or other
emergency operation.

