It’s on fire, my lady. Everything you want to know about the work of the OSP

How long does the action last?

“If there are casualties, it’s a few hours. We are waiting for the police, for the prosecutor. We secure the scene.

The most tragic event of recent years?

– An accident in Stawek, in the commune of Spiczyn. The bus collided with a delivery truck. Four people died on the spot. This is not our territory, but we went to help. We evacuated people, provided first aid, secured the scene. This accident will stay in our memory for a long time.

What else remains in memory?

– Drownings. The victims are often very young people. A carefree holiday by the lake ends in tragedy. We also have children, we identify with the relatives of the victims. These are unspeakable dramas. A jump into the water ends in death or irreversible disability.

How is the TSO unit in Ludwin prepared for such events?

– Previously, we only went as additional help, and from 2021 we have a water and diving group. There are 10 divers from our unit with the appropriate qualifications. We have appropriate diving equipment, equipment, a car given to us by the Provincial Police Commander in Lublin.

Did you initiate the creation of this group?

– Yes, it was a natural need resulting from the specificity of the place where we operate. We have a lot of events related to water accidents in the summer in the Lake District. When we were going to such an action, without the appropriate permissions or equipment, there was little we could do. And yet we are the closest, so it seemed obvious that we should organize ourselves in a professional manner. It worked. This – unfortunately, because each such event is someone’s personal tragedy – turned out to be very necessary.

Let’s stay on the topic of young people, but in a completely different context. I see that you focus on young people.

– Definitely yes. Youth Fire Brigade at OSP Ludwin was established in 2018. Today it counts 46 people and this is our great strength!

Where did these firefighter kids come from anyway?

– Volunteer firemen brought their children to classes, and they were bitten by the bug. Well, every boy in his childhood wanted to be a fireman? Are girls no less than boys? Once every two weeks, on Fridays, we have training for them. We conduct classes in medical rescue, children learn first aid on phantoms. It turns out that children and teenagers are very engaged and diligent students. They want to learn, explore the subject, they want to help effectively. This is a natural need that they learned from their family home, from observing their parents’ lifestyle and their commitment. I can tell they have it imprinted in their DNA. And it’s not about these young people becoming professional firefighters, it’s about being there

is the best school of life, preparation for the most difficult situations. It toughens character, sets values ​​and educates in a natural way.

How old are the members of the “youth group”?

We have children as young as five and six years old. The entire age range up to the age of eighteen, because then they join the ranks of volunteer firefighters. My son Konrad is also in this group.

And in the adult team there are also women.

– The Women’s Fire Team was established in 2020 as a natural response to the Youth Fire Team. Mothers brought their children to classes and also caught the bug. The first one was Ania Jóźwicka, who brought her son to training and she liked it so much that she stayed with us. After Ania, more girls joined, in 2022 my wife Monika joined with eleven other ladies. Today, after a specialist course that entitles you to go on actions, we have eight women and four supporters. 12 girls in total.

do they work?

– Excellent. They are strong physically and mentally, have excellent concentration and determination. They are fast, disciplined and very ambitious. In addition, they introduce such a specific, warm atmosphere. This is important, especially where people are injured. They also care for young people. To be honest, they are the perfect complement to the men’s team. They work well in actions, they can also “put out the fire” also in this figurative sense. They relieve tension and stress. They also have a different perspective on some situations, which helps in the analysis of the actions carried out.

Do you get paid for participating in shares?

We get an allowance for every trip. We in our unit do not take this money for ourselves, but we pay it to the common treasury. The collected funds are spent on our activities: equipment, training, trips. We bought two phantoms: one for a child, the other for an adult. Now, once again, we are organizing a survival camp for teenagers.

It can be said that you work pro-bono.

– You know, when the war broke out in Ukraine, we used our cars to transport Ukrainians from two border crossings. We distributed them all over the Lublin Voivodeship. We have transported over two thousand people. Those families who stayed in Ludwin were looked after by our girls from the Volunteer Fire Department. For us, this helping is normal, it’s part of our everyday life, a way of life. In fact, we can only talk about the benefits. There is physical activity, continuous learning, improvement in one’s profession, development. Our whole families are involved in the activities of the OSP, we train together, we spend our free time together, we go on actions together, then we talk about it.

We’re all up to our ears in this!

And this is concrete, very real help in critical situations. Whoever tries it once, sees how people’s lives are saved, stays in it. There is no other option.