That was the year 2019
New Year's interview with Lt-Gen Drahoslav Ryba, General Director of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (FRS CR), who looks back to 2019 from the perspective of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. Among other things, the interview deals with successes and current problems and changes in the FRS CR.
P. 4

Fire of cars in underground garage of apartment building
Analysis of the fire intervention in the South Moravian Region. On Thursday 27th June 2019 at 10.33 pm, a dense black smoke rising from the roof of a high-rise building in Sentická Street, Brno-Žebětín was reported to the Operational and Information Centre of the Fire Rescue Service of the South Moravian Region.
P. 7

Fire of storage hall with used batteries
A fire of the building on the farm was reported to Operational and Information Centre of the Central Bohemia FRS with information that used batteries are stored in one of the halls, which are on fire.
P. 10

Fire test of compressed natural gas bus
Compressed natural gas is an alternative fuel to conventional diesel or petrol propulsion systems in both passenger and public transportation. The carried out test shows that the dynamics of the gas outflow and thus the threat to the environment by escaping gas strongly depends on the design of a fuel system, its installation, position and type of thermal fuse.
P. 18

Flood 2019 Tactical Exercise
Analysis of the Flood 2019 Tactical Exercise of the Integrated Rescue System  (IRS) bodies, which was based on large floods in the territory of the fictitious Jesenice Region. The MoI-General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic requested a rescue detachment of the Karlovy Vary Region FRS, focusing on rescue work during floods, requiring technical and personnel self-sufficiency to cover the tasks of fire units in the assigned territory within two days.
P. 24

Donate life or Heroes sometimes need help, either
The article about the joint six-month campaign of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic and the Czech Register of Hematopoietic Cell Donors to support the recruitment of donors to the Hematopoietic Cell Registry.
P. 30

ČEPS awarded medals of merit to members of the Czech Fire Rescue Service
On Wednesday 4th December 2019 the "For Merit in Security of the Transmission System" medals were officially handed over to members of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic in the Míčovna Hall of the Prague Castle.
P. 31

In 2019 firefighters dealt with the safety of electric cars and escape games
The traditional Balance Press Conference of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic for 2019 took place in the seat of MoI-DG FRS CR in Prague on 7 January 2020. The chief fire officers evaluated activities of FRS CR in the past year and informed Czech media representatives.
 P. 4

Accident of a cargo train with limestone
By a direct witness of the accident calling on the 112 emergency line, the intervention at the biggest railway accident in the history of the independent Karlovy Vary Region began at 16.42 on Sunday 28 July 2019. The freight train with limestone cargo derailed, and the important railway line was interrupted for a number of weeks, but the incident did without injury.
 P. 6

Extrication a person from the well
On Saturday 3 August 2019 at 12.26, the Operational and Information Centre of the Fire Rescue Service of the South Moravian Region received a declaration of a person trapped in a well of a house in Velké Pavlovice. The incident was reported by the mother of an overwhelmed person, according to the initial information, her adult son has fallen down into a well ten meters deep.
 P. 12

Are bio-fireplaces safe?
In recent years, the offer of modern home decoration - biofuel fireplaces (bio-fireplaces) on market has expanded. Their higher sale and use was initially prevented by a higher price, but this is no longer the case. Bio-fireplaces manufactured by various manufacturers are also supplied by many e-shops, and often imported from abroad.
 P. 18

Ethical dimension of crisis intervention
Does thinking about good and evil belong to our daily lives? Or is ethics only a discipline detached from the reality of life, which belongs to professional books? That was a topic of the 18^th International Crisis Intervention Days conference, held from 27 to 28 September 2019 and organized by the Austrian Red Cross and the University of Innsbruck.
P. 19

Material humanitarian aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina
The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has asked the Czech Republic for help in coping with another wave of refugee migration. Mr. Jan Hamáček, the Minister of the Interior, has therefore authorized the Ministry of Interior-General Directorate of Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic to organize humanitarian aid to this Balkan country.
 P. 22

Evacuation of specialized medical facility
On Tuesday 28 May 2019 at 7 pm, a tactical exercise focused on building evacuation began in the B. Braun Avitum pavilion at the Bulovka Hospital in Prague. The theme of the exercise was a simulated fire caused by failure of a kettle in the kitchen on the third floor of the Dialysis Center.
P. 24

New Japanese protective mask on the Czech market
In 2017 the Japanese protective mask Shigematsu GXo2 appeared on the Czech market. It was launched by the Czech company CleanAir Jablonec nad Nisou, which closely cooperates with the Shigematsu Company and supplies filter-ventilation units to protective masks.
 P. 26

Results of Finnish Presidency and objectives of the current Croatian Presidency in the field of civil protection.
This article focuses on the results achieved by EU in the field of civil protection during the Finnish Presidency of the EU Council. This period was very diverse from the point of view of solved issues, although some of them touched the Czech Republic only marginally. Furthermore, the text addresses the priorities of the Croatian Presidency and the objectives set by the EU in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
P. 2

Inauguration of the new fire station in Milovice
On Tuesday 11 February 2020, when double number one and number two met in number 112, the Central Bohemian firefighters officially opened their new fire station in Milovice, Nymburk district.   
P. 9

Fire of municipal waste in incinerator
On Thursday 19 September 2019 at 03.37 am, a fire in the mixed municipal waste storage bunker of the Termizo Company Liberec was reported on the the Operational and Information Centre of the Fire Rescue Service of the Liberec Region. Based on this information, three fire units were immediately sent to the scene of the event.
P. 10

Population Protection 2020 and Health Rescue
The 19^th international conference Population Protection 2020 and Health Rescue took place in the premises of VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava from 5 to 6 February 2020.  
 P. 16

AML technology accelerates the assistance from emergency lines in the Czech Republic
During the 112 European Day of 11 February 2020, the Czech Republic announced its preparedness for the sharp launch of “refined location of an emergency call using AML (Advanced Mobile Location) technology”, which will be available to all IRS bodies not only within the Single European Emergency Number 112, but also to other national emergency numbers 150, 155, and 158.  
P. 18

Dog handlers of FRS CR came to the Giant Mountains
From 13 to 16 January 2020 the winter part of dog handlers´ of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic training took place at Vosecká Bouda in the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše). This part of training was organized by handlers of the Liberec Region FRS with the support of the Liberec Region FRS Directorate.
P. 20

Solution of decontamination in the South Moravian Region in connection with nuclear installation
In October last year, training of the Integrated Rescue System (IRS) bodies took place at the Masaryk Circuit in Brno. The aim of this training was to verify the suitability of the selected site (parking lot at the Masaryk Circuit Brno) for the control of contamination of persons and equipment and subsequent decontamination in the event of a radiation accident at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant.
P. 24

Storage and Repair Facility of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic in 2019
The SRF FRS CR, Storage and Repair Facility is a special purpose facility under the MI, General Directorate of the FRS CR. It provides specified repair, service and inspection activities and storage of certain material for the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (FRS CR), and performs state administration in the field of ionizing radiation metrology.  
P. 27

Material humanitarian aid to Greece

In early March this year, the Greek Government asked through the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) for the activation of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and subsequent assistance in managing another wave of refugee migration. The list of required commodities included mainly material assistance related to accommodation of a large number of persons in refugee camps.
P. 2

Explosion and subsequent fire of apartment building

An explosion and subsequent fire occurred on Thursday 3^rd October 2019 shortly after 4 am in one of the three interconnected three-storey apartment buildings in the Lenora municipality of Prachatice district, South Bohemia. The cause of the explosion and subsequent fire is still under investigation of the Police of the Czech Republic.
P. 4

Firefighters took over two special fire engines

Ceremonial handover and presentation of two newly acquired fire engines was held in the premises of the Rescue Unit of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic in Hlučín, Silesia on Tuesday 19^th February 2020. Both fire trucks can be considered special due to their parameters and properties.
P. 7

Certification in Technical Institute of Fire Protection in 2019

The Technical Institute of Fire Protection is one of the leading bodies for certification of products related to fire protection. Certification is a way to prove that a product has certain features that a customer / user requires and expects. The certification is based on the assessment of conformity with given requirements and regulations.
P. 10

Do we know coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses infect most of higher animal species and many their species have been described to date. They primarily attack the respiratory, but also the digestive tract. Compared to influenza, which was already recorded in ancient times, the first information about coronaviruses comes from 1937, when the originator of acute chicken disease was discovered, and called the virus of bird infectious bronchitis. In 1946, a virus of transmissible swine gastroenteritis was discovered, and a mouse hepatitis virus in 1949.
P. 22

Exercise with establishing of Assistance Centre (ACP)

The assistance centre is a relatively new concept in the field of emergency management. It is based on the need to help family members find their relatives who were involved in an emergency with a large number of people affected. The need to establish an ACP is also based on experience in dealing with emergencies both, in the Czech Republic and abroad. In many cases was necessary not only to communicate with a large number of people who were affected in some way, but also to provide them with desirable background and assistance.
P. 24

African swine fever in the Zlín Region

African swine fever (AMP, Pestis Africana Suum in Latin) is a highly contagious viral disease of wild and domestic pigs of all breeds and ages. Also other species of the porcine family are susceptible. This virus is not transmissible to humans, but no treatment or vaccine exists. These facts considerably complicate possibilities of prevention against this dangerous infection.
P. 26

Second International CBRN Congress in Ankara

The new technical term of the so-called New Threats of Terrorism appears in last fifteen years, in greater detail called CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism). The second international congress devoted to these risks with subtitle „Redefining CBRN Risks in the New Era” was held in Ankara from 27^th to 29^th November 2019
. P. 28

Mass accident with subsequent fire closed D1 motorway

On Sunday 13 October 2019, information about a traffic accident and fire of several vehicles on the D1 motorway in the area of ​​the Psáře junction, the 49^th kilometre in direction from Prague to Brno, was announced to the emergency line of the Fire Rescue Service of the Central Bohemian Region. Upon arrival at the site of the intervention, the survey revealed that there was a crash of a tractor with a tanker and five passenger cars with subsequent fire.
P. 4

Special fire engines for Rescue Unit

Two special fire engines were delivered to the Rescue Unit of the FRS CR at the end of 2019, and on Tuesday 18 February 2020 ceremonially handed over and presented to the management of the FRS CR with participation of Mr. Jan Hamáček, Minister of the Interior. Specifically, the CZS 15 tank-hardened fire engine and the CV 40 large-capacity tank are both designed for extinguishing fires in dangerous areas and for forest fires.
P. 8

External emergency plan of DIAMO state enterprise

In the past, the area of ​​prevention of serious accidents was gradually solved by the Act No. 353/1999 Coll., and subsequently the Act No. 59/2006 Coll. In 2015, the new Act No. 224/2015 Coll. on prevention of major accidents caused by selected hazardous chemicals or chemical mixtures and amending Act No. 634/2004 Coll. on administrative fees, as amended, (the Act on prevention of major accidents) came into force that changed or modified some areas. The most important change for all Regional Fire Rescue Services is the provision that any external emergency plan is now prepared by the certain Regional Fire Rescue Service. Until the new law has entered into force, the processing of an external emergency plan was carried out by the regional authority, and a regional FRS only expressed its opinion as the public administration body concerned.
P.20

Support for people with specific health needs

The FRS of the Karlovy Vary Region has been focusing its long-term attention on cooperation with interest groups and organizations focused on persons with disabilities. They have supported, among others, education of these persons as part of preventive educational activities, both in terms of interpretation and experience in the World of Rescuers - the Health and Safety Centre in Karlovy Vary. As part of this cooperation, a training for deaf people with the assistance of two interpreters into the Czech sign language was organized, focused on operation and individual setting of the Záchranka mobile application and alternative means of emergency calls via SMS chat with the Operational and Information Centre of the FRS of the Karlovy Vary Region. In 2018, the FRS of the Karlovy Vary Region promoted a new service for people with specific health needs.
P.23

Use of infrared camera in determining the cause of fires
A thermal imager, or a thermographic camera, a device that allows us to visualize the infrared radiation of a body, is already a common part of our lives. It is used in many fields such as engineering, medicine or construction. This is not different in fire protection, where the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic uses thermal imaging, especially when fire units intervene. Using this technology, firefighters search for people in a smoky environment or missing people in the field. It is also used to find hidden bearings in firefighting – and can therefore be used to determine the cause of a fire.                                                                                                               
P. 6

Volkswagen Transporter 6.0 station wagon L1Z for fire investigators
At the beginning of 2020, fire Investigators of the Chrudim Fire Rescue Service, Pardubice Region, received the Volkswagen Transporter 6.0 L1Z station wagon, specially equipped to improve and simplify their operation activities.            
P. 10

CFD simulation as a tool for closer study of possible natural gas explosion in masking the traces of murder
Possibilities of using CFD simulations in the investigation of criminal acts associated with leaks and explosions of hazardous gases is described. Such a possibility is demonstrated in the case of the murder of April 2014, which was to be disguised by a natural gas explosion.                                                                                                     
P. 12

Deadly white fentanyl powder
Until 15 years ago, this substance had been almost unknown to the public, while today fentanyl, generally known as the killer of addicts, is subject of many scholarly articles. Due to the long-term regulation of fentanyl itself, new derivatives, so-called "The Fentalogs", are increasingly emerging.                                                             
P. 16

FRS CR took over 130,000 special nanofilters developed by Liberec Technical University
Representatives of the GasNet Ltd., the largest distributor of natural gas in the Czech Republic, handed over a gift of 130,000 nanofilters intended for textile face masks to the management of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. It is a special protective tool that provides firefighters with a high degree protection during interventions in hazardous environment.                                                             
P. 23

Automated data exchange
On 5^th March 2020, a cooperation agreement between the MoI-General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (DG FRS CR), the ČEZ Distribuce, joint-stock company, and the E.ON Distribuce, joint-stock company, was signed. The aim of this new agreement is to create conditions for mutual cooperation through automated data exchange concerning condition and operation of distribution networks.                                                                                                                        
P. 25

The firefighting families
Being a firefighter, both professional and voluntary, is considered cool in the Czech Republic. We often come across cases where the whole families have been involved in firefighting for several generations. There are fire stations where father and son, husband and wife, worked together, or maybe all of them at the same time. The Hoza family represents such a clan in the Moravian-Silesian Region.                               P. 30  

Market fires as a great risk to firefighters
During each fire in the sales areas of the markets, the intervening firefighters face a number of complications and factors that have a negative effect on the course of the intervention itself. It is mainly the speed of the fire spread, presence of different dangerous substances, but also behaviour of the sellers themselves. The most serious case among the market fires so far is the fire of 6 November 2008, when the Sapa market in Prague started burning shortly after midnight.
P. 4

Simulated fire of meth brewery
Pervitin or methamphetamine (crystal meth) is one of the most frequently abused substances in the Czech Republic, mainly because it is readily available and has a relatively low price. This easily prepared addictive substance from the ranks of amphetamines stimulates the central nervous system. The Liberec FRS together with the Prague FRS requested the Technical Institute of Fire Protection to cooperate in the implementation of a fire simulation of an amateur meth brewery. The aim of the test was to determine the hazards associated with the release of toxic combustion products, to determine their chemical composition and to document the development of the temperature field inside the room.
P. 8     

Firefighters from Česká Lípa region completed training on Mácha's Lake
At the beginning of this June, practical training of working on calm water took place on Mácha's Lake (Máchovo jezero) in the Liberec Region. Firefighters from the Doksy and Česká Lípa fire stations, the Liberec Fire Rescue Service, took part in the training. An integral part of their training was the practice of entering the water from the vessel, where it is important that the firefighter does not lose orientation and visual contact with the rescued person.
P. 20

Certificates of dog handlers for searching in rubble
During the intervention activities members of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic solve situations where it is necessary to look for a person buried under rubble, for example after a gas explosion or landslide during excavation work. Firefighters have many technical means, such as slit cameras, echo sounders, etc., but even these devices have their limits of use. Another possible and effective way to find a buried person is to use specially trained dogs who are trained for these types of interventions.  
P. 22

Biennial meeting of the Transport Information and Accident System
The Transport Information and Emergency Response System (TRINS) is an open and further developing assistance system incorporated into the Association of Chemical Industry of the Czech Republic, which provides via its centres a continuous help in case of emergency connected with transportation or storage of dangerous substances in the Czech Republic. Traditionally, after two years, the meeting on the agreement on the Transport Information and Accident System was held, this time hosted in Prague by the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic.
P. 23

Fire of car repair shop
On Wednesday 8^th January 2020 at 10:30 am, a fire of a car repair shop in the village of Lobodice near Přerov was announced to the Regional Operational and Information Centre of the Fire Rescue Service of the Olomouc Region. In accordance with the valid fire alarm plan, fire units of the Fire Alarm Level 1 were sent to the fire scene.
P. 4

Dacia Duster - cheap worker for fire investigators
In the second half of 2018, the Renault Czech Republic joint-stock company offered the possibility of modifying their Dacia Duster demonstration vehicle for the purpose of determining the causes of fires. Members of the Fire Investigators Department of the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic were invited to participate in this adjustment.
P. 10

Fluorinated substances in foaming agents at FRS CR
The use of foaming agents in the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (FRS CR) is summarized, with a brief description of legislative requirements for fluorinated substances. Furthermore, the results of analyses of the content of fluorinated substances in foam concentrates, which were carried out by the Technical Institute of Fire Protection of FRS CR in cooperation with external analytical laboratories, are presented. Finally, the results of the analyses are summarized and further steps in the field of fluorinated substances and foaming agents are outlined.
P. 12

IS MicroRescue - tool for recording people in mass accidents
This specially designed application collects the identification data of the persons affected by the emergency. This tool is used by Integrated Rescue System (IRS) bodies in the Karlovy Vary Region as one of the pillars of the IRS Information Centre. IS MicroRescue is a unique information system that does not work anywhere else in the Czech Republic yet.
P. 20

Training in the labyrinth of rock towns
Every year, rescue services in the Hradec Králové Region provide several specific interventions, when they rescue injured people from rock towns, mountainous areas and other hard-to-reach terrains using the Air Rescue Service helicopter. The landscape of the Hradec Králové Region is specific with such places. Now several rescue services at the same time practiced cooperation in rescuing people in difficult-to-access rocky terrain.
P. 22

Training of mayors to deal with emergencies
In accordance with the "Concept of Education in the Field of Population Protection and Crisis Management" approved by the No. 508 Government Resolution of 10^th July 2017, and the "Plan of Main Tasks of State Organizational Units within the Competence of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic for 2019" the education of crises management preparedness were held. The courses focused on preparation for emergencies and crisis situations and their solutions were intended for mayors of municipalities, mayors of city districts of the capital city of Prague, mayors of municipalities with extended powers, and mayors of statutory cities.
P. 26

Emergencies addressed at European Union level
The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) of EU has been very busy in the last few months with the repatriation process of people in context of the coronavirus pandemic. Work on the repatriation of EU citizens was almost stifled at the beginning of July, but requests for covid-19 assistance were still pending, both from Union Civil Protection Mechanism member and participating States, and from third countries. Another event that the ERCC had to deal with was the flash floods in Ukraine at the turn of June and July 2020. The last and not less important task addressed by the ERCC was the active monitoring of forest fires, which affected some Mediterranean EU countries and Sweden.
P. 28

Car wrecks and tires fire in the scrap metal area
On Friday 14^th February 2020 at 2.17 pm, a wreck fire in the premises of the Kovošrot Group CZ Company in Kladno was announced to the Regional Operational and Information Centre of the Fire Rescue Service of the Central Bohemian Region. The Kovošrot Group CZ Company has been recycling waste for many years. Recycled raw materials include scrap iron, non-ferrous metals, car wrecks, but also paper and plastics. In the company premises there is an office building, garages, workshops, earthmoving machinery and heavy equipment for handling scrap iron.
P. 4

Frontal collision of two motor passenger trains
According to the timetable, the regular railway connection from the Pernink station in the Karlovy Vary Region departs at 3.07 pm. This train has been always waiting here for the oncoming train from Nejdek, which continues with regular departure at 3.08 pm from Pernink in the direction of Horní Blatná and Potůčky. On Tuesday 7^th July 2020, however, the driver had not waited for unknown reasons and set off on a single-track line against the approaching second railway set, with which it collided.
P. 7

New command car with a drone in Karlovy Vary
Firefighters in the Karlovy Vary Region acquired a unique command vehicle. Its equipment includes a modern unmanned vehicle (drone) that transmits image information for the evaluation and analysis of emergencies. The video output in this vehicle can be processed on site. It will provide the intervention commander with an overview of the location of the intervention in difficult terrain or over a large area.
P. 10

Forest fires
The Lesy České republiky Company, the largest forest land manager in the country, is very much aware of the risk of large-scale forest fires. The company manages 1.2 million hectares of forest land, which is about 46% of the total forest area in the Czech Republic. Based on a number of facts, the company took measures to reduce the potential risk.
P. 14

NATO Civil Emergency Preparedness Activity Report 2019
On Monday 27^th July 2020, the material of the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (DG FRS CR) was submitted to the meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), namely the Report on Activities in the Field of NATO Civil Emergency Preparedness for 2019. This document describes developments in the field of civil emergency preparedness in NATO and summarizes the most important topics of activity of the members of the CEP Permanent Working Group of the CEP Councilto prepare a delegation for meetings of the CEPC and its planning groups.
P. 26

New devices for radiological laboratory
At the end of 2019, two new measuring instruments were purchased for the radiological laboratory of the Institute of Civil Protection FRS CR in Lázně Bohdaneč. Both of them, the liquid scintillation analyser and the semiconductor detector for gamma spectrometry, significantly expands the possibilities of performing analyses.
P. 28

Photovoltaic systems from firefighters´ point of view
Recent significant technological development of photovoltaic systems (PV system) is followed by a subsequent rapid increase number of their installations. At the scene, firefighters encounter a wide range of technical concepts for these installations - from large PV power plants built as an investment plan through local “island” self-sufficient power systems to "more modest" installations on the roofs of production buildings or houses.
P. 4                                                                                                                                          

Fire of production hall with photovoltaic panels on the roof
On 30^th June 2020 at 2.10 pm, a fire in a room with convertors for a solar power plant was announced, in the building of Čemus-CZ, Ltd., in Kostelec nad Labem, Central Bohemia. According to the initial announcement, explosions were heard and a thick smoke was seen. The liquidation of the fire required the 2^nd degree of fire alarm was proclaimed. Total damages are estimated in the tens of millions of CZK (approx. 1.5 million EUR).
P. 6  

Fire Protection 2020 International Conference
The 29^th International Conference Fire Protection 2020 took place in Ostrava, the Moravian-Silesian metropolis, from 2^nd to 3^rd September 2020. The main topic of the conference was Climate Changes and Security.
P.12

Emergency calls from eCall for three years
This autumn, eCall - the Europe-wide automated emergency call system from vehicles - will celebrate three years since its launch. This electronic safety system was developed to speed up and refine caller identification in major traffic accidents.
P.16
 

Firefighters blew up a boulder in Josefovské Valley
On Saturday 1^st August 2020, the fire unit from the Blansko fire station of the South Moravian Region FRS together with the volunteer fire unit of the Habrůvka municipality were sent to the Josefovské údolí locality between the Býčí skála cave and the Kostelík cave in the Blansko district. Workers of the State Nature Protection together with members of the Czech Speleological Society discovered a loose limestone block weighing approximately 10 tons just below the tourist path that connects those caves. If the stone fell, the road underneath would be endangered. The intervention commander, in agreement with the blasting supervisor, decided to carry out the intervention with explosives.
P. 18

Emergency information for population in the Czech Republic
The term of "emergency information for the population" is described as one of the important measures of population protection in the Czech Republic. Emergency information for the population is an integral part of all communication flows from public authorities to the population in case of emergencies and their consequences.
P. 23

Alternative fuels for motor vehicles and their potential fire and explosion hazards
The measures of the Czech Republic for development of road transport with alternative fuel vehicles in accordance with EU legislation and the global trend are presented. The main reasons for alternative fuels are the need to reduce percentage of exhaust gases in harmful emissions polluting the environment, limited sources of petroleum reserves, and the resulting rise in gasoline and diesel prices.
P. 4

Fire of alternative-powered passenger car
A passenger car caught fire on the D11 motorway near the village of Kasalice, the Pardubice Region, on Monday 21^st September 2020 evening. Flames erupted from the car while it was moving. The driver managed to stop at the side of the highway and get out of the car, while the flames were literally licking the whole car. The vehicle had an alternative propulsion – LPG, and probably the gas leaking from the tank valve started to burn.     
 P. 8

Červený kohout 2020 - for the first time as online conference
This year the annual Červený kohout 2020 (i.e. Red Roaster) international conference on fire protection was held online on YouTube due to the growing autumn wave of Covid-19. The main topics were, among others, the new Act on Fire Protection, categorization of constructions, or major fires, recently dealt with by the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (FRS CR).  
P. 14

Psychosocial assistance to Lenora's citizens after the explosion and subsequent fire of apartment building
The explosion and subsequent fire of the apartment building in the Lenora municipality, South Bohemia, which happened on 3^rd October 2019 early morning, and the following intervention of fire units and other IRS bodies were described in the April issue of this magazine (112 Magazine, No. 4/2020). This article describes the work of members of the post-traumatic care team (PTC team) of the South Bohemian Region FRS, and members of non-profit organizations cooperating in the South Bohemian Community Interventional Psychosocial Team and within the South Bohemian Association of NGOs.  
P. 17

Traffic Accident Extrication Instructor Course
The first run of the Traffic Accident Extrication Instructor Course took place in the Fire School of FRS CR in Brno from 14^th to 16^th September 2020. The course was organized by the Fire School in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior - the General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (MoI-DG FRS CR) plus some regional FRSs, whose extrication instructors participated in the course as lecturers. P. 20

Not a respirator like a respirator
This year's coronavirus epidemic has created an unprecedented need to protect oneself against the surrounding risk of viral infection. So let´s get acquainted with the method of protection, which did not arise at once, but has been known since the Middle Ages, when similar epidemics were nothing new. Wearing veils or masks suddenly became an unprecedented need bordering on a hard and psychologically demanding search for respirators, where even the governments of European countries themselves succumbed to panic. P. 26

Real danger of sparklers as Christmas decoration
Sparklers are small fireworks that are attributed to many Christmas fires. The usual scenario starts with hanging a sparkler on a Christmas tree and lighting it. After a fire people sometimes insist that they just approached the Christmas tree with a sparkler and "it ignited in a few seconds”. The credibility of such a statement can be deduced from the following experiment, focused on the possibility of initiating a fire in Christmas decorations with a burning sparkler.   P. 4

Firefighters continue in COVID-19-related activities
Whether we want to admit it or not, the COVID-19 disease has significantly affected our lives for this year. Firefighters, for example, additionally provide a number of new activities that were not very typical for them. Mainly there is the sampling for COVID-19 testing, distribution of personal protective equipment, assistance with tracing the positive tested, but also the requests and receiving of humanitarian aid for the Czech Republic, the assistance of our health professionals in hospital facilities etc.  P. 9

Fire brigade ended the long-term intervention in Vrbětice
On 13^th October 2020, after almost six years, the specific joint intervention of security forces in Vlachovice - Vrbětice, the Zlín Region, was finally completed. The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic participated in rescue and liquidation work of elimination the consequences of explosions of two ammunition depots in the Military Technical Institute.  P. 12

Fire of plastics in Stráž pod Ralskem
On Monday 4^th May 2020 at 11:52 am, a fire of a large amount of plastics intended for recycling was reported to the emergency call number of the Liberec Region Fire Rescue Service. The fire took place in the premises of the Rekuplast Ltd. Company in Stráž pod Ralskem, where almost two tonnes of burning material were stored outdoors. P. 16

Course of safe driving for IRS bodies
The course of safe driving for the bodies of the Integrated Rescue System (IRS) took place at the Autodrome Most on Monday 5^th October 2020. This training is intended mainly for drivers of company vehicles of categories M1G and N1G, which are multi-purpose off-road vehicles up to 3.5 t designed to transport a maximum of eight persons. P. 21

AV 30.1 Rescue Vehicle
The ČKD Mobilní Jeřáby (i.e. Mobile Cranes) joint-stock company delivered the AV 30.1 special rescue vehicle to the Rescue Unit of the FRS CR in the first half of 2020. This special equipment will become part of the module for extinguishing fires in hazardous areas and for forest fires as a technical means to ensure the rescue / extrication of damaged equipment or the passage of roads. P. 22
 

Foundation assistance in life distress for police officers and firefighters in service
After fifteen years of operation and financial stability The Police and Firefighters Foundation - Mutual Assistance in Distress last three years helps, in addition to the already established care, also police and firefighters in service, or their families, to overcome an unpredictable difficult situation arising from health or social causes, or as a result of a natural disaster. P. 29