Fire of industrial building in Police nad Metují
On 6^th May 2020, a fire of the building of the HAUK Ltd. Company in Police nad Metují, Eastern Bohemia, was reported to the Operational and Information Centre of the Hradec Králové Region Fire Rescue Service. The fire of the industrial building, which at first glance seemed as an unannounced incineration of waste on the company's premises, was eventually recorded in the historical tables of the Hradec Králové Region FRS as the fourth largest fire in last 20 years. The fire completely affected an area of ​​about 5,000 square meters.
P. 14

Measurement of hose line parameters
Cooperation between the Fire Rescue Service of the Central Bohemian Region and the Technical Institute of Fire Protection in testing parameters of hose lines is summarised here. The tests were aimed to obtain values ​​of actual flows and losses in hose lines, and focused on the use of hoses with smaller diameters. The tests were extended to simulate a real intervention in the eleventh floor of a high-rise building, where the actual water supply to the two attack streams was monitored.
P. 20

First wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
Openly speaking, the European Union and its Member States have been hit unprepared by the current COVID-19 pandemic, and at least at the beginning of its spreading in Europe, their response has not been swift and coordinated enough. The reasons are partly understandable and relate to the fact that the Member States have never faced something like this before, and the European Union does not have the powers in this area to enable it to react appropriately.
P. 23

Assessment of protection of significant soft targets and vulnerable structures using behavioural evacuation models
The Department of Civil Protection and Crisis Management of the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, the Brno University of Technology, and the City District of Prague 11 created educational material entitled "Assessment of protection of significant soft targets - vulnerable structures due to an emergency through evacuation or shelter". This material is currently distributed to individual regions through the MI - General Directorate of the FRS CR, as end users are members of regional FRSs, owners or operators of buildings and others.
P. 26

Beginning of the end of nuclear weapons
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal being their total elimination. It was adopted on 7^th July 2017 and will enter into force on 22^nd January 2021. It is very likely that when the possible third wave of the COVID-19 will end, the boom in the anti-nuclear movement will start, as Joe Biden, the new president of the United States, was very active in nuclear disarmament even as vice president under Barack H. Obama.
P. 30

Fire School of the FRS CR will undergo planned modernization
On Thursday 26^th November 2020, by tapping on the foundation stone, another important stage in the history of the School and Training Facility of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic in Brno was officially launched. The partial reconstruction of the current complex and the construction of a completely new part will create a modern educational complex within two years. The FRS CR will gain adequate capacity for teaching and training not only professional but also volunteer firefighters.
P. 35

Non-standard fire of truck crane 
On Thursday 30^th July 2020 at 1.06 pm, a truck crane fire in the village of Kozlany, the Vyškov district, was reported on the 112 emergency call number of the South Moravian Region FRS. During the intervention one of the tires exploded, and the pressure wave was so strong that all the windows in the three nearest houses were broken. The fire completely destroyed the crane itself, and heavily damaged the outdoor power lines and roads. The direct damage was 4,840,000 CZK (i.e. 186,000 EUR). 
P. 6

Major changes in the Building Act from perspective of FRS CR
The amendment to the Building Act and the Administrative Procedure Code should speed up the permitting of constructions. What are the main changes from the point of view of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic? One of the most important is the obligation of the concerned authority to issue an opinion, a binding opinion or a coordinated binding opinion without undue delay no later than 30 days after the submission of a perfect application.                                                   
P. 16

Provided humanitarian aid of the Czech Republic in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
In the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, several applications were received through the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) of the European Union. The Czech Republic also offered solidarity in support of other requesting states in the form of protective equipment from its sufficient stocks.        
P. 18

Use of training polygons and simulators in border area of ​​the Karlovy Vary Region
One of the advantages of cross-border cooperation between the Fire Rescue Service of the Karlovy Vary Region is the opportunity to complete training on various training polygons and simulators in the border area of ​​the Federal Republic of Germany. During the training, firefighters can get closer to the real intervention and exchange valuable experience with each other, not only in the field of fire protection.   
P. 22

New KFMP-200 combined filter for TATRA TITAN tank-hardened fire engine
In 2019, the MOLPIR GROUP, joint stock company, addressed the Institute of Civil Protection with a request to cooperate in developing and testing a new collective filter for filter-ventilation equipment in the crew cabin of the resilient TATRA TITAN fire engine. The new combined filter protects the crew from the effects of hazardous toxic substances and combustion products.    
P. 26

Professional firefighters in Příbram for fifty years
In 2020, firefighters from the Central Bohemian Region Fire Rescue Service commemorated half a century of operation in the town of Příbram. Fifty years have passed since the opening of the first station of professional firefighters, whose basic mission is to protect the lives and health of the citizens of the Czech Republic from fires and to provide effective assistance in emergencies.      
P. 28

Special alarm level was announced during the wood chip fire
On Wednesday 26^th August 2020, approximately twenty minutes after 2 pm, the emergency line of the Central Bohemian Region FRS received information about huge flames and smoke coming from the "V Hoděmyšli" agricultural premises in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem near Příbram. The biological self-ignition of wood chips was determined as the cause of fire. The damage was estimated at 10 million CZK (i.e. 385,000 EUR) because the fire destroyed the surrounding buildings and the grain stored in them.
P. 6

Amendment to the Act on the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic
On Thursday 28^th January 2021, the bill of the Amendment to the Act on the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic was discussed and approved by the plenary of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. Subsequently, on Monday 1^st February 2021, the bill was signed by the President of the Czech Republic. The amendment obliges, among other things, insurance companies to pay quarterly the amount corresponding to 0.5% of the premium received for the given quarter to the account of the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire and Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. Subsequently, the MI-GD FRS CR will proportionally distribute this amount among the Fire Rescue Services of individual regions.                                                                                                               
P. 10

Severe January frost used to train on the ice
In the second half of January 2021 heavy frosts finally created conditions for practical training of rescuing skaters and other people from under ice. Firefighters in the Moravian-Silesian Region trained on several water areas, esp. where there is a risk of insufficiently strong ice.   
P. 16

Overview of certification in the Technical Institute of Fire Protection in 2020
Certified products according to feedback from clients always have a higher weight compared to similar non-certified ones. It always depends on the legislative requirements and especially on the applicant's approach to certification / conformity assessment. On the positive side, in most cases, the manufacturer / importer or distributor wants to be sure that the product is not only functional but also safe, and at the same time it complies with the requirements of technical standards and legislation. In 2020, only 35 certificates and 2 acknowledgments were issued.    
P. 18

Emergencies in the world
The beginning of 2021 brought further emergencies and crises, which required the assistance of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid. Mainly, the earthquake in Indonesia, the migration crisis in Sudan, and the food shortages in Madagascar and Zimbabwe. The resolution of all these emergencies and crises is complicated by the long-running global COVID-19 pandemic.                                                                                                             
P. 28

Finance as a blood of economy
A good economy is a basic premise for the proper functioning of any organization. And finance is the blood of the economy. Brig-Gen Slavomír Bell, MSc. MBA, who has been the Deputy General Director of the FRS CR for Economy since 2012, emphasises mainly effectiveness of their use within the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. We asked him few questions.
P. 6
 

Rescue of drivers after a traffic accident on D1 motorway
A traffic accident of several vehicles, including trucks, on the D1 near the Rohlenka motorway station, was announced to the 112 emergency line of the South Moravian Region FRS on Monday 21^st September 2020 at 11:38 a.m. As specified later, the accident happened at the 210^th kilometre of the D1 motorway in the direction from Vyškov to Brno, and one person was found wedged in a truck. A large number of accidents are solved in the sections of motorways within the South Moravian Region every year. In recent years, the number of complicated extrications and rescuing people after truck accidents increase, especially on motorways.
P. 14

Institute of Population Protection trains African rescuers even during a pandemic
The training of foreign specialists in the field of protection against the effects of chemical substances forms a traditional pillar of the training events of the Institute of the Population Protection in Lázně Bohdaneč. These activities are mostly organized under the auspices of the UN-OPCW, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, with which the institute has been cooperating since 1999. Although the COVID-19 pandemic stopped travel between continents in March 2020, thus cancelling all face-to-face trainings, a record number of international experts were trained through online courses last year.
P. 30
 

The difference between a face mask and a respirator or What is respiratory protection?
The article entitled "Not a respirator like a respirator" was published in the No. 11/2020 of the 112 Magazine, and the authors tried to bring the issue of respirators closer to the general public or to draw attention to some marketing practices. At the same time, the verification procedures according to the American standard (so-called Fit Factor) with certification testing of respirators according to the European standard were presented. Finally, they quoted from the website of the Research Institute of Occupational Safety, VÚBP, on testing of imported respirators.
Therefore, on behalf of VÚBP, as the Notified Body No. 1024 for assessing conformity with the requirements, for example also for respirators, the author makes few additional observations to the published article. All the more so that the subject of our common interest is the appropriate protection of members of the FRS CR.
P. 26

2020 Senior Academy in Liberec at a distance
The Fire Rescue Service of the Liberec Region regularly cooperates with a number of organizations associating senior citizens. Education of seniors through the Senior Academy is one of the most popular events, organized by the city of Liberec through the KONTAKT Liberec Community Centre, where the FRS of the Liberec Region has participated since 2014. Last year, of course, untraditionally at a distance.
P. 34

Fire of cold storage hall
A fire of a cold storage hall in Kralupy nad Vltavou was reported to the Operational and Information Centre of the Central Bohemian FRS on 19^th November 2020. There was a fire of the hall with cooling medium on the premises of a food production and distribution company. During intervention a large number of fire units were deployed, and the 3^rd level of fire alarm was proclaimed to eliminate the fire.
P. 6
 

Rescue points help tourists and firefighters
Four units of firefighters and about a dozen volunteers from the Rock Rescue Service took part in a search operation in February 2021 in the Adršpach-Teplice Rocks area, Eastern Bohemia. A man with his child got lost there, despite his good knowledge of the surroundings, and called for help to the emergency line. A rescue point located near the Three Musketeers Valley served to accurately locate the lost. The total number of 4285 rescue points is placed through the Czech Republic.
P. 11
 

FRS CR Virtual Assistance Centre for Help
In an emergency with a large number of affected persons is possible to set up an assistance centre for help (ACP) near the scene. It is based on the need to help family members of affected persons and victims, to provide them safe space, and to respond to their needs arising from the emergency situation. The ACP provides, among others, up-to-date information (e.g. information desk, phone crisis line), psychosocial assistance, and other support activities for those affected by the emergency and their families.
P. 14
 

Workload and its influence on partnership within FRS CR
There is no need to long debate whether the work of members of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (FRS CR) is either physically or mentally demanding. We all have at least a rough idea of ​​how their work differs from other jobs. Members encounter severe injuries, the death of persons, disfigured bodies, and often someone's life depends on them and their performance. The psychological study.
P. 16
 

Year 2020 in the Police and Firefighters Foundation
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of people around the world as well as the overall mood in society. It is understandable that it was reflected also in the life of the Police and Firefighters Foundation - Mutual Assistance in Distress. To achieve its mission, the Foundation operated in 2020 in accordance with its strategy, mission and plan. In order to be able to fulfil the plans, the 2020 activities were focused mainly on obtaining financial resources and providing assistance to those in its care.
P. 24

Firefighting has been, is and will be the meaning of my life
On 9^th November 2011 those time Colonel Drahoslav Ryba, director of the Fire  Rescue Service of the Vysočina Region, was appointed the new general director of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic from 1^st December 2011. This year, after almost ten years of successful leadership of the FRS CR, Lt-Gen Drahoslav Ryba leaves the position of "the highest firefighter".
We looked back on those years together with him.
P. 6
 

Power bank caused fire of a house
At a time when the curfew was already in force, thick smoke began to rise from the second floor of the family house in the village of Kleneč near Roudnice nad Labem, Central Bohemia. This was the initial second phase of the fire, which was staying completely unnoticed. As the fire began to be accompanied by the sound of window panes shattering, it was spotted by a single person. The witness was a sixteen-year-old boy who lived in the house with his mother and younger sister.
P. 12
 

Measurement of heat flow in fire environment
The temperature is an intuitive quantity that is inextricably linked to a fire. However, the temperature itself is often not meaningful for assessing the response of a material to heat. One of the basic quantities that helps us determine the effect of fire on its surroundings, especially the reaction of materials and structures exposed to thermal energy, is the heat flow. Measuring of a heat flow in a fire environment is a relatively complicated issue. It is an environment where there are dynamic changes in both flow and temperature in time and space, two quantities that directly affect the heat flow.
P. 18
 

Storage and Repair Facility of the FRS CR
The Storage and Repair Facility of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic is a special-purpose facility of the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. It provides specified repair, service and inspection activities and storage of certain material for the FRS CR and performs state administration in the field of ionizing radiation metrology through the Authorized Metrology Centre. Its origin dates back to 1^st January 2001, when the then Olomouc Repair Plant and the Olomouc Logistics Base were transferred from the competence of the Ministry of Defence to the competence of the Ministry of the Interior as special-purpose facilities of the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. On 1^st December 2012 these two facilities were merged under the new name of the Storage and Repair Facility of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic.
P. 26
 

Emergencies addressed at European Union level
After more than a year, the covid-19 pandemic has subsided in some countries due to widespread vaccination, but in other countries, especially those where new mutations have occurred, it is increasing significantly. As of 6 May 2021, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control registered 153,220,576 confirmed covid-19 cases and 3,209,416 deaths associated with the disease worldwide. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) of EU as of the above date this year had already received 22 requests for assistance in connection with the pandemic. These requests included mainly personal protective equipment, medical supplies and medicines or entire medical teams.
P. 32

Electric scooter fire
The fire of a second-floor-residential unit of a four-storey apartment building was reported on the emergency line 112 on Sunday 7^th March 2021 at 3:25 a.m. Two people were trapped in the apartment without a free way out. Based on the findings, the fire investigator determined the cause of the fire by technical defect in the charging of the electric scooter.
P. 12
 

Tactical exercise of the FRS CR support points for long-distance transport of water by hoses and for pumping from great depths
The DUBINA 2021 tactical exercise of fire units took place in the border area of ​​the Karlovy Vary Region on Saturday 5^th June 2021. The exercise was focused on fighting a large forest fire and on the cooperation of support points of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic for long-distance transport of water by hoses and for pumping from great depths.
P. 14
 

Training of South Bohemian climbing instructors in the middle of Šumava
From 1^st to 3^rd June 2021, eleven firefighter climbers - instructors from all territorial departments of the Fire Rescue Service of the South Bohemian Region trained the work at heights and above free depth under the guidance of the Chief Instructor of the FRS of the South Bohemian Region. The training took place in inaccessible localities near the Lipno reservoir, and was inspired by real interventions from that area. The topic of the exercise: search for a lost helper who got lost when climbing the highest ruined castle.
P. 18
 

New fire station opened
The Fire Rescue Service of the Liberec Region built a station for professional firefighters in Doksy. This tenth station in the Liberec Region has been in standard operation since 12^th January 2021, but - with regard to the current situation - the ceremonial opening took place on 10^th June 2021 only. The project of the Doksy fire station was long-term and had to overcome a number of obstacles. Now the fire station, within the optimization of the deployment of forces and resources of the FRS of the Liberec Region (“fire cover”), fulfils its purpose within the Liberec Region in the areas of Doksy and Dubsko, and will also find its application in the Central Bohemian Region.
P. 21
 

Readiness of school to deal with emergencies and crisis situations
The seminar was intended for teachers of primary schools, secondary schools, secondary vocational schools and educators of school facilities. The aim of the seminar was to present teachers with a basic orientation in the legal environment, which concerns preparation of the school for emergencies and crisis situations.
P. 31

New CEO of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic
On 19^th July 2021 Mr. Jan Hamáček, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, appointed new General Director of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. Major General Vladimír Vlček, Ph.D., MBA, till now the regional director of the Fire Rescue Service of the Moravian-Silesian Region, gave our magazine an introductory interview.
P. 6

Fire protection in forestry and Air Fire Service in 2020
The Air Fire Service (AFS) has been provided by the Ministry of Agriculture since 1993 in close cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, and since 2001 also with the Air Service of the Czech Police. The AFS is fully funded by the Ministry of Agriculture. At the same time, the service is mandatory and its provision in a given year depends on the amount of available funds in the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture.
P. 10

Forest fire in the Eagle Mountains
Twenty fire units intervened during the forest fire in Sněžné in the Eagle (Orlické) Mountains on 11^th May 2021 afternoon. The special level of fire alarm was announced due to the large affected area and the number of deployed fire units. Polish fire units were also involved in the liquidation of this forest fire in accordance with the mutual agreement on cooperation. Estimated damages of the fire, especially to the forest stand, reached some 100,000 CZK (about 4,000 EUR).
P . 12

Results of the Portuguese Presidency and aims of Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council in the field of civil protection
On Thursday 1^st July 2021, Portugal handed over an imaginary baton in the form of the EU Council Presidency to Slovenia, which will complete the work program of the German-Portugal-Slovenia presidency trio over this next six-month period. This article covers the results of the last Portuguese Presidency and describes the priorities and objectives of the Slovenian Presidency.
P. 14

Use of the CENTRUM TRÉNING program
This article brings some ideas and information for a possible increase in the effectiveness of using the CENTRUM TRÉNING program. This special program is used for preparing regular users of input terminals of the unified warning system.
P. 21

Storage and repair facility HZS ČR - Olomouc
We continue in description of the Storage and Repair Facility of the Fire and Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, this time focused on the tasks performed by divisions in Olomouc (see No. 6/2021 of the 112 Magazine).
P. 26

Visit of firefighters to the camp of children with SMA
Every year, a summer camp for children with Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), is held in Hoštětín near Uherské Hradiště, Moravia. The main organizer of the camp is Marie V., who takes care of her daughter suffering from this diagnosis. To make the stay interesting, she invites celebrities or various institution representants to come to it, who can pass on important information to the children to make their lives easier. Members of the Fire Rescue Service of the Zlín Region also accepted the invitation to one of the camp.
P. 32

New Deputy Director General for IRS and Operations Management
On 1^st August 2021 Major General Vladimír Vlček, Ph.D., MBA, General Director of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, introduced Col. Petr Ošlejšek, Ph.D., to the position of Deputy General Director of the FRS CR for the integrated rescue system and operational management.
P. 6
 

Fire of storage hall in Braník
A waste fire in Modřanská Street, Prague 4, was reported to the Operational and Information Centre of the Fire Rescue Service of the Capital City of Prague on 12^th April 2021 at 5.40 am. Upon arrival at the site and a conducted survey, it was found that the fire hit most of the storage hall and was continuing to spread. The firefighting intervention required deployment of a larger number of fire units and also the 2^nd level of fire alarm was declared.
P. 10
 

Intervention on damaged water reservoir in Stěbořice
Pumping, cleaning and monitoring work on the "Nový Dvůr" reservoir near the village of Stěbořice, Opava district, took four days at the end of May 2021. This artificially created water source, located above the arboretum of the same name, also serves as a storage tank for domestic water. Due to heavy rainfall and a clogged safety spillway, the dam of the waterworks overflowed, which caused static failures.
P. 14
 

Rescue meeting Brno 2021
The second instructional and methodological training of extrication took place in the Brno School and Training Facility of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic on 30 June and 1 July 2021.  The event called “Rescue meeting Brno 2021” was organized by the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the FRS CR, and was primarily intended for instructors of extrications in traffic accidents.
P.18
 

Material humanitarian aid to Lithuania
The Republic of Lithuania is currently facing an increased influx of illegal migrants crossing the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. The Government of the Republic of Lithuania declared the state of emergency in the country, and on 15 July 2021 asked the European Union for assistance. Through the activated Civil Protection Mechanism of the Union, the Republic of Lithuania requested international support and assistance. The aid was provided not only by the Czech Republic, further namely Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Poland, Austria, Slovenia and Finland.
P. 22
 

Construction of firefighting corners at fire stations in the South Bohemian Region
How to behave and what to do in case of fire? How to proceed correctly when it is necessary to hide or evacuate? What are firefighters doing? What do they have to know? Where do they intervene? We answer these questions and many more for children, people of working age and seniors in our fire classrooms and now in fire corners.
P. 28                                                                                                                

Fire of plastic toners and recycled metal
An explosion followed by a fire of plastic toners and recycled metal in the area in Ostrava - Vítkovice was reported to the Operational and Information Centre of the Fire Rescue Service of the Moravian-Silesian Region on 10^th May 2021 at 07:53 am. A special level of fire alarm was declared for the fire in the Ostrava settled facility of a company focused on ecological recycling of mostly metal waste, which required the deployment of a large number of fire units, air extinguishing and special equipment of the FRS CR Rescue Unit. Preliminary direct damage was estimated at approximately 4 million CZK (i.e. 157,000 EUR), and the values ​​protected by firefighting were estimated at 100 million CZK (i.e. 3.92 million EUR).
P. 6
 

Czech firefighters´ mission in Greece
The summer of 2021 was not very friendly for the countries of southern Europe. The long period of above-standard warm weather combined with strong winds caused a high danger and, unfortunately, also the reality of a number of forest fires in Greece, Albania, Italy, Turkey and Macedonia. Despite the fact that forest fires are a regular seasonal affair for these states, the extent of the fires this year was  enormous. The Czech Republic sent its special detachment for extinguishing forest fires (36 firefighters plus equipment) to Greece, where they operated on the Peloponnese peninsula for one week in August 2021.
P. 12
 

Fire Protection 2021 International Conference
The 30^th International Conference Fire Protection 2021 took place in the Assembly Hall of the Technical University of Ostrava from 1^st to 2^nd September 2021. This meeting is regularly organized by the Faculty of Safety Engineering of TUO, the Association of Fire and Safety Engineering, and the Czech Association of Fire Officers (Czech FEU) in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic.
P. 19
 

Report on developments of civil emergency preparedness of the state in the seven key areas of NATO resilience
The Report on Developments of Civil Emergency Preparedness of the State in the Seven Key Areas of NATO Resilience was presented for information during the meeting of the State Security Council on 26^th May 2021. This material, prepared by the Ministry of the Interior - General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic in cooperation with other central administrative authorities, describes developments in the field of civil emergency preparedness of the state in seven basic areas of NATO resilience since 2019.
P. 28

Firefighters paid tribute to the memory of the deceased American firefighters
On 11^th September 2021 we commemorated 20 years since the event that virtually changed the world. The targeted terrorist attacks of 11^th September 2001 in the USA, the sad symbol of which was the destruction of the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York, are an event we will never forget. The whole world was shocked by this attack on the very foundations of democracy and civil liberties.
P. 31
 

World Championships in Fire Sport
After a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the best firefighting athletes met again to compete in the fire sports disciplines. Kazakhstan became the host of the 16^th Men World Championship and the 7^th Women World Championship. At the beginning of September 2021, on the beautiful stadium of Shakhtar Karaganda they traditionally competed in the following disciplines: ascent to the 4^th floor of the training tower, running for 100 meters of hurdles, relays of 4 × 100 meters hurdles, and fire attack.
P. 32

Firefighter of the Year 2020
Special awards in the form of glass fire helmets were ceremoniously handed over to the best members and employees of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic resulted from the Firefighter of the Year 2020 professional survey. The Firefighter of the Year 2020 ceremony was held in Prague on 30^th September 2021.
P. 6
 

Biogas explosion and subsequent fire in biogas plant
The explosion and subsequent fire of the decay tank in the biogas plant occurred on 4^th May 2021 in Dětřichov near Moravská Třebová. Nine fire units intervened at the scene of the fire, and the 2^nd level of fire alarm was declared by the incident commander. Fire units cooled with water the neighbouring fermenter and extinguished the outbreaks of fire inside the decay tank, where the remains of sails and nets were still burning. The intervention took place under difficult conditions, because there was a threat of an explosion of biogas in the neighbouring fermenter. The biogas plant was built in 2013 in a fenced agricultural area.
P. 8
 

Seminars on energy resistance of buildings for representatives of municipalities in the Moravian-Silesian Region
During this September the Fire Rescue Service of the Moravian-Silesian Region held seminars for all representatives of municipalities, municipalities with extended powers, and the region. The aim was to acquaint them with the issue of large-scale power outages and with the possibilities of securing the region's territory.
P. 14
 

Earthquake in Haiti
The devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the southwestern region of Haiti on 14^th August 2021 at 8:30 am local time, with the epicentre in the mountainous provinces of Sud, Nippes and Grand'Anse, left thousands of people without food, water, sanitation and shelter. The disaster claimed more than 2,000 lives and more than 12,000 injured. The earthquake affected about 1.2 million people, including 540,000 children. The damages to the infrastructure are considerable: 130,000 houses, 94 schools and 1,800 water mains were completely or partially destroyed.
P. 21
 

25^th Assembly of the Czech Association of Fire Officers (Czech FEU)
The 25^th Assembly of the Czech Association of Fire Officers (Czech FEU) took place in Brno on the 1^st October this year. The members of the association voted their new president and vice-president.
P. 24
 

PYROS 2021 - Fair of fire equipment and services
The 20^th PYROS International Exhibition took place at the Brno Exhibition Centre from 6^th to 8^th October 2021. This event is primarily intended for experts in the field of fire protection, fire prevention and emergency assistance. The PYROS fair has a long tradition in the Czech Republic and creates great opportunity to gain awareness of the functioning of the Integrated Rescue System and its bodies.
P. 32

Building fire in Moravský Písek
A fire in the company premises was reported on Sunday 21^st March 2021 at 1.08 am to the Operational and Information Centre of the South Moravian Region FRS. The fire occurred on the second floor of a two-storey non-basement detached building, owned by a company operating in the field of forestry and cultivating seedlings for forest planting.                                                                                                    
P. 6

Volunteer firefighters of the Year 2021
The expert jury awarded fifty fire units and volunteer fire services from all over the Czech Republic for their professional interventions, and preventive and socially beneficial activities. This prestigious award is given once a year based on the assessment of the interventions and activities carried out. The Volunteer Firefighters of the Year 2021 ceremony was held in Brno on Tuesday 16^th November 2021. Thanks to the partners, the finalists from the first three places received financial and material prizes worth 2,400,000 CZK (approx. 95,000 EUR).            
P. 11

Population Protection Conference 2021
In the days of 26 and 27 October 2021, the jubilee 20^th International Conference on Population Protection - Hazardous Materials 2021 took place in the auditorium of the University of Mining - Technical University of Ostrava. The main topic was crisis management and population protection during pandemic.                                 
P. 14

Červený kohout 2021 Conference
The Červený kohout (Red Rooster) 2021 Conference took place in the Clarion Congress Hotel in České Budějovice in the days of 2^nd and 3^rd November 2021. This 24^th annual symposium was organized by the České Budějovice House of Technology in cooperation with the South Bohemian Region FRS and under the auspices of Brig-Gen Daniel Miklós, MPA, Deputy DG of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic.   
P. 16

Online teaching international: news, advice, experience
The Population Protection Institute FRS CR (PPI), settled in Lázně Bohdaneč, Pardubice Region, is a long-term leader in education in the field of protection against chemical substances, both domestically and internationally. When the COVID-19 pandemic stopped traveling in 2020 and full-time training had to be abolished, educational activities moved to virtual environment. This paper informs about news and improvements that are used in online courses organized by PPI and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (UN-OPCW).           
P. 20

Emergencies addressed at European Union level
At the end of this October, Austria struggled with one of the largest forest fires in its recent history. This autumn was also marked by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late summer in Romania and Bulgaria, and unfortunately spread to most European countries during October and November 2021. The article summarizes the assistance provided to the European Union member states and beyond under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in these emergencies.         
P. 30