The role and tasks of civil defense in the Crisis Management Systemin Poland

Abstract

Since Russia's attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, escalating the war that had been ongoing since 2014, civil defense has become a hot topic for the Polish authorities. It is important to remember that until January 1, 2025, Poland lacked a single, definitive, and specific Civil Defense Act. On that day, the Civil Protection and Civil Defense Act was introduced to the civilian population, the result of intensive work by the Ministry of Interior and Administration. This regulation is intended to provide the basis for the introduction of a modern civil protection system in Poland, which, upon the imposition of martial law and during wartime, becomes a civil defense system. The true test of the efficiency and functionality of a protection system, or its subsequent transformation into a civil defense system, is war on a given country's territory. Poland, as a border state of Ukraine, located in close proximity to the armed conflict between the two countries, should be particularly prepared in the event of an escalation of the conflict into other neighboring countries. The situation in Ukraine clearly demonstrates the conflict continues to this day how training, not only military but also procedural, of the civilian population significantly contributes to minimizing human casualties. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the importance of civil protection and defense in Poland within the crisis management system, and therefore in crisis situations. The research problem is formulated as a question: what is the role and tasks of civil defense in Poland? To answer this question, a critical analysis of the relevant literature was used.