Description of Crisis Management in Poland until 2021. Basic concepts.

The issue of security threats, whether they are natural, social, technical, ecological, economic, political, or others, prompts us to consider how to organize the understanding of such situations (events, disasters, calamities, catastrophes) and what areas of knowledge it should encompass.[1]. By selecting a few examples that occurred in our country and describing them as they were, we can observe that our safety is a higher priority for us individuals than material things.

From the definition describinga catastrophe it refers to a sudden event, tragic in its consequences, causing material losses as well as serious injuries or death to people.[2]. Catastrophes are usually divided into four types:

• ecological catastrophes (natural), such as disasters like fires,

floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, and whirlwinds;

• industrial and construction catastrophes, meaning failures and explosions of production and industrial devices caused by improper operation and overloads;
• transport catastrophes;
• planned catastrophes, caused among others by terrorists (including with biological and chemical weapons), computer hackers.[3].

A construction catastrophe is an unintended, sudden destruction of a building or its parts, as well as structural elements of scaffolding, formwork components, watertight walls, and excavation supports. However, it is not a construction catastrophe:

1) damage to a component built into the construction object, which can be repaired or replaced;

2) damage or destruction of construction devices related to buildings;

3) failure of installations[4]. The investigation into the causes of a construction catastrophe is conducted by the relevant building supervision authority

[5]. In the event of a construction catastrophe

in a constructed, demolished, or used building, the construction manager (of the works), owner, manager, or user is obliged to:1) organize emergency assistance for the affected and prevent the spread of the consequences of the catastrophe;

2) secure the site of the catastrophe against changes that would prevent the investigation from being conducted;

3) immediately notify about the catastrophe:

the building supervision authority,

• the relevant local prosecutor's office and the Police,
• the investor, the inspector of investor supervision, and the designer of the building, if the catastrophe occurred during construction,
• other authorities or organizational units interested in the causes or consequences of the catastrophe by virtue of specific regulations.
• Point 2 does not apply to actions aimed at saving lives or securing against the spread of the consequences of the catastrophe. In these cases, the state after the catastrophe and the changes made to it should be described in detail, marking the places of their introduction on sketches and, where possible, in photographs.

[6]. The entity conducting the proceedings regarding the causes of a construction catastrophe, after receiving notification of the construction catastrophe, is obliged to:

immediately appoint a commission to determine the causes and circumstances of the catastrophe and the scope of actions necessary to eliminate the threat to the safety of people or property;immediately notify the relevant higher-level building supervision authority and the Chief Inspector of Building Supervision about the construction catastrophe.

• In
• the composition of the commission

, there are: a representative of the building supervision authority as the chairman, representatives of other interested or relevant governmental administration bodies, representatives of local government, and also, if necessary, a construction expert or other persons with required professional qualifications. The following may be summoned to participate in the commission's activities:the investor, owner or manager, and user of the building;the designer, representative of the contractor and manufacturer or importer of construction products;

• persons responsible for supervising the construction works.
• The entity conducting the proceedings
• regarding the causes of a construction catastrophe may order the owner or manager, by way of a decision, to secure the site of the catastrophe and the building that suffered the catastrophe, to tidy up the area or carry out other necessary actions and construction works. The decision is subject to immediate execution and may be announced orally. In the event of non-compliance or excessive delay in executing the decision by the owner or manager of the building, the authority will ensure its execution at the cost and risk of the obligated party.

[7]. [7].

In cases where the circumstances indicate a high probability of a common cause of a construction disaster involving several buildings, the construction supervision authority may conduct a single investigative procedure for all objects damaged as a result of the disaster.[8].

Upon completion of the commission's work, the construction supervision authority shall promptly issue a decision specifying the scope and deadline for necessary works to restore the disaster area and secure the building until the works that bring the building back to proper condition are completed. The authority may commission, at the expense of the investor, owner, or manager of the building, the preparation of an expert opinion if it is necessary for issuing a decision or determining the causes of the disaster.[9].

The investor, owner, or manager of the building after the conclusion of the proceedings regarding the restoration of the area after the disaster, is obliged to promptly take necessary actions to eliminate the effects of the construction disaster.[10].

In some significant elements of nature, a dangerous face emerges, which we know as a natural disaster, it is an extraordinary natural phenomenon that causes significant damage to the area in which it occurs, often threatening the lives or health of the people living there, their property values, as well as the natural environment.[11].Assistance in the event of a natural disaster must be carried out by various authorities and institutions cooperating with each other. Appropriate services with qualifications and often specialized equipment must also be involved in the assistance.[12]In the discussed context, "natural disaster" refers to both an event caused by forces of nature, termed "natural catastrophe," as well as an event caused by "technical failure," i.e., a sudden, unforeseen damage or destruction of a building, technical device, or an entire system of such devices, causing a break in their usage or loss of their properties. Events that may trigger an extraordinary threat, likely based on the tragic events in 2001 in the USA, the legislator also included terrorist actions.[13]

.

• Disasters can be classified into: anthropogenic, meaning those caused by human activity e.g., ecological disasters,,
•  natural, which are not related to humans and their existence.[14].

Natural disasters are the result of natural processes occurring within and on the surface of the Earth. They are caused by floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, landslides, or mudflows. These processes have been shaping the Earth's environment since the beginning of its existence and are a natural manifestation of the planet's functioning.[15].

In Poland, floods, droughts, and fires are considered the most common.The mentioned phenomenon of floods in Poland is one of the most dangerous and devastating natural disasters. Its effects are primarily felt by the population living in areas affected by this element, resulting in numerous inundations and even flooding of households,

, which often leads to the death of livestock. This phenomenon occurs in our country usually twice a year: in spring and summer. Despite the development of modern Drought

is, in hydrological terms, a period of extremely low water levels in a riverbed caused by limited supply resulting from the depletion of water resources in the watershed." It is caused by insufficient precipitation or a lack thereof, often accompanied by high temperatures and increased evaporation.Fire is one of the most dangerous and destructive disasters. It involves the uncontrolled, spontaneous spread of fire. Most often, the blame for its occurrence lies with humans who handle fire carelessly, use it in places with a high fire hazard (e.g., forests), or irresponsibly practice burning grass.[17].In the event of special circumstances, the Council of Ministers may declare a state of natural disaster. It does so by issuing the appropriate regulation. The consent of the President of the Republic of Poland is not required for its issuance. The government is also not constitutionally obliged to inform the Sejm about this regulation. The territorial scope covered by the state of natural disaster, as well as its duration, depends on the magnitude and type of threat.The RP assumes that the duration of this state should not exceed 30 days; however, it can be extended with prior consent from the Sejm.
The premise of this state of emergency is:

• preventing the consequences of natural disasters andeliminatingtheir aftermath,
• preventing the effects of technical failures that bear the hallmarks of natural disasters[18].

To achieve this, it is necessary to see the fundamental structures of the situation that define the activities of the entities involved and create the conditions under which certain types of events can occur. It should also be recognized that all situations occurring in the environments of human life and work, as well as those related to the functioning of organizations, are in some way structured, and these structures influence the subjectively created images of natural, social, or technical life, affecting the assessment of various relationships, processes, and events[19]. All the most tragic events for any individual possessing life and intelligence can turn into what we call a crisis situation. Analysis of many definitions of a crisis indicates that it is determined by parameters, among which the most frequently mentioned are: disturbances, breakthroughs, turning points, loss of initiative, supply shortages, collapse, violation of equilibrium, regression, specific difficulties, threats to priorities, interests, or goals, uncertainty, changes, tensions, destabilization, difficulties in reaching consensus, loss of control over the course of events, likelihood of violence using armed forces, destructive actions, war[20]. To counteract these violent events, every community (country, region, province, district, municipality) should have a universal civil protection system (for people, property, the environment), understood as a complex of interdisciplinary initiatives carried out with the efforts of all entities of state law, aimed at protecting the civilian population from dangers caused by the forces of nature and/or human actions, overcoming their consequences, and ensuring conditions for survival[21]. Experiences of recent decades indicate that for contemporary societies, the threats posed by disasters and technical failures, natural disasters, and environmental contamination are comparable to the effects of war. Some of them, despite prior recognition, humans cannot effectively counteract. Others can be minimized by securing against them in advance. In every case, the ability to identify and analyze dangers is crucial. The indicated actions allow for the recognition of undesirable events that cause accidents, failures, and disasters, assessing the scale, scope, and likelihood of their occurrence and their effects on the environment. The obtained data form the basis for developing an appropriate plan for further actions[22].

The contemporary threat can generally be described as an unfavorable situation for humans, adverse factors causing a disruption of socially accepted order, disturbing functioning, and introducing chaos in place of harmony. In the philosophy of threat, it is said: "when a man is threatened by some evil, for only evil evokes horror, fear," "evil is the absence of due good," we are threatened by evil, "when there is a threat of the absence of due good. This occurs either when there is a threat of losing already possessed good, or the non-acquisition of good not yet possessed, but which could and should be acquired." Psychologists see threats in situations where there are "various dangers of a physical nature (threat of loss of life, disability, illness) and social (possibility of criticism, ridicule, compromise, etc.)." They also signal that threats are: the possibility of losing some values highly valued by the individual[23].

Figure 1.1.1 Security objects – threats, crises[24].

Ł.K.

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