Only a half of 14 communes audited by NIK had active civil defence structures. In other communes they were either not established at all (Gąbin, Starogard Gdański, Goczałkowice Zdrój), or existed only on paper (Puchaczów, Przeworno, Borów). None of the communes financed the civil defence operations from its own budget. Nine communes used provincial grants. However, even there the equipment essential for the civil defence to perform its elementary tasks was not modernised. The auditors detected equipment from the 70’s of the last century lying in warehouses: worn-out gas masks, obsolete chemical recognition devices, old radiation indicators. With this type of equipment the civil defence cannot fulfil its fundamental tasks in case of a hazard.
Nearly all of the audited communes neglected their obligation to organise training programmes on the universal self-defence for civil citizens. The Poles do not know how to behave in case of a threat or a natural disaster. They do not have any capabilities enabling them to survive in extreme circumstances. Most communes developed a civil defence scheme but six of them did not meet the requirements defined by the Chief of National Civil Defence. For instance, in Sieradz, Warta and Borów the schemes reached back to 1995 and were not adapted to present conditions. Five communes lacked real evacuation plans in case of hazards or natural disasters. In three communes no health care institutions were selected.
The Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration ignores the signals of irregularities. He does not take any efforts to obtain information from the Chief of National Civil Defence (who is the Commander-in-Chief of the State Fire Service). For instance, in the period audited by NIK (2009-2011), the Minister received only one comprehensive communication on the execution of tasks by the civil defence for 2008. However, he did not respond to the remarks on irregularities specified there, concerning e.g. the work organisation and legal status.
The Minister failed to perform any of his legal obligations related to the civil defence supervision. Besides, until present he has not completed the works on the draft Act started in 2006. The Act is supposed to stipulate the civil defence organisation and adjust the provisions to the current situation and infrastructure in Poland. Effective legal norms (deriving from the Act on the universal duty to defend the Republic of Poland of 1967) do not guarantee effective coordination and execution of activities related to the protection of citizens. The provisions which were amended and supplemented many a time, introduce chaos in terms of competencies, copy other legal acts, sometimes even exclude one another.
