”This is a duty of the state to train its citizens” - Bieńkowski has no doubts. He stands in a position that the state should prepare local communities so that they develop a habit of reacting in crisis situations, such as floods or serious road accidents. ”Unfortunately, looks like we have to learn to live with such incidents” - claims the former Chief Commander of the Police.
Interview with Marek Bieńkowski on the civil defence in Poland, part 2
Civil defence 2
Will the Poles be willing to undergo proper training, though? ”We have to assume that people act rationally” - replies Bieńkowski. ”If we offer them reasonable and practical preparation why shouldn’t they take advantage of that? After all, in some circumstances it may save lives of their relatives, friends or neighbours.”
The citizen training system is one of the elements of an efficient civil defence system. Another one is cooperation among relevant institutions. And finally, a real supervision and coordination system. ”There is no point in setting up a new unit. All we have to do is use the elements that we have at hand today” - claims Bieńkowski. And he mentions examples of Scandinavia, Switzerland or Spain where the civil defence protects citizens effectively. ”If we could have such a system in Poland it would be irrational not to use it”.
See part 1 of the interview on the civil defence in Poland >>
