Aim:The purpose of the article is to provide general information about the properties, application, legal aspects and methods of asbestos disposal. In addition, studies on the harmfulness of asbestos impact on the incidence of asbestos-related diseases among people are presented on the example of asbestosis in Poland. The threats that asbestos may cause during rescue and firefighting operations are discussed. Introduction: Asbestos has been used in a variety of ways since ancient times. It gained popularity in the mid-twentieth century, when it began to be used in many building materials. It has become popular because of its unique properties. However, after 1990 there was a drastic change in the approach to the use of asbestos and asbestos products. Asbestos has been banned in 55 countries, including the EU, due to its harmfulness to human health. In Poland, the use and production of asbestos was banned in 1997, and in 2009 the "Asbestos Removal Programme" was introduced, which shows that by 2032 asbestos-containing products should be removed from Poland. Although asbestos has been widely used for many years, safe commercial methods of asbestos disposal have not been developed yet. In the world, many scientific studies are carried out to develop a method for processing and neutralising asbestos products. The research is aimed at developing modern and ecological methods for dealing with asbestos-containing waste. Methodology: The article has been compiled on the basis of a review of selected literature on the subject matter covered. Conclusions: The analysis of the subject allows a statement that both in Poland and in the world the problem of the disposal of asbestos products, which were widely applied in the 20th century, is large. It is necessary to develop safe, environmentally friendly and cost-effective technologies to reduce asbestos waste in the environment to be utilised on an industrial scale. Every effort should be made to provide proper training for firefighters, who may be exposed to inhaling asbestos fibres during rescue and firefighting operations on collapsed or burning buildings.

Aim: An extremely important property of firefighters’ special clothing is thermal resistance of the clothing materials to heat transfer from radiation or flame. Performing tests with the use of thermal mannequins may contribute to the improvement of clothing sets, as such tests indicate weak points of the tested products. The review article presents information on the testing of special clothing on mannequins and a short history of test stands with the use of thermal mannequins. Introduction: Using innovative techniques and technologies provides firefighters-rescuers with an appropriate level of safety. Special clothing is a barrier between the human body and the heat and water vapour from the environment. It is this garment that protects the human body from overheating or cooling down. Methodology: The general test procedure for using thermal mannequins is described in ASTM standards (for instance ASTM F2370 – 10 [1], ASTM F2371 – 10 [2]). Testing of special clothing allowing for an accurate assessment of the degree of protection of the human body against the effects of fire, flame and heat was initiated in the United States. The assumption of these works was to create a mannequin for testing the resistance of clothing equipped with heat sensors to flash fires. Currently, there are around 100 different models of thermal mannequins around the world. Technological progress in the post-war period resulted in the rapid development of mannequins built with a multi-segment structure. This allowed to increase the accuracy of the measurements that simulated heat exchange between the human body and the environment. The data obtained in this manner is repeatable, which allows for standardization of the test requirements for thermal insulation of clothing sets. Conclusions: Performing tests using thermal mannequins contributes to the improvement of clothing sets in order to increase the safety of the users. The results obtained under the test conditions very accurately indicate the number, location and degree of burns to which the user of such clothing may be exposed. Keywords: protective clothing, special clothing, thermal mannequin, thermal resistance, test stands to determine thermal loads Type of article: review article

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Aim: The aim of the article is to present examples of rescue and firefighting activities carried out by PSP / national rescue and firefighting system (KSRG) with the use of innovative techniques and technologies resulting from the research and development projects carried out by teams of contractors, which included CNBOP-PIB as a leader or member of the consortium. In practice, the implementation of the obtained results allows for the actual and formal safety of firefighters-rescuers and other participants in rescue and firefighting operations, which is one of the basic duties of research and development units operating in the field of broadly understood fire protection, civil protection and crisis management. Introduction: Achieving the above goal is possible through the use of innovative techniques and technologies in rescue and firefighting operations, which allow reducing the risk of accidents and failures. Due to rational technical solutions, it is also possible to limit or even completely eliminate overloads of the osteoarticular system. The planned effect, which is to increase the safety level of rescue and firefighting operations, can also be achieved with the use of organizational and technical methods resulting from the selection of optimal methodologies, including those in logistics activities. Methodology: The article presents the possibilities of using products created as a result of the implementation of projects financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR) related to the improvement of activity management and the use of innovative design solutions for equipment used in the planned activities. The considerations were based on the results of development activities carried out by consortia in which CNBOP-PIB participated. Summary: In literature, innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (or service), process, new marketing method or a new method of organization in the field of business practices, workplace organization or relations with the environment. Products (and services), processes and methods (technical, organizational and marketing) can be called innovations if they are new or significantly improved, at least from the point of view of rescue and firefighting activities carried out by PSP/KSRG. Conclusions: Effective use of the results of projects financed by NCBiR is one of the fastest ways to implement organizational and technical innovations in system activities. According to the authors, in order to increase the rational use of funds allocated to the implementation of research and development projects, a more active participation of the operator is recommended (in terms of content). The use of innovative technologies, even on a national scale, allows achieving measurable effects in terms of increasing the functionality, usability of products, modernization of existing systems, improvement of technologies used in rescue and firefighting operations, optimization of working conditions and time, and protection of the natural environment by reducing technogenic situations. Keywords: innovative technologies, organization of rescue and firefighting activities, effectiveness of activities Type of article: review article