– The operation will not end until it becomes clear that there is no one alive, – rescue expert Przemysław Rembielak said about the events in Cieszyn. On the other hand, he emphasized that this is not a quick action because it must be done very carefully.
About 30 fire brigades are working at the scene of the construction disaster on Wiedza Street in Cieszyn, where a house collapsed on Sunday morning. Since there could be two people under the rubble, there is a special search and rescue team from Jastrzebie-Zdroj with rescue dogs.
Why didn’t they enter the ruins immediately?
Professional firefighter Przemysław Rembielak from the Poznań Search and Rescue Team, who has more than 20 years of experience and 50 foreign missions under his belt, explained to TVN24 that there is always a lot of energy gathered locally to replace rescuers. However, there should be as few people as possible in the ruined area itself, because one of the elements of such an action is the safety of the place.
– This place is dangerous, so it is not possible to bring fire extinguishers there, and at the same time, two missing people are a signal that they should be brought, – said Rembielak.
An old residential building collapsed in the center of CiesenPSP
The explosion destroys the structure
Jastrzebi rescuers are experts in structural stabilization, and according to Rembielak, this is what they will do first in Cieszyn. In the destroyed residential house there are still hanging elements that fall on your head during the operation and must be destroyed.
As Rembielak said, the gas explosion will destroy the structure of the building. – An ordinary fire burns the building, and if it slows down, it can collapse. The explosion destroys the structural elements, breaks the anchors and knocks down the ceiling beams.
This means that the apartment building can continue to slide and neighboring buildings are at risk.
According to the expert, the advantage of the operation on Vidza Street is that the front wall collapsed at the first stage, because it did not surprise the rescuers with a sudden collapse. But the remaining walls can also collapse – from the load of water poured during firefighting operations.
The expert noted that “the danger zone around the ruins is several tens of meters long, because the brick fragments” of a two-three-story building can fly there.
We need to eliminate secondary threats and stop the gas, said the expert. But it is not enough to turn off the valve, which may be far from the house, the gas still remains in the pipes and comes out of the ruins, increasing the risk.
Apartment in the center of Cieszyn-Jacek Dobrzynski/X
Nos psa, drone, tachymetry
Only after securing the ruins can you enter with a rescue dog that must find living people. Not dead people to be dragged out at the end. – A dog is an irreplaceable means of survival. No electronic device has a nose like a dog’s, said an expert.
What devices can be used in practice?
Drones – to see the situation from above, up close. But they don’t look good in the smoke. Therefore, drones with thermal imaging cameras are used.
General stations – are used to measure the deviation of building structures from the vertical, they show whether the building is behind even microns and threatens or not. – If something starts to collapse, everyone should get out of there – said the expert.
When a rescue dog is brought under the rubbleTVN24
– This action will be carried out not very quickly, but very carefully, because haste can take the lives of other people, – emphasized the fireman.
The rescuers go step by step, reach each place and check it thoroughly. They dress differently than the firemen who put out the fire. Their equipment cannot be heavy, their hats cannot cover their ears, they must hear each other and hear the cracking of wooden elements. Shoes should be comfortable, hiking shoes. They are usually equipped with thin and light cameras that can look at the smallest cracks.
“The operation is not finished until there is no living person,” Rembielak emphasized.
Rescuers use shovels, shovels and crowbars. They work by hand, they wear glasses to protect them from splinters. Heavy equipment is brought to the ruined place at the same time, when it is already known that there is no living person there.
The whole conversation with Przemysław Rembielak
Main photo source: TVN24
