Firefighters’ traditions in the context of preservation of the environment and shaping of the cultural heritage of the frontier region of Gmina Poronin and Obec Kokava

HOW VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS BENEFIT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

During the last 20 years the volunteer fire departments of Gmina Poronin have taken up a number of initiatives. They have also been implementing the following actions:

• Preventing fires in cooperation with local schools by organising annual Youth against fires competitions;
• Participating in local, provincial and nationwide pilgrimages;
• Organising, securing and participating in car and motorcycle pilgrimage from Krzeptówki to Ludźmierz;
• Celebrating the Day of Saint Florian, the Patron Saint of Firefighters in Kraków and churches of Gmina Poronin and Tatra County;
• Securing and participating in Corpus Christi processions, indulgences and All Saints’ Day celebrations;
• Participating with the whole units in Easter processions and keeping guard over the Holy Sepulchre;
• Securing the Tour de Pologne races, street runs, ski jumping competitions and winter horse racings;
• Participating in national and patriotic celebrations with their colour parties;
• Making the fire stations available for the purposes of village gatherings, elections, weddings’ receptions, First Communion and birthday parties; the rooms of the fire stations are often also used as locker rooms and doctors’ offices;
• Organising and participating in firefighting competitions;
• Participating in local searches of missing persons;
• Cleaning and conservating the local rivers and fire tanks and keeping inventory of hydrants in Gmina Poronin;
• Providing the local residents with drinking water during times of contamination of local water sources and waterworks malfunctions;
• Actively participating in the activities of the Podhalan Union, Farmers’ Wives Associations and sport clubs;
• Providing the local residents with protective gear and transportation for medical examinations and to vaccination points;
• Organising annual Horse-Drawn Fire Engines of Lesser Poland competition, called Firefighters’ Party in Ząb;
• Assisting in organising and securing of family picnics, fairs, Christmas gatherings and culinary competitions;
• Designing and releasing firefighters’ calendars which promote sponsors and benefactors of the volunteer fire departments.

The participation of members of the volunteer fire departments in liberating of Poland is a beautiful and memorable part of their history. Walenty Jarząbek, Andrzej Strączek Dziurawy and Józef Zwijacz of Ząb served as firemen, but they died among fellow soldiers during World War I.

Jan Lańda died at the front of World War II and firemen Karol Kupiec, Józef Kupiec and Franciszek Gut-Mostowy were killed in concentration camps. All of the above were firefighters of Volunteer Fire Department in Poronin.

We will also remember Alojzy Polak, who served as a fireman of the Volunteer Fire Department in Nowe Bystre and who fought valiantly as a part of the Polish Legions during World War I. He also fought against Bolshevik Russia. In 1943 he was elected a second-in-command of the first armed partisan unit of the Home Army on Podhale. He was killed by the Germans on November 1st, 1943 at the cemetery of Zakopane.