Rescue in extreme situations. PCK Silesia maneuvers 2026

250 rescuers and humanitarian workers, as well as esteemed specialists in security and crisis response, will participate in the Silesia Rescue Maneuvers 2026 in Zabrze and the preceding conference "Safety. Resilience. Cooperation.".

On March 14, the national PCK Silesia 2026 Rescue Maneuvers will take place. Comprehensive rescue exercises will be carried out in the area of the Queen Luiza complex in Zabrze.

A key element of the maneuvers will be actions in underground workings and the evacuation of injured individuals from hard-to-reach spaces. The program includes four parallel operational assumptions executed in a rotational format, simulating mass events that require the simultaneous engagement of multiple rescue teams. The realism of the actions will be enhanced by the participation of medical actors playing the role of the injured, allowing rescuers to operate in conditions similar to actual mass events.

The maneuvers provide an opportunity to raise the operational readiness of rescue teams, improve coordination in mass events, develop competencies in evacuation and working in difficult terrain, and strengthen interregional cooperation within the PCK structures.

On the eve of the maneuvers, on March 13, an expert conference dedicated to crisis management, social resilience, and rescue operations will be held. The first lecture will be delivered by Dr. habil. Prof. UE Katarzyna Bilińska from the University of Economics in Katowice, who will present the topic of leadership in crisis situations. Next, Agata Gajos from the Polish Red Cross will discuss the issue of psychological resilience of individuals and communities.

The next presentation will be given by Dr. Waldemar Sobara from the University of Silesia, who will present challenges related to risk communication and building social resilience. The program also includes a lecture by Wiktor Rybicki from the Meanwhile Foundation on the psychological and social foundations of state resilience in conflict situations.

Mgr Marcin Gałkiewicz from the Silesian Medical University will focus on issues of first aid and so-called prolonged first aid. The conference will conclude with a presentation by representatives of the KWK Budryk Mining Rescue Team, who will outline the functioning of rescue services in a mining company.

The meeting serves as a platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences between the academic, rescue, and social organization communities in the area ofpreparation for crisis situations and building social resilience.

The organizers of the maneuvers and conference are the Silesian District of the Polish Red Cross and the Museum of Coal Mining in Zabrze. The maneuvers will be carried out in cooperation with PCK Rescue Groups from Bielsko-Biała, Czechowice-Dziedzice, and Zabrze.