Education in the field of fire protection and emergency rescue in higher education school in Novi Sad, Serbia

The valuation of past experience and the survey of needs and staff currently in the service dealing with protection in emergency situations give rather dissonant tones that are in collision with the general security of citizens in Serbia. VTŠ has been actively involved in the protection of Serbia’s population from the discussed types of risk because we have realized that modern protection requires an integrated approach in order to be implemented properly. 1. Through the analysis of activities of the rescuer within any rescue measure the existence of high-level risks can be observed. Numerous measures that can be applied cannot significantly reduce the risk. Experience shows that the basic measure is the training of the rescuer. Therefore, in the educational process there should be two directions of engagement, in particular: a) Establishment of programmes with as much practical work as possible to gain practical experience; and b) Such programmes with practical content require suitable conditions, i.e. space or training grounds for practicing. 2. There is a significant issue at the second (specialist) study level – how much time or credits are necessary to achieve quality education. The law specifies from 60 to 120 credits, or 1–2 years. Hence, this is the framework within which we should look for an answer. From the above, it can be concluded that a detailed analysis of plans and programmes as well as their harmonization with real state and needs is necessary. Other plans and programmes in the area of protection which the School has accredited and the possibility of further development must not be forgotten. It is likely that there are possibilities of creating new study programmes in the field of protection within the overall protection system in Serbia.