Safety and danger during firefighter’s work

In Hungary in the event of disasters and technical rescue, the interventions and rescue services of fire protection are carried out by the fire department and the firefighters within the system of disaster management. The circumstances and the tasks that await them cannot be predicted. Although there are regular trainings and drills, the annual statistics clearly show that accidents do occur during interventions despite their caution and protective equipment. One of the aims of the research was increasing the safety of firefighters. The statistics about deployment and injuries of firefighters with a span of 11 years (between 2000 and 2010) were collected and analysed, then a conclusion was drew. The currently available protective equipment and methods which are the most suitable and in accordance with the current potentials were identified. The negative effects on fire fighters working - especially in closed space - resulting from the use of protective equipment as well as the ways of reducing risks of interventions was studied too. Based on one of the research findings, there are more ways to increase safety of both the fire fighter and the rescuee, thus the safety of the intervention. These ways include finding a more modern alternative of protective equipment, preparing firefighters for the circumstances in confined space is drilling in as life-like circumstances as possible and the use of devices which are currently not standard in firefighting.