The government is preparing plans to evacuate the population. It is preparing for the worst-case scenario

• The Government Security Centre is preparing guidelines for population evacuation plans.
• Legislative work and consultations on this matter are at an advanced stage.
• The RCB also plans to create a guide for citizens that will help them understand the rules for raising alarms and acting in times of danger.

Article 22 of the Act on Population Protection and Civil Defense imposed new tasks on the Government Security Center (an entity subordinate to the Prime Minister). These include:

• monitoring threats and notifying, warning and alerting the population about threats,
• implementation of the obligations arising from the participation of the Republic of Poland in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union in the scope of building the state’s resilience to threats,
• ensuring the exchange of information related to population protection and civil defence for the needs of the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers and the minister responsible for internal affairs,
• implementation of other tasks in the field of population protection and civil defence entrusted by the minister responsible for internal affairs,
• ensuring the exchange of information for the implementation of tasks in the field of population protection and civil defence,
• ensuring the exchange of information within the framework of international cooperation in the area of ​​population protection and implementation of allied commitments,
• cooperation with civil protection bodies.

The same article of the Act imposes one more obligation on the RCB.

- The Act on the Protection of the Population and Civil Defense gives us a task that - in relation to the General Staff - we are to prepare guidelines for voivodes regarding population evacuation plans - says Zbigniew Muszyński, director of the Government Security Center.

The head of the RCB emphasizes in an interview with InfoSecurity24 that the plans will not be imposed from above, but will take into account the knowledge and experience of people operating at the local level. The organization of the evacuation should be adapted to local conditions and possibilities, and not be based solely on central guidelines.

A key element of the actions taken almost immediately after the provisions of the act came into force are broad consultations. The head of the RCB emphasizes the importance of cooperation with local governments and other institutions in order to effectively plan and carry out evacuations in crisis situations.

We will prepare guidelines in this spirit, so as not to impose anything by force, because it is known that people at the bottom most often know better what the situation is. Of course, we must draw conclusions from what happened in Ukraine and adapt it to the contemporary reality

- emphasizes Muszyński.

In an interview with InfoSecurity24, he also points out the need to adapt evacuation plans to modern threats - such as missile attacks or cyberattacks - which are currently more likely than traditional warfare.

- Unfortunately, a lot of responsibility rests with the voivodes. We, in addition to this, must later draw up a national evacuation plan. We must remember about the points of contact between voivodeships and the points of contact between Poland and neighboring countries - says Zbigniew Muszyński.

The RCB also plans to create a guide for citizens that will help them understand the rules for raising alarms and acting in times of danger. The new regulations also aim to educate society and build civic awareness.

- In difficult security situations, everyone must first be educated in terms of awareness of the threats that may await everyone - emphasizes the head of RCB.