Topics of coins
100th Anniversary of the formation of the Polish Association of Volunteer Fire Brigade
On 8–9 September 1921, a nationwide convention
of fire brigades, attended by 3,690 delegates
and the Polish Prime Minister Wincenty Witos
together with ministers, was held in Warsaw.
The convention delegation was received by the
Chief of State Józef Piłsudski. The meeting ended
with the establishment of the Main Association
of Fire Brigades of the Republic of Poland.
On the territory of the reborn Republic of Poland
there were nearly 3,000 volunteer fire brigades
(OSP) at that time. The Association united the fire
brigades previously existing in the territories of
the Austrian partition (including the corporation
established in Lviv in 1875), the Russian partition
(also those forming part of the Florian Association
established in 1916), and the Prussian partition.
At the convention, the Main Board was elected
as follows: Bolesław Chomicz – president, Karol
Rzepecki – vice-president, Zygmunt Choromański
– treasurer, Jan Kuc – secretary, Stanisław Olkuski
– custodian, Bolesław Pachelski – acting head,
and the members: Bolesław Kozłowski, Klemens
Matusiak, Adam Mrozowski, Józef Tuliszkowski
and Bolesław Wójcikiewicz. Since that event,
the idea of unity, in accordance with the maxim
“Unity is strength”, brings firefighters together in
their fire protection activities and rescue actions.
Thousands of firefighters have given their lives and health in noble service to the homeland,
saving people and their property. The dedication of
volunteer firefighters is a school of civic duty to the
state, patriotism, democracy and self-governance.
They perform their tasks with dignity, in line with
the firefighters’ motto “for the glory of God, for the
benefit of people”. In 1984, Pope John Paul II put
it fittingly in his apostolic letter on the occasion
of the 800th anniversary of St Florian’s parish in
Kleparz, Kraków: “(...) faithful to the commandment
of love and to Christian tradition, they bring aid to
their neighbour in the face of the threat of natural
disasters”.
Today all firefighters are represented by the
Polish Association of Volunteer Fire Brigades,
which became fully self-governing and
independent after the political transformation
in 1989. It numbers 16,000 Volunteer Fire
Brigades and 700,000 firefighters.
Their devotion is symbolised on the coin by
firefighters in a firefighting operation.
Marian Zalewski, PhD