The Fire and Rescue Service (HaZZ) appeals for compliance with the basic principles of handling open flames, fireworks, and when installing or operating electrical equipment. The police and rescuers also call for greater caution during this period. At Monday’s press conference, the president of HaZZ Adrián Mifkovič, the director of the traffic police department of the Presidium of the Police Force, Juraj Tlacháč, and the president of the Emergency Medical Service Association, Matej Polák, informed about this.
“Never leave an open fire unattended. Yesterday we had two fires of Advent wreaths in an apartment in Bratislava,” stated Mifkovič, saying that if an open fire is necessary, he recommends installing candles on a non-flammable mat. In the case of electric lighting, he recommends pulling out sockets, turning off chargers and, if possible, all electrical devices when leaving the house. “The pressure of the devices is enormous at this time, so there can be an overload of the network and also an increased transient resistance and fires can occur,” he pointed out.
Tlacháč appealed to the drivers. According to him, last year’s statistics show that, on average, during the holidays, a person is killed in every 30th traffic accident, compared to the annual average, where a person is killed in every 44th accident. According to him, during the Christmas holidays, alcohol was recorded in the culprit of a traffic accident in 22 cases last year. “Statistically, it is in every seventh traffic accident, during the year the average is in every ninth traffic accident,” he added.
As Polák pointed out, the most common problems encountered by paramedics in patients during this period are difficulty breathing or abdominal pain. According to him, these problems are frequent associated with overeating or inappropriate combination of alcohol and food. According to Polák, rescue workers often meet during the holidays with psychological problems such as depression, anxiety or sadness.
