A man bitten by hornets in hospital. Firefighters intervene more and more often

Mężczyzna pogryziony przez szerszenie w szpitalu. Strażacy interweniują coraz częściej

Firefighters and paramedics intervened yesterday on a private property in Strzyżów, in the Horodło commune in the Hrubieszów poviat, in the Lublin Voivodeship. A resident there was bitten by hornets and suffered anaphylactic shock – reports Lublin112.

Firefighters from the Strzyżów Volunteer Fire Department helped the emergency medical team and removed an insect nest that threatened the building's residents. The stung man received emergency help and was taken to hospital.

Record July

According to the Headquarters of the State Fire Service, in July 2024, firefighters intervened as many as 16,971 times as a result of residents' requests to remove nests or swarms of insects. "This is over 8,300 more reports than in the same period of 2023, when 8,594 such interventions were recorded. Most reports this year came from the following voivodeships: Silesia (6,271), Podkarpackie (4,048), Masovia (3,845), Lesser Poland (2,761) and Greater Poland (2620)." – we read in the announcement.

Responsible owner

The Fire Department also reminds that it is the responsibility of its owner or manager to ensure the safe use of the facility. "In most cases, events related to the occurrence of hymenoptera are not sudden. Regularly taking care of the good technical condition of the building can prevent the nesting of insects. Disinfestation companies are the appropriate institutions to eliminate nests or swarms." – instructs the National Fire Service Headquarters.

Firefighters are obliged to intervene only in situations of direct threat to people's health or life, and in the case of public buildings. In cases of unjustified reports, firefighters may limit themselves to securing the area and evacuating people at risk. The rest should be done by the building owner at his own expense. In practice, however, firefighters rarely refuse help because it is difficult to determine the scale of the threat in similar situations.