Traveling around Poland
There are many beautiful places to see in Poland. Check official promotional website of our country. It is available in 8 languages:
Check the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List in Poland:
Take under consideration following websites, while planning your trip:
Train connections: PKP
Bus connections: All lines, PolskiBus, Lux Express, Mobilis.
Plane connections: All lines (example), WizzAir, RyanAir, LOT Polish Airlines.
Check for cultural events in Warsaw: www.cojestgrane.pl (Unfortunately only in Polish, but the website is very intuitive).
For more information, contact Erasmus Coordination Team members.
You may also watch a promotional clip of Poland and SGSP.
Public transport in Warsaw
Public transport in Warsaw is well organized. Before you will go and check personally, visit ZTM (Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego) website, where you may find all necessary information about fares, tickets, connections, etc.
While searching for possible connections, you may also use following website. It is a simple, but a powerful tool.
About Warsaw
Warsaw is a great place to live. There is a lot of attractive places to see. Visit official website of Warsaw to find detailed information.
City of Warsaw
You may find more detailed information about the city in the Warsaw Tourist Office (Stołeczne Biuro Turystyki), what is an entity that operates within the larger organisation of the City of Warsaw; it concerns itself with informing visitors about comprehensive activities related to tourism.
Their tasks include:
- managing the Warsaw Tourist Information Points and telephone hotlines, which are at: +48 22 194 31
- providing information about Warsaw and its attractions, as well as cultural, sporting and business/ trade fair events in the capital
- booking reservations in Warsaw hotels
- arranging tour guides
- distributing travel publications (such as maps, guides, general information, etc.)
- WARSAW TOURIST INFORMATION POINTS
1) Warsaw Tourist Information – Palace of Culture and Science
Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki), pl. Defilad 1, (entrance from Emilii Plater Street, between Kongresowa Hall and Museum of Technology), tel. +48 22 194 31, e-mail: info@warsawtour.pl Website
2) Warsaw Central Train Station (Dworzec Warszawa Centralna)
Main Hall, Al. Jerozolimskie 54
3) Old Town Market
Rynek Starego Miasta 19/21/21a
4) Chopin Airport (Lotnisko Chopina)
Terminal A, exit 2, ul. Żwirki i Wigury 1
5) Kordegarda
ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 15/17
6) Western Bus Station (Dworzec Warszawa Zachodnia) – open from 7 May till 31 July
main hall of the bus station, AURA office, Al. Jerozolimskie 144
About SGSP
We would like to welcome you to the Main School of Fire Service in Warsaw. Thank you for choosing our university for your Erasmus exchange desitnation. We are sure, you will not regret it!
SGSP is the only one in Poland and one of the few state technical universities in the world, which trains fire service officers and educates specialist in fire safety and civil safety engineering at the same time. SGSP reports to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration. It has full academic rights and constitutes an organisational unit of the State Fire Service (PSP). SGSP’s history as a higher educational enterprise started in 1971 when The School for Fire Service Officers was transformed into The Higher School for Fire Service Officers (WOSP). In 1982 in place of WOSP, The Main School of Fire Service (SGSP) was created.
The head of SGSP is Commandant-Rector who manages and represents SGSP and is also the head executive of all the employees and students. Commandant-Rector co-operates with: Deputy Rector for Research , Deputy Rector for Didactic Process, Deputy Rector for Development,, Deputy Commandant for Operations. The highest collective authority at SGSP is the Senate and Scientific Advisory Board.
Education
SGSP offers two types of classes: day and extramural, both of the same academic character. Graduates can obtain either bachelor’s or master’s degree. There is also a wide variety of postgraduate and specialised courses available. The classes are led by highly qualified academics, who have degrees in technical subjects and other fields of knowledge (e.g., economy, law, management, etc.) as well as by highly specialised commanding staff.
Curriculum of Fire Safety Engineering
Our faculty (Faculty of Safety Engineering and Civil Protection) educates specialists in life, health and property protection against fires, natural calamities, disasters and other local threats. Classes, either day or extramural ones, are both for uniformed and civilian students.
Prospective students seeking entry to uniformedday courses (future cadet-officers), after providing necessary documents have to sit an entrance exam.
Preliminary exam is competitive, which means that only the best candidates are accepted.
The exam is in mathematics, physics, a chosen foreign language (English, German, or Russian) together with a fitness test.
The first days of August mark the beginning of so called – candidate training. Only students who passed all the exams are qualified to participate in it. This eight-week training, that takes place on the training ground, aims at preparing the future students to fulfil their duties in the State Fire Service (PSP). Those candidates, who successfully complete the course, start their first academic year with an oath ceremonyand become cadet-officers of The Main School of Fire Service.
Through the course of studies they stay at the School’s dormitories at permanent command. Apart from studying, cadet-officers serve also as firefighters at the School’s Rescue and Firefighting Unit, where they also acquire professional experience. The Unit protects operationally the whole area of Żoliborz quarter and within the framework of mutual assistance, the area of Warsaw. SGSP, as an operational resources support of the Chief Commandant of the State Fire Service, also takes part in fire fighting and rescue actions on the territory of Poland.
In case of resignation from the duty in PSP within five years from completing the studies, graduates are obliged to return the costs of living to SGSP.
Engineer degree studies last eight semesters. Their graduates are awarded bachelor’s degree in fire protection and official rank of Junior Captain in PSP. The top of the class graduates continue their studies in order to obtain master’s degree in fire protection engineering.
Prospective students applying to civilian day courses are recruited on the basis of an interview after providing necessary documents.
A specialist in fire safety engineering is prepared to act in different situations thanks to the obtained knowledge comprising:
- the know-how of fire protection organisational system of the State Fire Service (PSP), National Fire-Fighting and Rescue System and civil protection
- ability to analyse fire hazards of industrial and public utility premises, forest areas, rural, city and district areas and other local hazards
- ability to evaluate construction projects, technological appliances and processes from the point of view of fire and explosion hazards
- ability to evaluate fire hazards and knowledge of reducing them
- knowledge of the rules of functioning and choosing fire protection systems as well as designing and inspecting them
- ability to conduct fire protection training
- ability to conduct operational protection studies and to write rescue plans, safety reports and the like planning documents.
Curriculum of Civil Safety Engineering
The Faculty educates also specialists for government and local authorities organs and economic entities in protection of population against effects of natural and manmade disasters. Students acquire knowledge in the field of civil safety, including civil planning, disaster prevention, CIMIC, liquidation of emergency events results. A graduate (specialist in civil safety) is prepared to act in the following situations:
- assessment of preparation and efficiency of the civil preparedness and civil crisis management systems
- pronouncing opinions on acts of law and other documents concerning civil preparedness and civil crisis management
- writing reports on disasters forecast and ways of preventing them, counteracting and preparing in case of an emergency event occurrence
- preparation of programs in civil planing and crisis response on different levels of public administration.
- Three and a half years (i.e. seven semesters) of studying at day classes and four-week professional practice entitle to obtain bachelor’s degree in civil safety engineering.
Prospective students applying to this faculty are recruited on the basis of an interview after providing necessary documents.
INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION
Traditional values of SGSP comprise eagerness to international exchange of knowledge and also didactic and scientific experience. SGSP co-operates with a number of foreign higher education enterprises as well as international organisations. A significant number of SGSP academics take active part in international scientific conferences. Also our students are often participants of various international conferences, professional practices, and foreign student exchange programmes.
SGSP participates in research projects conducted in bilateral and multilateral international co-operation. Foreign guests visiting SGSP take part in seminars and conferences, deliver lectures or participate in common research projects.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
For many years now, SGSP has been conducting basic and applied research projects planned on a wide scale. All of these works are led within statutory activity, target, ordered and internal projects, as well as within grants from the State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN), from international organisations (e.g. TEMPUS PHARE programme and The Fifth Frame Work Programme for Research, Technology Development and Demonstration – concerning forest fires), and in co-operation with foreign colleges and universities dealing with fire and environment protection. Also, SGSP is charged with implementing research projects in problem solving by various firms and institutions. The projects concern risk analysis and risk assessment as well as preparing preventive and operational projects aiming at limiting number of possible hazards in human environment (e.g. Risk Management Model on Protection of Population Focusing on Commune and Municipal Level Referring to a National Population Protection System).
Implementation of research results conducted at SGSP enabled dissemination of new solutions within subjects of rescue equipment, installations and protection systems, rescue techniques as well as organisational undertakings helping to increase safety of people and environment.
MORE ABOUT SGSP
SGSP has its own modern didactic base equipped with the latest scientific devices, computer and audio-visual equipment (in many cases unique in Poland).
The pride of SGSP is Decision-Making Engineering Section that is equipped with the most recent computer simulation systems. These systems enable representatives of rescue services and administration to acquire management skills in the states of emergency. Smoke container training chamber, modern lecture rooms and specialised labs also add pride to the School.
The library of SGSP constitutes another valuable facility. It attracts a number of people, as it possesses the biggest collection of Polish and foreign books, periodicals, and magazines concerning fire protection (54.000 volumes).
SGSP’s dinning room and café, as well as all the sport facilities (e.g., weight room, stadium with 300 meter-long truck, sport hall with a climbing wall), enjoy great popularity among students. For that reason, it is of no surprise that in regularly organised national or international sport games and competitions SGSP representatives receive high scores in various sports e.g., running, swimming, sailing, soccer, or volleyball.
If you are interested in more detailed information about our university, you may also find some interesting literature in our library.
Organization of the following academic year (2021/22)
The inauguration of the academic year: 1st Oct 2021
The beginning of the winter semester: 4th Oct 2021
Christmas break: 24th Dec 2021 – 2nd Jan 2022
The end of the winter semester: 27th Jan 2022
Examination period: 28th Jan 2022 – 10th Feb 2022
Break: 11th Feb – 20th Feb 2022
The beginning of the summer semester: 21st Feb 2022
Easter holidays: 15th Apr – 19th Apr 2022
The end of the summer semester: 15th Jun 2022
Examination period: 17th Jun – 30th Jun 2022
NOTE: lectures will not take place on the following days: 11th Nov 2021 (Independence Day), 29th Nov 2021 (Cadet Officer Day), 21st Apr 2022 (Student’s Day), 2nd – 4th May 2022, 13th May 2022 (Fireman’s Day), 5th June 2022, 16th June 2022
NOTE: there are following bank holidays in Poland:
- 1st Nov – All Saints’ Day
- 11th Nov – Independence Day
- 25th – 26th Dec – Christmas
- 1st Jan – New Year’s Eve
- 6th Jan – Epiphany
- 17th – 18th Apr 2022 – Easter
- 1st May – Labour Day
- 3rd May – Constitution Day
- 11th Jun – Corpus Christi
Organization of the following academic year (2022/23)
The inauguration of the academic year: 3rd Oct 2022
The beginning of the winter semester: 3rd Oct 2022
Christmas break: 23th Dec 2022 – 1st Jan 2023
The end of the winter semester: 25th Jan 2023
Examination period: 26th Jan 2023 – 8th Feb 2023
Break: 9th Feb – 19th Feb 2023
The beginning of the summer semester: 20th Feb 2023
Easter holidays: 7th Apr – 11th Apr 2023
The end of the summer semester: 15th Jun 2023
Examination period: 16th Jun – 29th Jun 2023
NOTE: lectures will not take place on the following days: 11th Nov (Independence Day), 25th Nov 2022 (Cadet Officer Day), 19th Apr 2023 (Student’s Day), 1stnd – 4th May 2023, 12th May 2023 (Fireman’s Day), 8th June 2023.
NOTE: there are following bank holidays in Poland:
- 1st Nov – All Saints’ Day
- 11th Nov – Independence Day
- 25th – 26th Dec – Christmas
- 1st Jan – New Year’s Eve
- 6th Jan – Epiphany
- 7th – 10th Apr 2023 – Easter
- 1st May – Labour Day
- 3rd May – Constitution Day
- 8th Jun 2023 – Corpus Christi
