FIRE UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Fire University (Akademia Pożarnicza, formerly the Main School of Fire Service) is Poland's specialized higher education institution for fire service, civil protection, and emergency response professionals. They bring operational firefighting and rescue expertise into EU research consortia, contributing practitioner knowledge to projects on disaster response, CBRN detection, critical infrastructure protection, and wildfire management. Their role bridges the gap between academic research and the real-world needs of first responders and civil protection agencies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier period (2016–2018), Fire University focused squarely on traditional first responder concerns: capability development, practitioner training, civil protection, and disaster response (MOBNET, FIRE-IN, EU-SENSE). From 2018 onward, their involvement shifted toward technology-intensive domains — CBRN sensor systems, critical health infrastructure security, and most recently wildfire management using big-data frameworks and 3D forest models (SILVANUS). This evolution shows a clear move from operational emergency response toward data-driven environmental monitoring and prevention.

Fire University is moving from reactive disaster response toward technology-enabled wildfire prevention and environmental monitoring, making them increasingly relevant for climate adaptation and forest management consortia.

How they like to work

Fire University operates exclusively as a consortium participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. With 96 unique partners across 23 countries, they join large, multi-partner consortia (typical for security and climate projects) rather than leading small focused teams. This makes them a reliable, low-friction partner who brings domain-specific practitioner expertise without competing for coordination roles.

With 96 unique consortium partners across 23 countries, Fire University has built an extensive European network despite only 5 projects — a reflection of the large consortia typical in the security pillar. Their reach spans most of EU-27 and likely includes key civil protection agencies and research institutions.

What sets them apart

Fire University is one of very few higher education institutions in Europe dedicated entirely to fire service and civil protection training. This gives them something most universities cannot offer: direct operational knowledge of how first responders actually work in the field. For any consortium needing end-user validation, practitioner testing, or training framework development in emergency response, they are a natural and credible partner from Poland.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SILVANUS
  Their largest project (EUR 233,500) and most recent, representing their strategic shift toward wildfire management with big-data and 3D modelling technologies.
• FIRE-IN
  A 5-year CSA building a pan-European Fire and Rescue Innovation Network — directly aligned with their core institutional mission of advancing first responder capabilities.
• EU-SENSE
  Expanded their profile beyond traditional fire/rescue into CBRN sensor technology, demonstrating capability in security-critical detection systems.