HEALTH RISKS OF POLISH FIREFIGHTERS RELATED TO THEIR SERVICE – LITERATURE NARRATIVE REVIEW

The fire service plays a key role in ensuring public safety. The working environment of a firefighter isa burden on health due to numerous risk factors: terrain, weather, chemical, radiological, andbiological factors, as well as mental stress. This narrative review aims to analyse the health risks facedby Polish firefighters, with particular emphasis on psychophysical factors, and to assess theeffectiveness of the protective measures in place. A review of the literature available in PubMed,Google Scholar, Research Gate, Scopus databases was conducted, including publications from 2020to 2025. The selection was made in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The review included55 publications, exclusively peer-reviewed scientific articles (Polish and foreign). Firefighters areexposed to many non-obvious, immediate, and long-term health risks that require a systematicapproach and the implementation of more effective prevention measures.