Who is conducting the exercises and in what area
The "Wind Strike 26" exercises are taking place across five counties: częstochowski, kłobucki, lubliniecki, myszkowski and zawierciański. They also cover Częstochowa and selected towns and municipalities in the region.
The specific scope is broad. The operations will cover the towns of: Częstochowa, Janów, Kłobuck, Łazy, Myszków, Ogrodzieniec, Olsztyn, Szczekociny, Włodowice and Żarki, as well as the municipalities of: Boronów, Herby, Kochanowice, Koszęcin, Mstów, Miedźno, Niegowa, Popów, Poraj and Przystajń.
The exercise assumptions were presented during a briefing by Silesian Voivode Marek Wójcik, Deputy Commander of the Voivodeship Police in Katowice Insp. Jacek Stelmach and Deputy Silesian Voivodeship Commander of the State Fire Service Senior Brig. Roman Klecha. The second press briefing announcing the exercises was attended by Silesian Voivode Marek Wójcik, Silesian Vice-Voivode Adam Zaczkowski, Deputy Silesian Voivodeship Commander of the State Fire Service Brig. Zbigniew Dyk and Deputy Commander of the Voivodeship Police in Katowice Insp. Jacek Stelmach.
The scale of the undertaking is felt on the ground. Approximately 1,400 people are taking part in the exercises, including nearly 400 police officers. Silesian Voivode Marek Wójcik said during the briefing that as part of the 20 planned episodes, tasks will be carried out by firefighters, paramedics, soldiers, police officers and representatives of local government units.
Purpose and course of the exercises
Testing the readiness of services, improving cooperation and verifying the response to sudden weather phenomena — these are the main goals of "Wind Strike 26". The scenarios of the 20 episodes are based on real events from the past, and participants include police officers, firefighters, paramedics, soldiers and representatives of local government administration.
One of the episodes assumes the simulated effects of a storm at a boarding school: fallen trees, injured people requiring evacuation, missing persons and a fire. Participants do not know the detailed assumptions of individual episodes in advance, which is intended to test preparedness for operating in dynamically changing conditions.
More than 400 firefighters from the State and Volunteer Fire Services and more than 100 equipment units will take part in the exercises. Planned activities include alerting and warning procedures for the population, rescue operations in the event of weather anomalies and mass evacuation from endangered areas.
The Police support the emergency services: they are responsible for the safety of residents, securing incident sites, designating exclusion zones for bystanders, directing traffic and keeping roads passable. A staff may be responsible for coordinating police operations if further incidents arise.
Disruptions for residents
Residents of Częstochowa and four counties must expect that for three days the roads will look different than usual.
- Due to the episodes being carried out, there may be temporary traffic disruptions and an increased number of emergency vehicles.
- Residents and people staying near the locations where operations are being carried out should expect possible disruptions and increased traffic of emergency service vehicles and priority vehicles.
A separate element is the sirens. On 21 October 2026, between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., the warning and alerting system for the population, including alarm sirens, will be activated in the area covered by the operations. Their activation is purely for exercise purposes and is being carried out for the needs of the ongoing exercises.
Sources
- KWP in Katowice: Voivodeship exercises "Wind Strike 26" have begun
- Radio Jura: Service exercises "Wind Strike 26" have begun [PHOTOS]
- wCzęstochowie.pl: Defence-crisis exercises "Wind Strike 2026" are starting. More fire engines, police cars and ambulances also in Częstochowa
Article prepared with the help of artificial intelligence based on: KWP in Katowice, Radio Jura, wCzęstochowie.pl. Facts checked automatically against these sources. The Wiadomości PRO newsroom is responsible for this publication.
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