Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1497523
where R stands for the distance between the building base, and the escape exit shaft, while h stands for the building height, up to the top cornice. That distance could have been diminished by raising the height of the lower edge of the shaft above the ground level (the shaft would extend above terrain in such circumstances). The above made it possible to raise the escape exit above the area covered in rubble. Thanks to that, the risk of the shaft being covered was diminished. It was also easier to remove rubble with the use of heavy equipment. The autonomy of shelters in the era of the Polish People's Republic (and ensuring they had a proper stockpile of water, food, and filters at hand) was to be sufficient for such a structure to function in a setting cut off from the external environment for 3 to 14 days (depending on the norms). That period was to theoretically allow the specialized Civil Defense units responsible for removing the rubble, neutralizing the radiation, and the fires that could emerge after nuclear strikes, to reach the shelters. One should note - the longer the autonomy period was, the better chances of survival were for those inside the shelter. These facilities were usually equipped with equipment that was specific for shelters - filter and ventilation systems, explosion-proof valves, ventilation flaps, and sealed-off, protective doors. Facilities as such, if maintained well, provided high safety levels for those inside. Unfortunately, most of them today are devastated, damaged, and do not provide protection levels better than a normal basement. Interestingly, the civil defense shelter requirements were also evolving throughout the history of the Polish People's Republic, as more experience was gathered by the designers, and knowledge was shared by the USSR. The Polish experts were also working on experiments and undertaking design efforts of their own - creating proprietary automatic explosion-proof valves, sealed- off door designs, and other elements enhancing the resilience of shelters. ANALYSIS