Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils represents a critical environmental and agronomic challenge, particularly in regions exposed to intensive land use and transport-related emissions. This study presents a detailed assessment of soil contamination in the Dargov cadastral area (Eastern Slovakia), where elevated concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, As, Cd, and Cr were detected through multi-depth sampling near the I/19 first-class road. Analytical results confirmed exceedances of Slovak regulatory thresholds (Decree No. 59/2013), with persistent contamination observed even in the deepest sampling interval (20–40 cm), indicating vertical migration and long-term accumulation. Concentrations of Pb (85–210 mg·kg⁻¹), Cd (2.1–5.4 mg·kg⁻¹), Zn (120–340 mg·kg⁻¹), and Ni (45–95 mg·kg⁻¹) exceeded Slovak regulatory thresholds. The highest values were consistently detected in the 0–10 cm layer and within 3 m of the I/19 road, with a gradual decline at greater depths and distances. Nevertheless, Cd and Ni remained above permissible limits even in the deepest sampling interval (20–40 cm), confirming vertical migration and long-term persistence of contamination. The spatial distribution of contaminants suggests a dominant influence of road traffic, with implications for crop safety, soil fertility, and rural land management. Based on the findings, the study proposes context-sensitive remediation strategies, including phytoremediation and chemical immobilization, and emphasizes the need for integrated monitoring systems and land-use planning to mitigate risks. The case study contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable soil management in Central European agricultural landscapes affected by diffuse pollution.

This study analyzes the implementation of firefighting procedures and evacuation methods in a hospital environment, with a focus on ensuring rapid rescue operations and evacuation methods in a real fire in 2024. This research emphasizes the integration of firefighting technologies, including fire detection systems, real-time communication networks, and specialized evacuation strategies for immobile patients. This work further examines the optimization of the emergency response through the coordinated efforts of an integrated rescue system, emphasizing tactical decision making and resource allocation. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of evacuation methods in the event of needing to evacuate a larger number of people, as well as meeting the need to ensure that active fire protection systems are in an operational state. This research provides key recommendations for improving fire protection measures in healthcare facilities, ensuring faster response times and increased patient protection. Subsequently, after evaluating and reviewing all the options, conclusions were drawn from the on-site results, and recommendations were defined for future fires in similar facilities.

European universities are facing increasingly complex security risks, including physical threats, violence, cyberattacks, emergency situations, and the deterioration of the psychological well-being of students and staff. Rapid societal change, technological development, and increasing uncertainty place mounting pressure on higher education institutions to adopt a systematic approach to the protection of life, health, and property. Despite this, many universities continue to operate through fragmented and largely reactive measures that are insufficiently integrated into a coherent security management system. This paper presents an integrated conceptual framework for security management in higher education institutions, linking physical, cyber, organizational, and psychosocial dimensions of risk governance. By framing university security as a component of institutional sustainability and resilience, the paper situates safety governance within the broader context of sustainable higher education institutions. The framework is grounded in an analysis of existing legislative requirements, the principles of crisis management, and practical experience from the higher education sector. It identifies key sources of risk, core areas of responsibility, and preventive mechanisms that strengthen institutional resilience and emergency preparedness. Particular attention is given to the role of academic staff, institutional leadership, community engagement, and the development of digital security as fundamental pillars of a safe academic environment. By integrating security governance with institutional resilience, the framework supports the sustainable continuity of teaching and research under disruptive events. The proposed framework may serve as a methodological foundation for developing university security strategies and as a tool supporting the long-term organizational and social sustainability of higher education institutions.

Public administration has become a primary target of cyberattacks, positioning governmental institutions at the forefront of national cyber defence. Cybersecurity in the public sector is no longer solely a technical issue but a strategic component of national security, state resilience, and continuity of governance. This article analyses the role of public administration in strengthening national cyber defence and examines the strategic implications of the evolving cyber threat environment. The study is based on the analysis of cybersecurity governance frameworks, security policies, and contemporary cyber threats affecting public institutions. The article argues that effective cyber defence depends on integrating cybersecurity governance, institutional resilience, and strategic coordination across the public sector. The main contribution lies in linking public administration, cyber resilience, and national security within a unified analytical framework, thereby contributing to current debates on cybersecurity

This paper addresses the rescue of persons from abandoned underground mines using rope techniques employed by members of the Fire and Rescue Corps of the Slovak Republic. Abandoned mine workings pose a significant safety risk, particularly due to their deteriorated technical condition, unstable geological environment, and the frequent presence of unauthorized individuals. The aim of the research was to test and evaluate selected rescue methods directly in the environment of the former Bankov magnesite mine near Košice. Several experimental rescue exercises were conducted, during which various rope techniques were applied under real conditions. The evaluation criteria included evacuation time, the amount of equipment required, the level of technical difficulty, and overall safety for both rescuers and rescued persons. The results showed that some techniques are better suited for inclined or vertical mine passages, while others are more effective in horizontal workings. Based on these findings, recommendations were formulated for the practical application of the most effective methods by Fire and Rescue Corps units. The study contributes to increasing preparedness and operational efficiency in underground rescue situations, where time is a critical factor in saving human lives.

Rescue operations in abandoned and structurally compromised buildings represent a specific type of technical intervention in which the rapid evacuation of injured persons must be ensured while maintaining a high level of rescuer safety. The selection of an appropriate rope rescue method is influenced by multiple technical, organizational, and time-related factors, whose comprehensive assessment requires a systematic multi-criteria evaluation approach. The aim of this study was to develop a numerical model and to demonstrate its calculation procedure and internal applicability using data obtained from a case-specific full-scale rescue exercise. The proposed model is based on experimental data obtained during a full-scale rescue exercise conducted by members of the Fire and Rescue Service of the Slovak Republic, in which two casualty evacuation techniques—the Arizona Vortex Rescue System and the Improvised Rope Traverse System—were evaluated within the same predefined exercise scenario. Each method was performed once by the same five-member rescue team. The evaluation combined measured operational parameters, expert assessment of qualitative criteria, multi-criteria analysis, and criterion weighting using the Fuller pairwise comparison method. Because each rescue method was represented by a single trial, the observations do not permit an assessment of experimental repeatability or general comparative effectiveness. Based on the proposed mathematical procedure, a composite indicator, the Rescue Method Performance Index (RMPI), was developed to integrate all evaluated criteria into a single performance measure enabling the quantitative comparison of the evaluated rescue methods. The pilot study did not include dedicated safety-risk indicators, such as rescuer fall risk or system-stability risk, and future research should incorporate such parameters to extend the operational applicability of the proposed model. Within the evaluated exercise, the Arizona Vortex Rescue System yielded an RMPI of 0.880, whereas the Improvised Rope Traverse System yielded an RMPI of 0.790. The experimental comparison further showed that the AVRS achieved a shorter rope-rescue operation time and more favourable operational-complexity and casualty-transport comfort ratings, whereas the IRTS demonstrated simpler deployment under the evaluated conditions. These case-specific values illustrate the application of the model and do not establish the general superiority of either rescue method. The proposed approach provides a methodological framework for the evaluation of rope rescue methods and establishes a basis for future validation through replicated full-scale exercises under different types of technical rescue operations.