The aim of article is to evaluate of the emergency management system in the context of COVID-19. A topic about rescue system was chosen due to the symptoms of failure of entities responsible for the health safety of the society. The pandemic revealed systemic deficiencies that had not been normalized during the previous years. The rescue system is not only medical rescue, but also other specialized components such as: Police, State and Volunteer Fire Brigades and Emergency Call Centers responsible for handling reports sent to numbers 112, 997, 998. During of the work, the existing scientific achievements and media reports were used. as well as the author's personal experience of working on the 112 emergency number. The work is the starting point for further research on the rescue system. Conclusions on the subject matter are of a utilitarian nature and should be used in the debate on the financing and reorganization of the rescue system in Poland.