FIREFIGHTER MYTHS ON THE COVERS OF THE POLISH MAGAZINE “STRAŻAK”

<ns3:p>The article explores a semiotic analysis of the covers of the Polish professional magazine “Strażak”,focusing on the ideological constructions associated with the firefighting profession. The study aimsto identify contemporary firefighter myths and to examine how these myths are visually encoded andreproduced within the magazine’s media space. The methodology combines the commutation testwith both denotative and connotative analysis, enabling the identification of key meaning structurespresent in visual narratives. The analysis of 60 covers from 2021–2025 revealed 110 specificallydescribed myths, grouped into five main categories: the myth of social community and heritage; themyth of service and professional ethics; the myth of the firefighter as a cultural figure; the myth of thehero as an exceptional individual; and the myth of nature, disaster, and ecological order. Specialattention is given to the representation of female firefighters and to how their presence (or absence)aligns with dominant meaning structures. The analysis confirms the persistence of stronglyideologised narratives concerning heroism, masculinity, and communal identity, which reinforcecultural imaginaries surrounding the fire service. The article highlights the importance of criticalreflection on the cultural representation of public trust professions and the mechanisms ofmythologisation embedded in professional media.</ns3:p>