EU Civil Protection

ESTONIA

GREECE

In 1995, Civil Protection was institutionally established by the foundation of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection (GSCP) at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Prior to 1995, the Armed Forces had a major role in dealing with emergencies from disasters.

Civil Protection is a very important institution in a modern and civilized society emphasizing the importance of self-reliance of citizens and communities. Given that Civil Protection is always ready to protect citizens and plans to protect their life and property, it is certain that this way it can prevent millions of deaths, as the population of a country is valuable and contributes to its economic and social support. People can rebuild a country after its destruction and, therefore, it is important for the country's financial security to protect its citizens.

In Greece, Civil Protection is based on a General Plan with the pass word "Xenocratis", which is the formation of a system of effective response to catastrophic phenomena for the protection of the life, health and property of the citizens, as well as the protection of the natural environment. "Xenocratis" was prepared by the GSCP with the Ministerial Decree 1299/2003 (Government Gazette 423 B / 10-4-2003) and revised with additional 3384/2006 (Government Gazette 776 / 28-6-06) approving the Special Plan "Management of Human Loss".

'Project "Xenocratis":'

• determines types of disasters and the corresponding terms of civil protection. • defines roles and designs instructions given to Ministries, Regions, NA, Municipalities, Communities. • clarifies that all projects are approved by the GSCP.

Determines: • involved services & institutions. • instruments that manage and coordinate operational forces at all levels.

Provides essential data for: • risk assessment. • labeling vulnerable spaces. • developing specific plans for each risk.

Provides guidelines for: • strategies and tactics. • proper organization and equipment of services and business philosophy. • timely mobilization, activation, management and coordination of human resources and resources. • calculating logistics to address problems of both the operational forces and the affected citizens.

Organizes: • the establishment of a system of communication and information between all the involved services and factors involved in crisis management. This is a basic plan of action which entrusts the development of risk-specific projects to the ministries in charge. Work is already in progress on the creation of working groups in ministries, with the initiative of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, in order to upgrade specific projects according to the risk involved.

Through specific projects drawn up by the working groups, more specific directives or design requirements may be given to the Regions and the Prefectures to prepare for them.

Until the completion of the process of drawing up and approving specific projects, the plans already approved shall apply.

The state of civil protection mobilization is divided into:

• Civil protection preparedness status, based on documented risk, including the scaling up of preparedness and civil protection means, in the specialization of preparedness planning. • State of Civil Protection Emergency, including the situation associated with a specific disaster that requires: • special coordination by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection of the forces and the means of services and bodies acting at central, regional and local level, and • mobilizing forces and resources beyond what is available under normal conditions.

The forces and means of civil protection include:

• specialized civil protection officers at central, regional and local level who are entrusted with supervising the design and implementation of civil protection plans, programmes and measures and coordinating the necessary actions. • all government departments, local government agencies and utilities that are responsible at the operational level for individual civil protection actions and, in particular, for disaster preparedness and response (such as Fire Brigade, Coast Guard, Hellenic Police Force, National Center for Emergency Assistance, Armed Forces, Organization of Antiseismic Planning & Protection, services of the Region, Prefectural and Local Authorities, DEI, OTE, Y. DAP, DEPA, HNM). • voluntary civil protection organizations, as well as specialized civil protection volunteers at central, regional and local level, who are part of the Civil Protection Secretariat's planning and undertake support for prevention and rehabilitation projects and actions, as well as disaster preparedness and response actions.

http://www.civilprotection.gr/el

ITALY

The "civil protection" is the set of activities put in place to protect the integrity of life, properties, settlements and the environment from damages or risk of damages arising from disasters: risk prediction and prevention, rescue to affected populations, contrast and overcome of the emergency and mitigation of risks.

Civil protection is not a task assigned to a sole administration, but is a function belonging to a complex system: the National Service of Civil Protection. Established by Law n. 225 of 1992, the National Service has as its components the central government of the State, the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, Provinces, municipalities and mountain communities.

The National Fire Department, the Armed Forces, the Police, the National Forestry Corps, the scientific community, the Italian Red Cross, the structures of the National Health Service, voluntary organizations, the National Mountain and Alpine Rescue Corps form the operating structures.

The National Service operates at central, regional and local level, in compliance with the principle of subsidiarity. The local context of our country, subject to a variety of risks, makes necessary a civil protection system that, in every area, ensures the presence of human resources, facilities and operational capabilities able to intervene quickly in case of emergency, but also to operate for prevention and, as far as possible, predict potential disasters.

The first response to the emergency, whatever the nature and extent of the event, needs to be guaranteed at the local level, from the municipal structure, which is the closest institution to the citizen. The first head of civil protection in each municipality is, therefore, the Mayor. But when the event cannot be met by the means available to the municipality, the higher levels are activated through an integrated and coordinated action: the Province, the Prefecture, the Region, to the involvement of the State in the event of a national emergency.

The strength of such a complex system of competences is the guidance and coordination entrusted to the President of the Council of Ministers, which makes use of the Civil Protection Department

Civil Protection Department

The Civil Protection Department has been grounded in the offices of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers since 1982.

It has a guiding role, in agreement with regional and local governments, of projects and activities for the prevention, forecast and monitoring of risks and intervention procedures that are common to the whole system.

The Department coordinates the response to natural disasters, catastrophes or other events - events of C type - that intensity and extent, should be faced with extraordinary powers and means.

Moreover, also in agreement with the regional governments and local authorities, working in the drafting of legislation on the prevention of risks and regulatory measures needed to cope with disasters and minimize damage to people and property.

It promotes drills, national and international training projects and activities that contribute to spreading the culture of civil protection. Knowing risks affecting your territory is a fundamental tool of self-protection. Find out what you need to do before, during and after an emergency. You can see the website http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/jcms/en/rischi.wp

PORTUGAL

The National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) is a central company, of the direct administration of the State, with administrative and financial capacity and with its own patrimony.

It was born in 2007, and resulted from the merger of the National Civil Protection Service, National Fire Service and National Specialized Commission of Forest Fire, and later the National Council of Civil Emergency Planning (CNPCE)

ANPC pursues, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 73/2013 of May 31, as amended by Decree-Law no. 163/2014 of October 31, with attributions in the scope of forecasting, risk management and planning emergency, protection and rescue activities, firefighters' activities, civil protection resources, and the application and enforcement of applicable standards within the scope of their duties.

THE ANPC’ S ROLE IN NATURAL DISASTERS

ANPC has developed over time activities that lead to the knowledge of seismic risk and its mitigation, namely, the study of seismic risk in more vulnerable regions, participation in missions in the national territory and abroad for the purpose of studying and gathering lessons about the effects of seismic action on buildings and on the response of relief and information and awareness actions of the population and lectures in public and private institutions.

In relation to floods, the preventive action in portugal, is carried out in two components, the forecast, since there is continuous monitoring of the levels of Portuguese and Spanish reservoirs and of the meteorological conditions, which makes possible the anticipation of mitigation actions, and monitoring, . This last component is strongly hydrological, being the responsibility of the System of Monitoring and Alert of Water Resources (SVARH)

Also, in drought situations, together with the Portuguese Environment Agency and the Drought Prevention and Protection System, ANPC has a forecasting role, which makes it possible to anticipate control actions, and at a time when resources are depleted these are responsible for providing water to populations with alternative means.

For more information, visit the website http://www.prociv.pt/pt-pt/Paginas/default.aspx

REUNION

ROMANIA

TURKEY