2

3TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................05

II. COMMUNITY COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF CIVIL PROTECTION ........07

II.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................08II.2 The Objectives........................................................................................................08II.3 Overview: Civil protection in the European Union................................................09II.4 Management Committee & Permanent Network of National Correspondents.....09II.5 Main activities in Community co-operation...........................................................09II.6 Community Action programme.............................................................................10

II.6.1 Major projectsII.6.2 Other specific projectsII.6.3 Training workshopsII.6.4 Simulation exercises

II.7. Mutual assistance and operational instruments......................................................12II.7.1 Operational manualII.7.2 24h/24h Operational structureII.7.3 Secondment of experts

II.8. Other activities .......................................................................................................14II.8.1 International co-operation.II.9.2 Single European Emergency call number: 1-1-2

II.9. Conclusion .............................................................................................................15

III. TYPES, MAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND DISASTERSIN THE EUROPEAN UNION...........................................................................................16

III.1 Types of Major Disasters........................................................................................17III.2 Characteristics of Major Disasters..........................................................................17

A. Natural DisastersB. Civil Protection Aspects of Technological DisastersC. Environmental Aspects of Disasters

III.3 Disasters in the European Union since 1950 .........................................................22

IV. METHODOLOGY OF EMERGENCY PLANNING....................................................40

IV.1 Planning Principles ................................................................................................41IV.2 Types of Emergency Plan.......................................................................................43IV.3 Emergency Planning..............................................................................................44

4V. MULTILATERAL AND BILATERAL AGREEMENTS.............................................45

V.1 Multilateral Agreements ........................................................................................46V.2 Bilateral Agreements on General Hazards.............................................................46

VI. NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF CIVIL PROTECTIONIN THE EUROPEAN UNION...........................................................................................48

VI.1 Austria....................................................................................................................49VI.2 Belgium..................................................................................................................53VI.3 Denmark ................................................................................................................55VI.4 Germany.................................................................................................................58VI.5 Spain ......................................................................................................................61VI.6 Finland ...................................................................................................................65VI.7 France.....................................................................................................................68VI.8 Greece ....................................................................................................................71VI.9 Ireland ....................................................................................................................74VI.10 Italy ........................................................................................................................77VI.11 Luxembourg...........................................................................................................81VI.12 Netherlands ............................................................................................................84VI.13 Portugal..................................................................................................................88VI.14 Sweden...................................................................................................................91VI.15 United Kingdom.....................................................................................................94

VII. LEGAL FOUNDATIONS RELATING TO THE ORGANIZATIONOF INTERVENTION IN AN EMERGENCY ................................................................97

VIII. DOCUMENTATION CENTRES...................................................................................120

IX. LIST OF TEXTS CONCERNING COMMUNITY COOPERATION IN THEFIELD OF CIVIL PROTECTION.................................................................................122

X. ANNEX : NUCLEAR EMERGENCIES.....................................................................124

5PART I

INTRODUCTION

6I. INTRODUCTION

1. The purpose of this Vade-mecum is to give a general overview of the measures takenby the Member States as well as at Community level in order to deal with disasters.

It covers topics which are mainly of interest :

- to responsible officials working in the field of civil protection at the national,regional and local level, particularly in the area of preparedness foremergencies,

- to volunteers and non-governmental organizations,- to interested members of the general public.

This includes the description of disasters, the emergency plan anticipating disasters, aswell as the organization of intervention in the Member States and a summary of theagreements signed between Member States.

It also presents the progress achieved by the European Commission together with thenational services in setting up cooperation in the field of civil protection.

2. This Vade-mecum is not primarily concerned with:

- the management of nuclear accidents already covered by other Communityarrangements and by cooperation within the framework of the EuratomTreaty. A brief outline of the National Emergencies arrangements arepresented in an annex to the present document,

- the management of major marine pollution accidents, already covered bya specific Community Action Programme, including the CommunityInformation System, and by several bilateral and multilateral agreements(cf., inter alia, Council Resolution of 26 June 1978, OJ N C 162 of 8/7/78,p. 1 concerning the setting up of an action programme of the EuropeanCommunities on the control and reduction of pollution caused byhydrocarbons discharged at sea).

PART II

COMMUNITY COOPERATION IN THE FIELD

OFCIVIL PROTECTION

8II.1 INTRODUCTION

In May 1985, a first ministerial meeting held in Rome, laid the foundations forCommunity co-operation in the field of Civil Protection. Between 1985 and 1994 sixresolutions were adopted. Implementation of these resolutions resulted in the creation ofseveral operational instruments covering both the preparedness of those involved in civilprotection and the response in the event of a disaster.

All Civil Protection initiatives at Community level are implemented on the basis of thesubsidiarity principle laid down in the Treaty. In fact the Commissions aim has been tosupport and encourage efforts made at national, regional and local level.

At the end of 1997 the Council improved the foundations for co-operation still further,by adopting a Decision establishing a Community action programme in the field of civilprotection. The Action Programme's implementation is the main priority of theCommission in the field of Civil Protection from now on.

Finally, meetings of directors-general for civil protection in the Member States of theEuropean Union, the objective of which is to give the major policy orientation to this co-operation, are held annually. The directors-general from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norwayalso take part to these meetings.

II.2 THE OBJECTIVES

The objectives of Community co-operation in the field of Civil Protection are to helpensure better protection for people, the environment and property in the event of naturaland technological disasters.

More specifically, it has the following objectives:

to support and supplement efforts at national, regional and local level with regard todisaster prevention, the preparedness of those responsible for civil protection andthe intervention in the event of disaster;

to contribute to the information of the public with a view to increasing the level ofself-protection of the European citizens

to establish a framework for effective and rapid co-operation between national civilprotection services when mutual assistance is needed;

to enhance the coherence of actions undertaken at international level in the field ofcivil protection especially in the context of c-ooperation with the candidate Centraland Eastern European countries in view of enlargement and with the partners in theMediterranean region.

9II.3 OVERVIEW: CIVIL PROTECTION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union suffers regularly from major disasters. Examples in previousdecades include earthquakes, floods, landslides, forest fires in southern Europe,environmental emergencies etc.

EARTHQUAKES1980 Italy, 2739 dead1976 Italy, 977 dead1953 Greece, 455 dead

FLOODS1973 Spain, 350 dead1963 Spain, 500 dead1962 Germany, 400 dead

LANDSLIDES1998 Italy, 159 dead1976 United Kingdom, 144 dead1963 Italy 1759 dead

FOREST FIRESFrance, Italy, Spain, Portugal

TECHNOLOGICAL DISASTERS1994 Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Estonia shipwrecked, 865 dead

1988 U.K. North Sea oil platform Explosion, 167 dead1987 Belgium, Herald of Free Enterprise ferry disaster, 193 dead

II.4 THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND THE PERMANENTNETWORK OF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS

All initiatives taken in the field of civil protection at Community level are examined, discussedand co-ordinated by the Management Committee for Civil protection and the PermanentNetwork of National Correspondents (PNNC). These groups are composed of high-levelrepresentatives of the national administrations.

II.5 MAIN ACTIVITIES IN COMMUNITY CO-OPERATION

Commission action in the field of Civil Protection has been carried out under variousresolutions and the Council Decision of 1997 establishing a Community ActionProgramme. Below are details of the actions that have been carried out concerning:

Major Projects Other Specific Projects Training Simulation Exercises Operational Instruments and Mutual Assistance. (Operational Manual, 24hr/24hr

Operational Structure, Secondment of Expertise).

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II.6 COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMMME

Under the Community action programme the scope of Community co-operation in thefield of Civil Protection has been widened to encompass the area of prevention ofdisasters and a greater emphasis is placed on public information. The programme alsoallows for the continuation of measures, namely training workshops and simulationexercises, proven to be particularly effective in the past. Working with clearly definedrules of the game has also facilitated the launch of major projects. It is hoped that thiswill serve to make co-operation in Civil Protection more effective as a whole. In additionto major projects other specific projects will be supported.

II.6.1 MAJOR PROJECTS

These are managed and co-financed by one or more Member States, assisted by acore group composed of a small number of experts form other Member States.All Member States take part in the projects as do EEA countries.

The five projects underway are in the following areas:

Exchange of Experts Prevention of Disasters Crisis Management Disaster Medicine Information to the Public

EXCHANGE OF EXPERTSThis system permits those responsible for civil protection to gain directknowledge of methods and techniques used in other Member Statesadministrations, by those with similar responsibilities, but working within adifferent system. It could also permit them to follow or provide periods oftraining in the Civil Protection service of another Member State. It is throughthis system, in particular, that those responsible at a regional and local levelbenefit most. The duration of these exchanges will vary in length from a few daysto a few weeks depending on the type of exchange involved.

PREVENTION OF DISASTERSThe aim here is to establish common principles and guidelines in a number ofareas using the experiences of all the Member States. In addition to thepriorities listed below, other specific risks and issues will be addressed at a laterstage. The best use of risk assessment techniques. The prevention of flash floods and the mitigation of their effects. The reduction of the risks of fires.

11

CRISIS MANAGEMENTThis project will provide Member States with guidance in improving themanagement of crisis situations generated by natural and technologicaldisasters. In particular, areas aimed at, are: The early identification of the evolution of a emergency situation into a crisis, Providing recommendations for the optimisation of public information and

warning messages to the public,, Communication during crisis

DISASTER MEDICINEThe objective of this project is to encourage efficient medical co-operation inemergency situations and the establishment of a network of EU disastermedicine specialists. In addition, a multi-media database will be created andcommon training programmes will be conducted.

INFORMATION TO THE PUBLICA global system of information will be established. It is intended to provide theEuropean citizens with information, which will help to increase their level ofself-protection. The concrete results to be achieved under this project will be theelaboration of common tools and methods as well as the convergence in the longterm of signals and warning messages to the public.

II.6.2 OTHER SPECIFIC PROJECTS

In addition to these major projects a number of other projects will be supported.The results from some of these will then feed back into the major projects. Accidental Water Pollution, Early Warning for Floods, Civil Protection in Urban Areas, Accidents involving Ferries carrying Passengers Psychological SupportAs an example, findings from the project on early warning for floods and that ofCivil Protection in urban areas will contribute to aspects of the major projectPrevention of Disasters.

II.6.3 TRAINING WORKSHOPS

It should be noted that, in the framework of the projects already mentioned,training workshops will be organised. These workshops are based on self-trainingand feedback, and are not academic in nature - it would be inappropriate to invitesenior officials from the Member States just to listen to lectures given bytheorists. Instead, the Commission's aim is to invite each one of these seniorofficials to explain their own methods, techniques, successes and failures tocolleagues from other Member States. It is worth noting that all such meetingsorganised to date, have produced undeniable synergy and the participants have

12

learned important lessons from the experience of their colleagues in otherMember States.

Since December 1991, workshops have been organised on forest fires, accidentsinvolving chemicals, crisis management, communication in crisis situations,earthquakes, public information-awareness-education, training for crisismanagement and disaster prevention. Building on these successes, theCommunity action programme in the field of Civil Protection incorporatesofficially the system of self-training workshops, often by their integration into themajor projects.

Above and beyond the training aspects, these workshops also enable participantsto come up with proposals for further Community initiatives, such as pilotprojects or new activities in certain fields. The workshops thus provide theCommission with direct input from Civil Protection professionals, enabling it toinclude some of the requirements identified among its priorities.

II.6.4 SIMULATION EXERCISES

Simulation exercises supported at Community level are designed primarily as fieldtests of the efficiency of the emergency arrangements in place in the MemberStates. Workshops, attended by senior officials, are organised in parallel withthese exercises and serve as a forum for exchanging experiences on key issuesrelating to the simulated emergency.

Exercises organised to date have simulated, inter alia, forest fire fighting, anaviation accident, an accident involving chemicals, an accident in a nuclear powerstation involving evacuation of the local population, an accident in the Channeltunnel, the intervention of large numbers of volunteers and other emergencyactions

II.7 MUTUAL ASSISTANCE AND OPERATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

For the implementation of the resolution of 8 July 1991 on improving mutual aidbetween Member States in the event of natural or technological disasters, theCommission, in collaboration with the Civil Protection Authorities of Member States,has established a series of operational instruments. These include:

the Operational Manual, the 24h/24h Operational Structure. Secondment of Expertise

13

II.7.1 OPERATIONAL MANUAL

To assist the provision of mutual assistance, the Commission has, in closecollaboration with the national authorities, produced an operational manual ofcivil protection in the European Community. The manual gives details on:

the various national contact points in each Member State (competent authorities,contact points on permanent standby, national correspondents) and the contact pointsat the Commission,

the group of co-operation officers for forest fires, the entry points for specialised expertise, concise information on response resources available in the Member States.

The manual also lays down guidelines for experts and explains the conditionsunder which the Commission finances operations. The manual is aimed atnational decision-makers and provides information enabling them to deciderapidly when mutual assistance is required.

II.7.2 24H/24H OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE

An operational structure on 24-hour call has been set up at the Commission toprovide response back up for Member States during emergencies.This is a small structure within the Civil Protection Unit whose basic function isto collect and disseminate information and to mobilise expertise from the nationaladministrations. It is ready, at the request of a Member State for example, torelay a message to the other Member States; or, in response to a request, to seekout and mobilise expert advice.

II.7.3 SECONDMENT OF EXPERTS

Concerning this expert advice, the operational manual already contains aninventory of the expertise available in several areas of Civil Protection, namely:

evaluation and liaison tasks, chemicals expertise, forest fires, environmental emergencies.

This expertise - and any other which might prove necessary - can be mobilisedimmediately and made available to the authorities which request it. The totalcosts relating to secondment are borne by the Commission.

14

II.8 OTHER ACTIVITIES

II.8.1 INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION

The most important areas of international co-operation in the field of CivilProtection are:

The Euro-Med pilot project financed by the MEDA programme1. The broadobjective is to contribute to political and security confidence-building in theMediterranean. This pilot project, for the creation of a Euro-Med system ofdisaster prevention, mitigation and management of natural and man-madedisasters, has been established in the Civil Protection field on the initiative ofItaly and Egypt. Activities in training, exchange of experts and networking ofCivil Protection schools are planned

Following on from a workshop initiated by the Commission, Sloveniavolunteered to take the role of lead country in a co-operation project in thefield of Civil Protection under the PHARE programme2. The aim is to bringthe Civil Protection policies and practices in the CEECs and the EU closertogether. Activities will include the networking of CEEC and EU experts andother initiatives -such as common workshops and training, etc- will also bedeveloped. It should be stressed that as far as Civil Protection is concernedthis project is a key element in the enlargement process.

II.8.2 SINGLE EUROPEAN EMERGENCY CALL NUMBER : 1-1-2

1-1-2 is the single European emergency call number for the European Union. Itwas established by Council Decision of 29 July 1991. This decision allows thatEuropean citizens in distress situations to call 1-1-2 and get rescue through to theemergency services in all Member States. Thus, anyone travelling within theUnion will have to remember only one number and this guarantees a quicker andmore efficient intervention

1 MEDA- Mesures daccompagnement aux rformes des structures conomiques et sociales dans les pays tiers Mditerranens.Accompanying measures for economic and social structural reforms in Mediterranean countries.

2 PHARE (Poland, Hungary Aid for Reconstruction of the Economy) was initially established to help Poland and Hungary in theirtransition to market economies. It has now been extended to all Central and Eastern European countries applying for EU membership.

15

II.9 CONCLUSION

The work carried out so far in the implementation of the action programme, in particularthe launch of the major projects, signals the initiation of a long-term process. Throughthis process a safer environment for the European citizen will be created and this willcontribute to ensuring their safer circulation throughout the EU.

In particular, better prevention of natural and technological disasters and theapproximation, in the long term, of signals and warnings messages for the public willcontribute to the reduction of loss of life and damage to both the environment property.

16

PART III

TYPES,MAIN CHARACTERISTICS

AND DISASTERSIN THE

EUROPEAN UNION

17

III.1 TYPES OF MAJOR DISASTERS

The following disasters are considered to be a risk to some or all of the Member States in the Union:

A. NATURAL DISASTERS

- Avalanches,- Dam bursts,- Drought, hot, humid, summer days- Earthquakes,- Floods,- Forest fires,- Landslides,- Tidal waves,- Tornadoes,- Volcanic eruptions

B. CIVIL PROTECTION ASPECTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL DISASTERS

- Chemical and industrial accidents,- Transportation and storage of chemicals,- Transport accidents,- Nuclear emergencies

C. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF DISASTERS

Those Member States which have been affected by a disaster on more than one occasionhave generally developed appropriate controls and set up specific emergency plans tocontain the consequences.

III.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF MAJOR DISASTERS

For contingency planning, it is useful to consider the following parameters and theirprobabilities:

- frequency,- magnitude,- nature,- location,- development dynamics,- power.

18

A. NATURAL DISASTERS Characteristics Consequences

1. Avalanches this phenomenon is observed inmountainous regions. In many cases,it can be forecast on the basis ofcharacteristics of the local climateand topography

the avalanche totally destroys everythingin its path;

the number of lives lost depends on thetime of day, the nature of the structures inthe path of the avalanche, the time thatpasses before help arrives and thedifficulty with which the disaster pointcan be reached.

2. Hot Humid Summer days this phenomenon does not occur veryfrequently and only during thesummer season; it is essentiallyrestricted to the urban centres andregions with high population density.It can be forecast by themeteorological service;

the hot humid summer days maycontinue for several days withtemperatures of between 40 and50C in the shade.

a large number of people become ill ordie as a result of heatstroke; there will benumerous cases of sunstroke, and thehealth of weak persons deteriorates;

negative effect on agriculture and animalhusbandry. Crops are damaged.

3. Droughts this phenomenon is a commonoccurrence in the Community'ssouthern countries, particularlyduring the summer season.

crops and plantations are destroyed,animals become lethargic;

greater risk of forest fires; greater risk of aquatic pollution; local population and animals may be

poisoned by drinking water of uncertainquality.

4. Dam bursts, floods & tidal waves the most frequent type of naturaldisaster;

two types of flood:a) slowly rising flood due to an

abnormal rise in river levels afterrain and/or due to melting snow;its magnitude can be forecast;

b) sudden flood due to heavy rainin certain regions or followinganother disaster (earthquake, tidalwave, dam burst, etc.);

although the consequences areextensive, the areas at risk can beidentified in advance, such as riverbeds, deltas and other low-lyingareas.

the number of victims may be very highdue to the population density in theseregions which is generally above averagedue to the fertility of the land;

mass exodus from the region; large number of people left homeless; disruption of communications and traffic

both with the outside world and withinthe region concerned;

crops and harvests are destroyed; majorloss of livestock;

pollution of soil through polluted sludge.

19

5. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions & landslides

The same characteristicsapply in general for volcaniceruptions and landslides.

the disaster occurs suddenly and canrarely be forecast;

the effects may be limited to an areaaround the epicentre or a largerregion may be affected, depending onthe size and intensity of theearthquake;

high percentage of destruction.

floods, landslides and fires may occur asa result of the initial disaster;

the initial disaster may causetechnological accidents in chemical andnuclear facilities located within thedisaster zone;

large number of people killed, injured ormissing;

numerous people become homeless out offear of a recurrence;

risk of epidemics due to polluted drinkingwater and decomposing bodies whichhave not been cleared away;

people generally remain on the spot; road, rail and air traffic is interrupted,

making it difficult to reach the victimsand bring in relief supplies;

considerable resources are required forthe work of clearing up;

crops remain virtually undamaged.

6. Forest fires forest fires are a frequent occurrencein the Mediterranean region,particularly during the summerseason;

three types of situation:a) fires affecting only a small area

(85%)b) major fires (13%)c) catastrophic fires (2%) .

From an environmental point of view,destruction of the plant cover in thedisaster regions can lead to ecologicaldestabilizations like desertification,erosion, landslides and in some mountainregions, flash floods.

Sometimes, due to peculiar situations,like high density of people in some touristareas, there is a major risk of seriousaccidents.

The loss of forest and shrublandsgenerates considerable environmentalconcern among the public.

7. Tornadoes this phenomenon moves at greatspeed; it can be forecast in somecases and mainly affects coastalregions;

a tornado can wreak destruction overthousands of square kilometers.

two-fold effect:a) flooding (due to rain or tidal

waves),b) very heavy storms;

the water ebbing away in river beds anddrainage channels causes problems withregard to run-off and drainage;

large number of people killed, injured ormissing;

major loss of livestock;

20

B. CIVIL PROTECTION ASPECTSOF TECHNOLOGICAL DISASTERS

Characteristics Consequences

1. Chemical and IndustrialAccidents

the probability is high and themagnitude of the disaster is frequentlyconsiderable;

the sources of danger in majorinstallations are numerous and varied;

industrial complexes are frequentlylocated near residential areas;

the sequence of events leading up to anaccident may proceed very rapidly, sothat emergency units rarely have time toorganize themselves. The dangeroussubstances released in the accident posean immediate threat;

it is difficult to detect and analyze thesubstances released, as well as to assesstheir effects;

external civil protection units,particularly fire brigades, can be calledin even if plants have their own securitysystems.

high and widespread risk of poisoningfor people and animals; also high riskof aquatic and soil pollution;

crops may be destroyed; the disaster area may have to be

declared a "forbidden zone" for aperiod of time.

2. Transportation and Storage ofChemicals

various possible locations; the substances involved are difficult to

identify; experts, manuals or databases must be

consulted in order to obtain informationabout the products;

a mobile danger threatening port areas,roads, inland waterways and customsposts in particular.

high and widespread risk of poisoningfor people and animals; also high riskof aquatic and soil pollution;

the disaster area may have to bedeclared a "forbidden zone" for aperiod of time.

3. Transport accidents major accidents usually involvingrailways and aircraft;

little or no prior warning, so thatemergency units rarely have time toorganize themselves;

specialized technical resources (eg.special lifting gear, sensing equipment)may be necessary;

hazardous release of chemicals,including fuel, may result;

a mobile danger which could strikeanywhere.

possible secondary risk of fires andstructural damage;

possible high number of fatalities andinjuries.

4. Nuclear emergencies Nuclear emergencies are not primarily dealt with in this Vade-mecum. An OperationalManual for the Emergencies arrangements has been established. A brief outline of theNational Emergencies arrangements are in annex 1.

21

C. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTSOF DISASTERS

Characteristics Consequences

these aspects are often additional toother "classical" aspects taken intoaccount in the emergencyplanning/response;

environmental consequences appearto receive relatively low priorityrelative to civil protection;

information on environmentconsequences of disasters is veryscarce.

very often surface water and groundwater pollution;

air pollution and health threat; soil contamination.

22

III.3 DISASTERS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION SINCE 1950

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

AUSTRIA 1951 Train accident at Langenwang, Styria: 20 dead

1954 Flood in Upper Austria : 4 billion schilling damage

1954 Avalanche disaster in Vorarlberg: 125 dead, 53 million schillingdamage

1958 Flood in Mur- und Mrztal, Styria: 250 million schilling damage

1965 Flood in Upper Austria : 1 billion schilling damage

1965 Flood in the Drau in Carinthia

1966 Flood in the Drau in Carinthia

1972 Storm disaster in the Styria: 9 dead, 700 million schilling damage

1979 Storm in Upper Austria : 2 billion schilling damage

1987 Oil pollution of the Danube over a length of 150 km

1990 Storm disaster in Upper Austria : 2 billion schilling damage

1991 Flood in Upper Austria : 2 billion schilling damage

1992 Forest fire (12 days) in Carinthia, district Hermagor

23

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

BELGIUM 1953 Tidal wave and flooding of the province of Western Flanders

1956 Mine disaster at Marcinelle (Charleroi): 262 dead

1967 Fire in the department store "L'Innovation" (Brussels): 325 dead

1983 Earthquake in Lige: 1 dead, 26 injured

1985 Hooliganism in the Heysel stadium: 39 dead, 400 injured

1987 Ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsize at Zeebrugge : 193 dead

1990 Major storms : 19 dead, dozens of people injured, hundreds ofhectares of woodland destroyed

1993 Floods in the Meuse, Scheldt and Yser basins : important damagesspread out over 193 communes in 9 provinces (on 10).

1995 Floods in the Scheldt and mainly in the Meuse basins :major damagespread over 127 communes in 9 provinces.

1995 Fire in the Switel Hotel (Antwerp) at New Year's eve: 15 dead

1998 Flash floods affecting 173 communes in 5 provinces, causing damagesestimated at several billions Belgian francs.

24

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

DENMARK 1951 Explosion in a mine depot at Naval Base Copenhagen: 16 dead,approx. 50 injured

1959 Fire and explosion on a tourist boat at a lake near Haderslev(Southern Jutland): 53 dead

1964 Explosion in a chemical plant in Roenland (Western Jutland): 3 dead

1964 Explosion at a gasworks in Copenhagen: 4 dead, 200 injured andextensive damage

1967 Railway accident at Odense (Funen): 11 dead, 30 injured

1972 Tank lorry accident in Simmersted (Southern Jutland): Massivephenol pollution in the water supply system and environmentaldamage to the streams in the area

1973 Hotel fire in Copenhagen: 35 dead

1975 Fisher trawler loss in Hanstholm harbour (Northern Jutland) during ahurricane: 11 dead

1975 Several big forest fires in Jutland during weeks

1976 A 1,4 million acres moorland fire at Aabybro (Nothern Jutland): Fireaction during one month

1984 Major storms in Jutland: extensive damage to buildings

1984 Oil slick from the Ibn Rochd: pollution at numerous points on theJutland and Zeeland coasts

1985 Oil slick from the Jan of Bremen: 20 km of marsh polluted at theisland of Lsoe (Kattegat)

1988 Railway accident near Soroe (Zeeland): 8 dead, 72 injured

25

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

FINLAND 1954 Fire in a children's home in Kangasala: 9 dead

1956 A bus drove off a raft and into lake in Konnevesi: 15 dead

1957 Collision of two passenger trains in Kuurila: 26 dead, 47 injured

1959 Fire in a prison in Kyli: 16 dead

1959 Collision of motorboats in Pielinen: 15 dead

1960 Fire in an old people's home in Lapinlahti: 31 dead

1961 Air crash in Koivulahti: 25 dead

1963 Ammonium nitrate explosion in Oulu: 10 dead, 16 injured

1963 Air crash in Mariehamm: 19 dead, 2 injured

1964 Collision of a tug and a motorboat off Rauma: 22 dead

1965 Explosion in an ammunition depot in Uusikyl: 4 dead, 69 injured

1969 Explosion in a dynamite factory in Bromarv: 4 dead, 15 injured

1972 A dredger went down in Pietarsaari: 16 dead

1973 Large fire at an oil tank farm in Kokkola

1974 Collision of a lorry and a Dutch coach in Laukaa: 12 dead, 18 injured

1976 Explosion in a cartridge factory at Lapua: 40 dead

1976 A lorry drove off a bridge and into river in the district of Porvoo: 5dead, 11 injured

1978 A viking-boat went down off Hanko: 10 dead

1978 Air crash in Rissala: 18 dead

1978 LPG explosion in a hotel in Heinola: 3 dead, 3 injured

1979 Fire in an old people's home in Virrat: 27 dead

1979 Shipwreck of M/S Malmi in the Baltic: 14 dead

1981 Fire in a cotton mill in Porvoo

1982 Storm in Northern Finland: 2 dead

1983 Fire in a supermarket in Turku: 6 injured

1984 Helicopter crash in Ahvenisto: 5 dead, 26 injured

1986 Shipwreck of M/S Karelia near Gotska Sand, 6 dead, 9 injured

1986 Railway accident in Lapua: 2 injured (classified as danger situation)

1986 Railway accident in Turenki: 2 injured (classified as danger situation)

26

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

FINLAND 1987 Chemical leak in Kotka

1987 Chemical leak in Hamina

1988 Boating accident in Lempl Channel: 4 dead

1988 Air crash near Ilmajoki airport: 6 dead, 6 injured

1989 Air crash near Helsinki-Vantaa airport: 7 dead, 1 injured

1989 Fire in a 30 000 m storage tank for isohexane in Porvoo: 600 firemenresponded

1989 Fire in five chemical tank wagons at railway yard in Hamina: 60firemen responded

1989 Collision of M/T Tebostar and a Russian fishing boat south ofGotland: 15 dead (in Sweden)

1990 Fire in the engine-room of M/S Mariella in the Gulf of Finland(classified as danger situation)

1990 A barger combination capsized off Hanko: 8 dead, 2 injured

1991 Dangerous situation caused by a Turkish airplane near Helsinki-Malmi airport (classified as danger situation)

1991 A BTR-60 transportation tank went down in Taipalsaari: 7 dead, 2injured

1993 Explosion in a plastic explosives factory in Hanko: 2 injured(classified as danger situation)

1993 Dangerous situation in the airspace of Helsinki-Vantaa airport(classified as danger situation)

1993 Grounding of M/S Wasa Queen off Vaasa (classified as danger situation)

1994 Grounding of M/S Sally Albatross off Porkkala (classified as danger situation)

1994 (Shipwreck of M/S Estonia in Northern Baltic off Ut: 852 dead, 137injured) (Estonian ship, international sea area)

1994 Failure in landing of a Tunisian airplane in Kajaani airport: 3 injured(classified as danger situation)

1995 Grounding of M/S Silja Europa in the archipelago of Stockholm(classified as danger situation) (in Sweden)

1995 Grounding of M/S Tallink off Helsinki (classified as danger situation)

1995 Grounding of hydrofoil ship Laura off Helsinki (classified as danger situation)

1995 Fire in a hotel in Kuhmoinen: 1 dead, 8 injured (classified as danger situation)

1996 Collapse of high-density pulp mass tank in Valkeakoski, 1 dead(classified as danger situation)

1996 Railway accident in Jokela: 4 dead

1998 Railway accident in Jyvskyl: 10 dead

27

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

GERMANY 1954 Flooding in Bavaria: damage estimated at more than 50 million ECU

1962 Tidal wave and flooding in Hamburg: 400 dead, more than 100.000people affected, 50 dyke bursts

1975 Forest fires in Lower Saxony: 2.000 homeless, 10.000 hectares ofagricultural and forest land destroyed

1979 Heavy snow fall in Schleswig-Holstein and in the provinces ofGroningen and Friesland: traffic paralysed completely(Germany/the Netherlands)

1986 Fire at Sandoz in Basel: heavy pollution of the Rhine river(Germany/Switzerland)

1987 Explosion of tanker holding 36,000 l of gasoline at Herborn: 5 dead,38 injured

1988 Aircraft crashes at Ramstein air display: 70 dead, more than 400injured

1997 Oder flood: damage 647 Millions DM, 2.300 evacuated

1998 ICE train accident in Eschede, 101 dead

28

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

GREECE 1953 Earthquake in the Ionian islands: 455 dead, 4,400 injured, 27,700buildings damaged or destroyed

1954 Earthquake in Karditsa: 25 dead, 157 injured, 6,600 buildingsdamaged or destroyed

1956 Earthquake in Amorgos: 53 dead, 100 injured, 530 buildingsdamaged or destroyed

1957 Earthquake in Rodos: 18 dead, 7,2 Richter

1965 Earthquake in Arkadia: 18 dead, 7,2 Richter

1968 Earthquake in Ag. Eustratios: 20 dead, 7,7 Richter

1976 Earthquake in Thessaloniki region: 45 dead, 220 injured, majordamage

1978 Earthquake in Thessaloniki region: 45 dead, 6,5 Richter

1981 Earthquake in the southern regions: 19 dead, 500 injured, 12,220buildings damaged or destroyed

1986 Earthquake in Kalamata: 20 dead, 300 injured, 2,000 buildingsdamaged or destroyed

1987 Hot humid summer days in Athens, Thessaloniki and Larisa: 1,500dead, several thousands of heatstroke victims

1994 Flash floods in Athens (N. Ionia): 14 dead

1995 Earthquake in Aigio: 16 dead, 6,1 Richter

1997 Ukrainian aircraft JAK 42 crashes on the territory of Pieria Mountain:71 dead (passengers and aircrew)

1999 Earthquake in Athens (5,9 Richter): 138 dead, 300 injured, 36 fullycollapsed houses, 4 industries fully collapsed, homeless over 70.000

29

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

SPAIN 1959 Dam burst and flooding at Ribadelago (Zamora): 144 dead

1962 Flooding in Barcelona: 500 dead

1973 Flooding at Murcia, Granada and Almera: 350 dead

1978 Explosion of a gas tank truck at San Carlos de la Rpida (Tarragona):216 dead, several hundreds injured

Every summersince 1980

Forest fires in Galicia, Andaluca, Catalua and Valencia

1983 Drought

1985 Tanker explosion in Algeciras: 32 dead

30

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

FRANCE 1959 Malpasset dam burst at Frjus: 421 dead

1967 Oil slick from the Torrey Canyon along the Breton and Englishcoasts: pollution at numerous points on both coasts(France/United Kingdom)

1970 Avalanches in Val d'Isre and St. Gervais: 120 dead

1976 Eruption of the Soufrire volcano (Guadeloupe): 70.000 peopleevacuated for 4 months

1978 Oil slick from the Amoco Cadiz on the Breton coast: coastlinepolluted with 230.000 tonnes of oil over a length of 230 km

1982-1986 Droughts and major forest fires on Corsica and in certain southerndepartments

1987 Torrential flood at Grand Bornand: 27 deadStorm in Brittany: 11 dead

1988 River flooding in Nmes: 11 dead

1991 Explosion and fire on tanker Haven in the golf of Genova: 2 dead, 3 missing; 110.000 tonnes of crude lost, half of which burnt, the remainder polluting Italian and French coasts

1991 Fire in Barbotan hot springs at Cazaubon: 20 dead

1991 Explosion during take-in of petrol by tankers at Saint Merblain: 10.000 m of super, 5.000 m of Diesel spilled, 6 injured

1991 Train collision in Melun station: 16 dead, 51 injured

1992 Airbus plane crash: 87 dead

1992 Terrace collapse in Furiani stadium: 18 dead, 700 injured

1992 Forest fires in Corsica: 15.000 hectares destroyed, 1 dead

1992 Floods in Southern France: 42 dead, 10 missing

31

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

IRELAND 1979 Fire and explosion aboard a petrol tanker at Bantry Bay: 50 dead, portfacilities damaged

1981 Fire in a nightclub: 48 dead, 214 injured

32

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

ITALY 1951 Flooding of the Po delta

1962 Earthquake in Irpinia: 16 dead, 200 injured

1963 Landslide and flooding in Vaiont-Longarone: 1,759 dead

1966 Flooding in Florence: 29 dead; 1,500 works of art and 1,300,000volume damaged

1968 Earthquake in the valley of Belice (Sicily): 296 dead; 650 injured;30,000 homeless

1970 Flooding in the Po plains

1970 Flooding in Genova: 25 dead

1972 Fire and explosion of tank following sabotage in Trieste-SanDorligo; 18 injured

1976 Two earthquakes in Frioul: 977dead; 189,000 homeless; 2,400injured people

1976 Accident at a chemical factory in Seveso

1978 Leak of ammonia from brake valve during unloading of a ship inManfredonia; 1,000 evacuees

1978 Release of hydrogen sulphide and chromic sulphate during unloadingof tank lorry in Genoa, 4 dead and 74 wounded

1979 BLEVE and fireball of oil in Priolo; 1 dead and 5 wounded

1979 Earthquake in Umbria: 5 dead, numerous people injured, 2,000homeless

1980 Earthquake in Campania/Basilicata: 2,739 dead; 8,816 injured,334,000 homeless

1981 Release of chlorine following upsetting of tank lorry in Foggia, 1dead and 14 wounded

1982 Fireball from collision tank lorry in motorway Florence-sea; 6 deadand 30 wounded

1983-1985 Earth movements at Pozzuoli (Naples)

1984 Earthquake in Central Italy: 7,500 homeless

1985 Bursting of Cavalese-Stava dam with flooding of the village ofTesero: 269 dead or missing, destructive mud wave with a volume of250,000 m

33

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

ITALY 1985 Release of oil during loading in the Port of Naples. UVCE and firewith 7 dead, 19 wounded and 2,300 evacuees

1986 Landslide at Palma Campania (Naples): 6 deadLandslide at Senise: 8 dead

1987 Flooding in Northern Italy and landslide in Valtellina: 53 dead

1987 Fire insulating material during maintenance operations in shipyard inthe Port of Ravenna; 13 dead

1989 Forest fires on Sardinia: 18 dead

1990 Earthquake in Southwestern Sicily: 12 dead, 99 injured, 14,596homeless

1991 Collision of ferry with tanker at Livorno: ferry gutted by fire, 147passengers dead

1991 River floodings in Sicily, in the provinces of Enna and Caltanissetta:15 dead

1992 Etna eruption: high volcanic activity for several months; for the firsttime in the history of volcanic events, successful diversion of stream oflava

1992 Landslide of Chies d'Alpago mountain in the province of Belluno:volume of landslide estimated at more than 1 million m; majordamage

1994 Severe flooding and landslides in North West (Piemont):Damage caused to roads, bridges and buildings: 65 victims, 8 missing,87 injured, 5,309 homeless

1995 - 1996 Severe floodings in Versilia (Tuscany) damages caused to roads,bridges and buildings: 5 victims, 60 injured, 210 homeless

1997 Earthquakes in Umbria and Marche: 11 victims, 420 injured, 63.000homeless. Severe damages to historical buildings, churches and towers

1998 Severe flood in Crotone (Calabria): 7 victims, 120 injured, 250homeless

1998 Severe mudflood in Sarno and Quindici (Campania): 200 victims, 350injured, 1.000 homeless

1998 Flood in Friuli with heavy damages to roads and bridges

34

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

1990 Major storms: some people injured; dozens of hectares of woodlanddestroyed.

1993 Floods in the Alzette, Moselle and Sauer basins, important materialdamages in several villages.

1995 Floods in the Alzette, Moselle and Sauer basins, important materialdamages in several villages.

LUXEMBURG

1997 2 railway accidents near Luxembourg City, 1 dead, 125 injured.

35

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

THENETHERLANDS

1953 Tidal wave and flooding of the province of Zeeland: 2,000 dead, 300,000people affected

1960 Air crash near Franeker (Friesland): 7 dead

1961 Railway accident at Harmelen (province of Utrecht): 95 dead

1965 Tanker explosion in Rotterdam: 16 dead

1968 Fire in a chemical factory in Rotterdam

1971 Fire in a chemical factory in Amsterdam: 9 dead, 2 injured

1971 Hotel fire in Eindhoven (Northern Brabant): 11 dead, 12 injured

1971 Fire in a care centre in Rolde (Groningen province): 13 dead

1972 Road accident in Prinsenbeek (Northern Brabant): 13 dead, 30 injured

1975 Explosion in a chemical factory in Geleen (Limburg): 14 dead, 109injured

1976 Railway accident at Schiedam (Southern Holland): 24 dead

1976 Forest fires near Arnhem (Gelderlande)

1979 Heavy snowfall in the provinces of Groningen and Friesland, and inSchleswig-Holstein: traffic completely paralysed(The Netherlands/Germany)

1981 Air crash at Moerdijk (Northern Brabant): 17 dead

1990 Heavy gales during three days: severe damage

1991 Explosion in fireworks factory at Culemborg: 2 dead, extensive damage

1991 Fire at DSM chemical plant in Rotterdam: 6 dead, 7 missing

1992 Earthquake in Limburg province: extensive damage

1992 Explosion and fire at CINDU chemical plant in Uithoorn: 3 dead

1992 Whirlwind at Ameland: 1 dead, extensive damage

1992 Plane crash onto Amsterdam block of flats: more than 50 dead

1993 Floods further to high level waters in the Meuse river in the province ofLimburg: heavy material damages

1995 Floods further to high level waters in the Rhine and Meuse rivers:250.000 inhabitants and millions cattle evacuated.

1996 Airplane accident at Eindhoven Airport: 34 dead, 7 seriously injured

1996 Airplane accident on the Waddenzee: 32 dead

1998 Floods further to heavy rains in various provincies: extensive materialdamages

36

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

PORTUGAL 1957 Volcanic eruption in Azores : thousand of homeless

1963 Collapse of roofing of the Cais Sodr railway-station in Lisboa : 49dead

1964 Railway accident at Porto : 60 dead

1966 Forest fire in Serra de Sintra: 26 dead, 2,660 hectare of forestdestroyed

1967 Flood at Lisboa area due to rainstorm: 500 dead, landslides,buildings and other infrastructures destroyed

1975 Oil slick from Jacob Maersk near Porto : 80,000 ton.

1977 Aircraft crash at Funchal (Madeira) : 19 dead, 33 injured

1979 Flood in Satarm : 2 dead, 1,187 homeless

1980 Earthquake in Aores: 50 dead, 86 injured, 21,296 homeless; ports,buildings and communication systems destroyed

1980 Oil slick from the Capeon in Setbal : 15 km of beach polluted

1983 Flood at Lisboa due to rainstorm: 10 dead, 5,000 homeless, damageestimated at 100 million ECU

1985 Forest fires north of the Tejo and south of Douro river: 14 dead,150,000 hectare destroyed, damage estimated 20 million ECU

1985 Railway accident near Viseu: 64 dead, 100 injured

1986 Forest fires in the central region: 13 dead, 100,000 hectaredestroyed, damage estimated 20 million ECU

1987 Major storms on Algarve coast: houses and crops seriously damaged

1987 Forest fires in the north/central region: 5 dead, 80,000 hectaredestroyed

1988 Fire in Chiado historical centre of Lisboa: 2 dead, 18 buildingsdestroyed

1989 Aircraft crash at Santa Maria in Aores: 145 dead

1989 Oil slick from the Maro: 20 km of beach polluted by 6,000 ton

1989 Flood in Tejo banks caused by severe climate: heavy damage mainlyat Ribatejo area

37

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

PORTUGAL 1989 Oil slick from the Aragon near the island of Porto Santo: coastlinepolluted by 25,000 ton

1989 Forest fires north of Tejo: 126,000 hectare destroyed

1989 Flood in Vila Real: 1,500 homeless

1990 Forest fires north of Tejo: 137,000 hectare destroyed

1990 Oil slick from the Cypriot tanker Ogennitor in Sines harbour: 500km polluted by several tens of ton

1991 Forest fires north of Tejo: 182,000 hectare destroyed

1991 Aircraft crash at Funchal: 86 injured

1991 Aircraft crash at Funchal airport: 6 dead

1992 Aircraft crash at Faro airport: 58 dead, 238 injured

1995 Forest fires in the north/central region: 170,000 hectare destroyed

1995-1996 Floods in districts of Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Viseu, Satarm andLisboa: 12 dead, 1,340 homeless, damage estimated 80 million ECU

1997 Floods and mudslides in Aores: 29 dead, 60 homeless, damageestimated 15 million ECU

1997 Floods in Lisboa, Algarve and Alentejo: 11 dead, 44 injured, 300homeless, 95 collapsed/destroyed buildings, destruction ofagriculture assets and crops

1998 Earthquake in Aores: 8 dead, 110 injured, 1,600 homeless, 500collapsed/destroyed houses, damage estimated 60 million ECU

38

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

SWEDEN 1956 Train accident, Stlldalen: 20 dead, 8 injured

1964 Air crash, ngelholm: 31 dead, 6 injured

1969 Storm, south and west Sweden: 10 dead, 200 injured, estimatedcost 1,900 million SEK

1977 Landslide, Tuve: 9 dead, 62 injured, estimated cost 670 millionSEK

1978 Hotel fire, Bors: 20 dead, 35 injured, estimated cost 35 millionSEK

1979 Oil pollution along the Swedish east coast

1979 Bridge collapse, Tjrn: 8 dead

1986 Radioactive fallout following the Chernobyl accident, primarily inthe north

1987 Train accident, Lerum: 9 dead, 130 injured

1990 Fire on the ship Sally Albatross under repair, estimated cost 660million SEK

1990 Fire on the ship Scandinavian Star at sea, 158 dead, 30 injured

1994 Estonia is shipwrecked, 865 dead. (The ship went down oninternational water, however the majority of the passengers werefrom Sweden which makes it a major Swedish disaster)

1998 Discotheque fire, Gothenburg: 63 dead, 223 injured

1999 Fire on Princess Ragnhild: all passengers, 1100, were rescued andevacuated to other ships by forces from Sweden, Norway andDenmark. There were no casualties.

39

COUNTRIES DATES DISASTERS

UNITEDKINGDOM

1952 Smog in London: 12.000 dead due to the smog

1953 Surge tide and flooding on the East coast

1967 Oil slick from the Torrey Canyon along the Breton and Englishcoasts: pollution at numerous points on both coasts(France/United Kingdom)

1976 Landslide at a colliery: 144 dead

1976 Explosion and fire in a large chemical factory in Flixboro: 28dead

1985 Stadium fire at Bradford City FC: 50 dead, 300 injured

1985 Fire on aircraft at Manchester Airport: 54 dead

1987 Ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsize at Zeebrugge: 193 dead(Belgium/United Kingdom)

1987 Underground station fire at Kings Cross: 31 dead

1987 Severe storms: 21 dead

1988 North Sea Piper Alpha oil platform explosion: 167 dead

1988 Rail crash at Clapham: 32 dead, 120 injured

1988 Terrorist attack on Pan Am Jumbo over Lockerbie: 259 passengersand crew died along with 11 people on the ground

1989 Civil aircraft crash at Kegworth: 47 dead, 79 injured

1989 Football stadium disaster at Hillsborough: 95 crushed to death,more than 700 injured

1989 "Marchioness" pleasure boat disaster on the Thames: 51 drowned

1990 Towyn surge tide flooding on the Welsh coast

1990 Storms in Southern England: 45 dead

PART IV

METHODOLOGYOF

EMERGENCY PLANNING

41

IV.1 PLANNING PRINCIPLES

The responsibilities of the public authorities in an emergency are generally the same as innormal situations: protecting and safeguarding people and property, public health andenvironment. A disaster merely imposes additional responsibilities without changing theirnature.

a) When an emergency plan anticipating disasters is considered desirable it should beimplemented by persons representing the public authorities and guaranteeing its correctimplementation. At the local level, it should be drawn up by persons capable of judgingthe effect of the measures advocated.

b) An emergency plan anticipating disasters which has been drawn up by governments maycover three phases:

1. Emergency phase,2. Transitional reaction phase,3. Reconstruction phase.

c) An emergency plan anticipating disasters could examine the effects, some of which arecommon to the majority of disasters. These effects essentially concern the following:

- population: The effect of a disaster is frequently expressed in terms of the number ofpeople killed, injured and sick. Homelessness, dismembered families and missingpersons are also frequent consequences. The loss of personal possessions isimportant.

- institutions and social services: Public buildings are partly or completely destroyed;Transport is disorganized. Communications and other public services are disrupted.Finally, the accumulation of debris interferes with all the community's normalactivities. Nevertheless, the needs of the people must be seen to. These needs areessentially the same in every disaster, coinciding with man's four basic requirements:food, clothing, accommodation and medical care;

- environment: water, soil and air can be affected by dangerous substances.Agricultural areas are for some time not usable as well as drinking water facilitiesand in some cases even housing areas.

The authorities will take action as soon as possible in order to fulfil their duties, namelymaintaining order, clearing the debris, restoring public services, especially the supply ofelectricity and water, sewage systems, telephone and mail services. They should alsoprovide information as to the assistance available and ensure that the social servicesoperate smoothly. Roads, bridges, railways, ports and airports must be repaired or rebuilt.

d) An emergency plan anticipating disasters may be based on a legal regulation in the form ofa law or decree setting up a central organization in a Member State or a region chargedwith planning and executing all rescue activities. However, such a legal basis is not aprerequisite in every Member State. Within such a central organization, the authority andresponsibility could rest with the ministry, service or administration whose daily activities

42

correspond most closely with the needs created by disasters. Their central structures willmake it possible to set up appropriate administrative links on other levels throughout theentire disaster area. The head of this organization and a representative of each authorityinvolved could form a coordination committee to prepare decisions and transmit them tothe various executive levels, thus assisting the person with national responsibility inmaking his decisions.

This committee may, for instance, be made up of representatives of the following officesand services:

- civil protection,- police,- fire services,- Red Cross,- environmental services,- meteorological service (including the hydrological and seismological services),- national planning office,- public works and buildings,- public utilities (electricity, water, gas, sanitary services),

- food and agriculture,- trade and industry,- finance,- telecommunications,- transport,- education and information,- rescue and reconstruction,- public health,- armed forces, etc.

The tasks of a national coordination committee should be as follows:

During the disaster:

- to set up a centre or headquarters responsible for the coordination of the rescueoperations,

- to set up and maintain contact with the representatives of international institutionswith programmes of action in the State concerned (in case of multilateralagreements),

- to coordinate the aid and rescue operations of all public and private organizations onlocal, national and international level,

- to allocate the available emergency resources to the regions affected,- to verify, control and coordinate use of the means of transport and communications,- to coordinate the dissemination of information concerning the disaster.

43

After the disaster:

- to implement reconstruction programmes,- to evaluate the efficiency of rescue operations,- to keep up-to-date records of all activities during the disaster and compile reports

for the competent organizations and the public,- to ensure that lessons learnt from the disaster are taken into account in future

national development plans.

IV.2 TYPES OF EMERGENCY PLAN

There are two types of emergency plan:

- those dealing with general hazards,- those dealing with specific hazards.

Where appropriate, an outline plan may be drawn up at all administrative levels for dealingwith general hazards. This can then be supplemented by specific plans for dealing with knownhazards in a given area. The information to be given in operational emergency plans includes:

- a precise description of the area or region and its infrastructure,- the most important danger indicators,- the resources available: specialist rescue teams, experts, special equipment, food

supplies,- plan of action and appropriate organization of rescue operations,- organization of specific responsibilities.

To assist management, checklists indicating who is responsible for specific operations couldbe helpful, such as:

- a checklist for the period during and after the disaster management stage,- a list of measures to be taken in specific emergencies and of the bodies which must

be informed and/or convened by law, in particular.

44

IV.3 EMERGENCY PLANNING

A general structure of a disaster plan is indicated below:

INTRODUCTION Legislative authorityRelated documents

THE AIMDEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONSTHE COUNTRY (REGION, STATE) Topography

ClimateEnvironmentDemographyIndustryGovernmental Organization

THE THREAT HistoryNatural events (by type)Industrial etc. accidents (by type)

COMMAND AND COORDINATION Powers and responsibilities at each levelCommand authorities and postsDescription and role of emergency services

PLANNING GROUPS Arrangements for sectoral planning(medical, transport, communications, environmentalconsequences, etc.)

EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE Arrangements and authority for requesting assistance fromoutside the planning area

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRESACTIVATION OF ORGANIZATION Warning systems

Receipt and dissemination of warningsOPERATIONAL INFORMATIONCOUNTER-DISASTER Government departmentsORGANIZATIONS Department of home affairs

Local governmentVoluntary organizationsArrangements for liaison

ADMINISTRATIONFINANCIAL PROCEDURESSUPPLY Emergency purchasing procedures

International assistancePowers for requisitioning

PUBLIC INFORMATION Announcements (requiring action)Information releasesEmergency broadcastingMulti-language broadcasts

SUB-PLANS Communications; police; fire + rescue services; medicalenvironment; welfare; housing; public works; transport;power; registration and tracing service

PART V

MULTILATERAL &

BILATERAL AGREEMENTS

46

V.1 MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS

Member States are party to several kinds of multilateral agreements, among them agreementson cooperation in the field of nuclear events, inland water pollution, and agreements onaircraft accidents. Also the Member States of NATO have an agreement on support indisastrous events.

V.2 BILATERAL AGREEMENTS ON GENERAL HAZARDS

Many of the Member States have general bilateral agreements for mutual assistance inresponding to disasters covered by this Vade-mecum. A summary of the usual provisions isshown below.

Area of application Mutual assistance in emergencies

Main provisions -Mutual information on hazards-Easing of formalities for passing across common borders-No financial reimbursement-Arrangements for providing external assistance

Mobilization/command Identification of competent authorities with, whereappropriate, different administrative levels

Definition of disaster covered by the agreement Emergencies which cannot be dealt with by normalmeans

Priority measures covered by the agreement Responsibility of requesting parties

Maintenance of public order Responsibility of requesting parties

Communication between contracting parties Communication channels usually ministries of interioror ministries responsible for civil protection

Preparatory consultation Scientific and joint training of rescue workers

Official information Between the authorities responsible for disastermanagement

Training of rescue workers National standards; cooperation on training

Insurance Responsibility of offering parties

Liability of rescue workers Towards requesting party: exemption.Towards third parties: responsibility of requesting party

Reimbursement No financial compensation: responsibility of requestingparty for supplies, accommodation, etc.

47

The following Member States have general agreements on a bilateral basis for the provision of emergency assistance:

B DK D GR E F I IRL L NL P

B X X X X

DK X

D X X X X X

GR

E X X

F X X X X X X

I X X

IRL

L X X X

NL X X

P X X

UK

A X

FIN

S X

PART VI

NATIONALORGANIZATION

OFCIVIL PROTECTION

IN THEEUROPEAN UNION

49

updating 12.1995

VI.1 CIVIL PROTECTION IN AUSTRIA

General tasks

Austria is a Federal Republic with a population of slightly more than 7.8 million people and an area of about 83,000 square kilometres. The nine federal provinces are Burgenland,Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Vienna.

Civil protection is defined as the sum total of all precautionary measures and activitiesdesigned to enable the population to survive in any type of crisis situation .

Civil protection thus includes all humanitarian activities to manage disasters and other majorcatastrophes. It includes precautionary action against natural or technical accidents, accidentsin the chemical industry as well as accidents during the transport of hazardous goods ornuclear accidents.

Civil protection in Austria must be seen as a pluralist system to prevent disasters and provideaid, embedded in the hexagonal responsibility borne by the authorities at the federal,provincial, district and local level, by relief organizations and by the population. Civilprotection means safety for the population by preparatory measures taken by the:

- authorities,- relief organizations, and

- individual citizens.

That means, civil protection in Austria is subdivided into three sections:

Precautions taken by the authoritiesBesides providing the legal framework and the platform for international cooperation,the authorities are responsible for warning and informing the population in case ofimminent danger and for the coordination of relief and rescue operations.

Precautions taken by the relief and rescue organizationsThe work and activities of these organizations are of great importance for civilprotection in Austria. Since these voluntary organizations are highly motivated,well-trained and optimally equipped, there is no need for Austria to have a separate civilprotection force as instituted in other countries.

Precautions taken by the general public; individual self-protectionAll precautions taken by the authorities and the rescue organizations would not beeffective if the public did not accept them and was not prepared to cooperate. Specialattention must thus be given to thorough information and training of the public on self-protection.

50

Information and communication systems

Crucial prerequisites for effective crisis management are ensuring prompt communicationwith a minimum of delay and harmonising of all activities.For this purpose, a Federal Alarm Centre has been installed in the Federal Ministry of theInterior, and Provincial Alarm Centres in the provinces.The Federal Alarm Centre serves as a permanently staffed headquarters for supraregional andinternational disaster control.

The Federal Alarm Centre has clearly defined tasks within the warning and alerting system tobe operated jointly by the Federal and provincial governments, ie. :- to recognize hazardous situations,- to give out warnings, and- to give out alerts,- to coordinate tasks in disaster prevention, and- to become active within supraregional and international disaster relief.

The Federal Alarm Centre acts as contact point as defined in bilateral and multilateral disasterrelief and radiation protection agreements for:- reporting on incidents and accidents,- reporting on occurrences that may generate anxiety in the population,- ways of cooperation, and- possible assistance in the case of a disaster.

Should a supraregional or international disaster or crisis occur, the Federal Alarm Centreserves as a:- reporting, coordinating and liaison point for the provincial alarm centres,- central information exchange between all bodies concerned in Austria and abroad, and- message relay center for the National Crisis Management Board in case of crises.

The Provincial Alarm Centres are civil protection centres at the provincial level. Their task isto warn and alert the public in case of imminent danger and to coordinate rescue and reliefforces during major disasters or catastrophes.

Warning and alerting system

A central concern of civil protection is to warn and alert the population as quickly as possible.

This is done by sirens which in their final implementation stage will be controlled centrally andregionally, by districts and locally. The currently available 7000 sirens - which can be triggeredby the Federal Alarm Centre, too - reach about 60 % of the population.

In addition to its other communication networks, the Federal Ministry of the Interior hasinstalled a "dedicated telephone line" which is an independent, fixed telephone network forsingle and conference calls to relay messages from the Federal Alarm Centre to its provincialcounterparts and other relevant bodies.

51

The Austrian Radio and Television Corporation has been recruited to broadcast information ina crisis situation. Around-the-clock operation with central and regional broadcasting stationshas been ensured.

Precautions taken by the relief organizations

In contrast to other States, Austria has no special civil protection units.Civil protection in Austria is provided by existing relief organizations, in particular the firefighting squads, the Austrian Red Cross, the Workers's Ambulance Service, the Knights ofSt.John Ambulance Service, the Knights of Malta Hospital Service and the Mountain RescueService. In these organizations, some 300,000 well-trained and equipped men and women(about 4 % of the population) are available - mostly on a voluntary basis - to assume civilprotection tasks.

Efficient civil protection would, of course, be impossible without the assistance of the lawenforcement units and the Federal Army who play a key role in civil protection.

Precautions taken by individual citizens - information of the population

A civil protection concept cannot be implemented effectively without the acceptance andcooperation of the population. Only if we are all prepared to take personal precautions in ourimmediate environment in addition to official preparations and support by the relieforganizations do we stand a fair chance of surviving disasters with the least possible damage.

For this reason, the Federal Ministry of the Interior has developed the Self-protectionInformation Centres concept in conjunction with the provinces, the Austrian CivilProtection-Association and the relief organizations.

The Self-protection Information Centres aim to:- inform and advise the population on all aspects of self-protection,- promote neighbourhood help,- organize courses, and- generally improve the information level concerning civil protection and self-protection.

By learning how to protect themselves and make provision in the individual households,people are put in a position to survive the isolation phase with a minimum of harm untilorganized relief sets in or official measures are taken.

So far, Self-protection Information Centres have been established in 1,080 Austrianmunicipalities.

Updating 12.1995

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Request for assistance Coordination in the case of crises

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53

updating 11.1998

VI. 2 CIVIL PROTECTION IN BELGIUM

General mission

To help individuals and protect assets at all times in the case of calamities, catastrophes anddisasters.

The Minister for the Interior and the Secretary of State for Security, by means of theDirectorate-General for Civil Protection, organize the means and measures for the civilprotection of the nation, the former in the case of nuclear emergencies and the latter in theevent of all other kinds of risk. They coordinate the preparation and application of thesemeasures within government departments and public bodies. They are responsible fordesigning emergency plans and providing information to members of the public on the risks towhich they can be exposed.

They also establish general standards of organization for the fire services and for fire brigadetraining.

Organization and coordination of aid

The Directorate-General for Civil Protection is an office of the Ministry of the Interior.Since 1988, a governmental coordination and crisis centre (CGCCR) has been availablearound-the-clock. This centre is responsible in particular for collecting information on majoraccidents and informing the Minister for the Interior and the Secretary of State for Security,and if necessary, the other relevant authorities.Where a crisis is managed at federal level, these authorities organize coordination through thecrisis centre.

Training

. A Royal School of Civil Protection organizes training courses for operational andvoluntary civil protection staff. Staff also carries out part of their training in permanentunits.

. In each region of the country there is a regional training centre for the fire services.

National intervention resources

Civil protection personnel comprises staff assigned to administrative tasks in centraladministration and approximately 600 staff in 5 permanent operational units which areavailable 24 hours a day to come to the scene of an accident.

In addition, some 2,000 voluntary staff can support permanent staff where required.

Local resources

There are currently 250 communal and regional fire services, which comprise approximately16,000 firemen, 5,000 of whom have professional status and approximately 11,000 of whomare volunteers.

Updating 1994

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National Defence Director General Other MinistriesMinister For Civil Protection

EmergencyPlan

ProvinceGovernor

ArmyGendarmerie

Mayors Data banks

Permanent unitsof the Civil Protection Belgian Individuals

Corps Fire services Red Cross (requisitioned)

LEGEND :

Planning

Command

Information

Request for assistance

Granting of assistance

Minister of theInterior

GovernmentalCentre for

Coordination andCrisis Management

55

updating 11.1998

VI.3 CIVIL PROTECTION IN DENMARK

General Task

According to the Danish Preparedness Act, the task of the rescue preparedness is to prevent,reduce and remedy any damage inflicted on people, property and environment by accidentsand disasters including war actions or imminent danger of war.

The first response to an emergency is carried out by the municipal rescue preparedness (anamalgamation of the municipal civil defence and the municipal fire preparedness), whileoperations against rarely occurring or very complex accidents usually are carried out with theassistance of the National Rescue Corps.

Organization

At national central level the Ministry of the Interior, and the Emergency ManagementAgency, manages the supreme administrative guidance of the national rescue preparednessand the supervision of the municipal rescue preparedness. The agency includes the NuclearSafety Division and a chemical laboratory.

The national regional preparedness system consists - in peacetime - of six regional Centres forthe National Rescue Corps.

Preparedness commissions appointed by the local councils administrate the rescuepreparedness in the 275 Danish municipalities.

The municipal rescue preparedness is capable of fire and rescue operations and of receiving,billeting and feeding evacuees and other distressed persons including e.g. victims of floodsand other natural disasters.

40 major municipalities are able to provide an instant and more extensive turnout against theconsequences of acts of war.

Training

Every year the Emergency Management Agency implements a number of training sessionsand courses in the field of emergency management fire fighting, rescue services, technicaloperations, etc.

The target groups for these activities are employees and volunteers from the rescuepreparedness and the civil preparedness.

There are three training and educational establishments under the responsibility of theEmergency Management Agency. These are the Officers Academy, the Staff College and theTechnical School.

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National Resources

The Danish system of conscription allows the national rescue preparedness to establish andtrain a preparedness reserve in peacetime. By calling up this reserve and bringing thestockpiles of equipment and vehicles into operation, the national rescue preparedness can besubstantially increased in event of a crisis or war.

In peacetime the national rescue preparedness has 650 employees including 200 officers and100 non-commisssioned officers. Every year 1,400 conscripts receive a three or six monthstraining at the Regional Centres for the National Rescue Corps, which means that each centreconstantly has approx. 80 conscripts at its disposal.

The National Rescue Corps possesses 800 motor vehicles, i.e. tank lorries, hose-tenders, fireengines, pioneer vehicles, radio communication vans etc. In addition, a number of privatevehicles have been earmarked for requisition in case of mobilization.

The annual (1998) budget of the national rescue preparedness is 397 mill. DKK(approx. 52 mill. ECU).

Local Resources

The local councils are responsible for the build-up and maintenance of the municipal rescuepreparedness in accordance with detailed standards laid by the Minister of the Interior.

The Council may enter into agreement with private rescue companies to carry out taskswithin the municipal rescue preparedness. The agreement shall be approved by theEmergency Management Agency.

In Denmark there are 72 municipal rescue preparedness stations, 108 Falck*) stations and 39stations with volunteer personnel. The personnel consists of 1,700 employed full-time, 3,300part-time and 1,600 volunteers.

The total number of turnouts are approx. 25,000 per year.

*) Falck Redningskorps Ltd. is a large private Danish rescue and fire company.

________________________________________________________________________For more information about the Emergency Management Agency, please see the Internetwww.beredskabsstyrelsen.dk or www.brs.dk

57

Updating 1998

DISASTER RELIEF IN DENMARK

Other Ministries Minister of Minister of Minister ofJustice Defence the Interior

EmergencyManagement

AgencyNational Police

General Plan

SYSTEM FOR MANAGINGRELIEF IN DENMARK

Mayor

Local Police Municipal RescuePreparedness

ArmyOwn Plan

Rescue Preparedness The National

of another Rescue CorpsMunicipality (Mobile squads

located in Private the various

Rescources Rescue regions)of the various Organizationsnational government Individuals Ambulancesministries (volunteers)

LEGEND :

Planning

Request for assistance

Granting of assistance

Communication and cooperation

MULTI - AND BILATERAL ASSISTANCE AGREEMENTS

58

updating 10.1999

VI.4 CIVIL PROTECTION IN GERMANY

How assistance is organized

Under the Basic Law, assistance in the event of civil disasters in peacetime is a matter for theLnder, while the protection of the civil population in a military conflict is the responsibility ofthe Federal Government. Thus, the Federal Government complements the civil protectionorganized by the Lnder. Within the Lnder, the local or district authorities are in principleresponsible for assistance. In this connection, assistance can be requested throughout theFederal Republic by dialling 112. Similarly, the nearest police station can be reached bydialling the emergency number 110 anywhere in the Federal Republic.

Public institutions and private bodies in the Lnder/municipalities

The main institutions available to the local authorities as public bodies to provide assistanceare the fire services (professional and voluntary fire services). These are responsible for fireprotection, technical assistance and in some aid services.

The professional fire services have over 28.800 and voluntary fire services some 1.4 millionactive members. Added to these are industrial fire services with around 36.000 activemembers. The following private bodies are also engaged in civil protection:

- Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund around 7 200 active members- Deutsche Lebensrettungsgesellschaft around 145 000 active members- Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (Red Cross) around 305 000 active members- Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe around 24 000 active members- Malteser Hilfsdienst around 31 000 active members

They are particularly involved in medical and care services. Volunteers are active in all areasof the system for providing assistance; they form the basis of civil protection, which could notfunction without them. Helpers committing themselves to service in civil protection for astatutory period may be exempted from military service.

Training

Training for those engaged in civil protection is carried out in training centres run by the relieforganizations and the fire services of the Lnder. In addition the civil protection trainingschool of the Federal Office for Civil Protection is available as a central training centre.

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Federal resources

The Federal Government complements the resources of the Lnder in the areas of fireprotection, health and welfare and NBC protection by financing additional equipment(operational vehicles and equipment), personal equipment for a specific number of helpers andcivil protection training. The number of vehicles funded by the Federal Government is 9 460. For rescue services there is the Federal Institution for Technical Assistance (THW), which isavailable on request to the competent Lnder authorities. In future the THW will operate 810technical teams with around 6 000 vehicles. It has some 61 500 helpers.

Helicopters have also been acquired for civil protection/disaster relief purposes and areoperated by the airborne unit of the Federal Border Police (BGS). These form part ofGermany's air rescue system. At present 24 of the 50 stations have civil protection helicoptercover. In accordance with the principle of administrative assistance, the local authorities mayalso request the help of the federal armed forces in peacetime.

60

Updating 10.1999

DISASTER RELIEF IN THE FEDERALREPUBLIC OF GERMANY

Overall responsible

Head of district/City

administration

Emergency staff

LEGEND :

Command

Information

Granting of assistance

Inter-ministerial coordination group in the Federal Ministry of

the Interior

Land government

Federal Border Police

Requisitioned individuals

Federal Army

Federal Agency for technical assistance

(THW)

Specialized private rescue services

Fire services

Rescueservices

61

updating 06.1995

VI.5 CIVIL PROTECTION IN SPAIN

Law 2/1985 on civil protection is the basis and starting point for the current system of civilprotection. This law has subsequently been developed via several regulatory provisions,among which we must highlight, because of its importance in the configuration of the nationalsystem of civil protection, the Basic Civil Protection Standard which was approved by RoyalDecree 407/1992 of 24 April 1992.

The Basic Standard lays down the requirements for civil protection plans. It sets out thecriteria for coordination between the plans of various administrations and the generalframework for developing the competencies of these administrations. Cooperation betweenthe three administrations (central, autonomous, local) made it possible to develop standardsderived from the Basic Standard. It is in particular within the framework of the NationalCommission on Civil Protection that this cooperation has developed.

Each administration can organize and manage its civil protection systems with completeautonomy but must respect the principles of inter-territorial complementarity, subsidiarity andsolidarity. The first two principles mean that it is the local administration which initially copeswith an emergency. The autonomous community level takes over if the local administration isunable to cope with the extent of the problem. The central level plays a similar role for theautonomous community. The principle of inter-territorial solidarity guarantees that theresources available outside the territory where the emergency occurred can be used, and thisis the case with the intervention of resources available in the autonomous community planoutside the local territory, and intervention with resources provided for in the State plan forresources outside the territory of the autonomous community.

Following these principles, the Basic Standard stipulates that management and coordinationof situations can be exercised through State authority, by means of a statement "of nationalinterest" from the Minister for Justice and the Interior. In other cases, the general Stateadministration with its own resources or those of other administrations will have a supportfunction for measures envisaged in the autonomous community plan.

The Basic Standard establishes two types of plan; the territorial plan and the special plan. Thefirst, intended to cope with general cases, can be a guideline plan, which defines the generalframework for allowing access to territorial plans at a local level.

The special plan involves the implementation of methodologies and technical and scientificresources specific to each type of risk. This plan can relate to:

- Nuclear power- Situations of war- Floods- Seismic activity- Chemicals- Transport of dangerous substances

62

- Forest fires- Volcanic activity

The first two are of national interest, but the other administrations can be involved, both onthe level of resources (sanitary installation, logistics etc.) and on the level of planning(emergency municipal plans in the event of a nuclear accident).

The autonomy of the various administrations in management and organization does notexclude homogeneity as regards the content and objectivity of planning. Indeed, the territorialand special plans of the autonomous communities are approved by the National Commissionfor Civil Protection, made up of representatives of the various ministries involved in themanagement of emergencies, of the autonomous communities and of the local administration.The National Commission, a consultative body, expresses opinions on the basic guidelineswhich define the criteria and the minimal requirements that are need to unite the plans of thethree levels of Spanish administration (central, autonomous and local) must to assemble. Allsubsequent legislation is the subject of a consensus between the three administrative levelsinvolved.

On the level of the autonomous communities there are autonomous community civilprotection commissions where the representatives of the three levels of the communityintegrate. It is these commissions, which approve the territorial and special plans of lowerlevels; provincial, city, communal grouping, etc.

The Spanish system is therefore based on preliminary planning and cooperation betweenthose who have at their disposal the various resources, which can be implemented to copewith emergencies. Its characteristic features are the use of existing resources and not thoseown resources allocated to civil protection, and preliminary consensus between all thepossible participants and those who have resources at their disposal. The system isdecentralized and allows widespread intervention of all the resources of the country in orderto cope with an emergency. It i