On March 1st, World Civil Protection Day is commemorated, by resolution of the I.C.D.O. (International Civil Defence Organisation), this day is commemorated for the entry into force in 1972 of the ...
On March 1st, World Civil Protection Day is commemorated, by resolution of the I.C.D.O. (International Civil Defence Organisation), this day is commemorated for the entry into force in 1972 of the Constitution of the ICDO as an Intergovernmental Organisation, with two main objectives: to draw the attention of the population throughout the world to the importance of Civil Protection, and to raise awareness of preparedness for prevention and self-protection in protection measures in the event of accidents, disasters, emergencies and public calamities, and to pay tribute to the work and effort of the staff of all national services responsible for disaster relief.
Those of us who are involved and committed, and have been working for years in the field of Civil Protection and Emergencies, have seen and observed remarkably the quality and quantity, the effectiveness and efficiency in what refers to the protection of people and their property, both in habitual and enormous emergencies that have arisen, these being some of the concepts of Civil Protection. Resources have been computerised, we have geographic information systems, seismic risk simulation programmes, forest fires, etc., the implementation and automation of the Operational Coordination Centres, guidelines, protocols and planning have been marked to intervene in a more effective, more coordinated, more organised way, with the sole aim of helping the population. We know that we must not be satisfied with this, because we still have a long way to go, to walk, to prosper and to progress. Valuing the past and looking back we can remember those unpleasant events; such as the Los Alfaques campsite (Tarragona) in 1978, with 215 deaths, the rupture of the Tous dam in 1982, or catastrophes outside our borders that have generated enormous damage, which reminds us these days that a catastrophe can have collateral effects of great magnitude, and we could continue as; The Corona de Aragón Hotel Fire, The Alcalá 20 Discotheque, Arias Warehouses, the Los Rodeos Accident, ??. years where Civil Protection was being structured from that system of the year 1941 called National Headquarters of Passive Defence. And that due to the lack of planning it was necessary to resort to the initiative of improvising, both in the techniques of emergency control, as in the deficiency of material resources, and it was unthinkable the steps that have been taken in prevention in all its areas. Today we have a more efficient and supportive service, which redounds to the benefit of the citizen.
At the end of last year, the Director General of Civil Protection and Emergencies, Doña Pilar Gallego, committed herself to presenting a new Civil Protection and Emergencies law for 2010 to replace the current one, Law 2/85 of 21 January 1985 on Civil Protection, and plans to create a new, more modern law, in which all members of the system are present, and will meet with all the Directors of Civil Protection of the Autonomous Communities during this year to gather their assessments and evaluations. She also assured that she would guarantee that no citizen would be disregarded depending on their place of residence, in order to consolidate prevention as an instrument to minimise risks and reach consensus.
Spanish civil protection is based on coordination, which is why the need to draw up Emergency Plans is raised, understanding the term planning as a synonym for coordinated organisation, established in advance in order to provide immediate responses to the different emergency situations that arise in the different territorial areas.
BASIC CONCEPTS OF CIVIL PROTECTION
FORECASTING: Analyse and study the risks
PREVENTION: Adopt measures to avoid or reduce risk situations
PLANNING: Draw up emergency plans
INTERVENTION: Act to protect and assistto:
? People
? Their assets ? The environment
REHABILITATION: Restore essential public services
TRAINING: Of citizens Of emergency services
We can remember the famous Spanish World Cup 82, where a group of men and women voluntarily participated in the security device of that sporting event worldwide. And it was there where the figure of the Civil Protection volunteer was born through a Trained and Prepared Society (PC Doctrine) as it would later be included in Law 2/85 on Civil Protection. I emphasise the great selfless and altruistic work carried out by these men and women. We must ask ourselves if we really know what Civil Protection is and that whenever we ask what the definition of Civil Protection is, the volunteer person dressed in orange and blue clothes comes to our minds, who are in a multitude of preventive devices; cultural, religious, sporting, festive, leisure events?, and participate in prevention work. Without impeding the interpretations and importance that they develop, they are not the concept of Civil Protection, they are one of the participating elements of it, where I recognise their praiseworthy and excellent work that they develop. But Civil Protection is all of us, each one from his or her job in society, and is responsible for his or her safety and that of his or her fellow human beings with a simple attitude of avoiding accidents, of preventing emergencies, public calamities and catastrophes from occurring, we are already collaborating and participating with the doctrine of Civil Protection.
The definition of Civil Protection is a public service that is oriented to the study and prevention of situations of serious collective risk, extraordinary catastrophe or public calamity in which the life and physical integrity of people may be endangered in a massive way and to the protection and assistance of these and their property in cases where such situations occur.
Civil Protection is structured on two fundamental principles: solidarity and coordination.
All Security and Emergency resources; national, regional, island and municipal are Civil Protection. Day after day anonymous professionals are working to "help, collaborate and alleviate human suffering", developing training activities to raise awareness and sensitise in Self-protection, in the development of Risk Analysis, foreseeable in taking the necessary measures to prevent something abnormal from happening, in the realisation of Emergency Plans, Self-protection Plans, Action and Intervention Protocols, in the realisation of drills and intervention exercises to improve the organisation, coordination and response time, in having an operative and practical database of means and resources necessary to face any emergency, and to posterior its rehabilitation, in prevention campaigns, in being part of intervention teams with efficiency and effectiveness?.. in short, a system that responds to the demands for assistance in case of emergencies, catastrophes and public calamity. Being the best intervention the one that does not have to be attended, investing in SELF-PROTECTION.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate each and every one of the colleagues who belong to the different National, Autonomous, Island and Municipal administrations belonging to Security and Emergencies who, during their working hours, work to improve, maintain and implement this system of Civil Protection and Emergency Care, and to the Civil Protection Volunteers who are one more block of this whole principle and whose altruism and excellent work is fundamental. And to all the Citizens because they are part of this procedure, and evoking the slogan of 25 years ago when the Civil Protection law was approved "WE ARE ALL CIVIL PROTECTION" and that the slogan of the commemoration of the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies in Spain, and that serves as a summary of the ideology that should preside over the actions of this system, says verbatim "ALL INVOLVED ? ALL AFFECTED ? ALL NECESSARY". We open the future, for the safety of all.
Carmelo Álamo Rodríguez
Expert in Civil Protection and Emergencies and Technical Instructor
