Civil protection in Europe: Switzerland

Legal basis

The cantons are responsible for civil protection in Switzerland subject to competences under federal law. They are in particular responsible for measures in case of disasters and emergency situations. The federal government regulates and ensures the coordination of principle aspects of civil protection. It issues instructions for the event of increased radio-activity, emergencies in case of dams, epidemics and epizootics as well as for the event of an armed conflict. By agreement with the cantons the federal government can at the most assume the management in case of events which affect several cantons, the whole country or bordering overseas countries. In case of civil protection the federal government regulates the rights and duties of the conscripts for protective service, the training, the areas of material as well as the alarm and telematic systems, protective structures and financing.

Organisation

The partner organisations of civil protection are responsible for their respective fields of activity and provide mutual support in performing their tasks. The police force is responsible for maintaining safety and order through its cantonal and municipal police corps. The fire service is responsible for rescue and general prevention of damages incl. combating fire and coping with damages from the elements. The health system including the medical rescue service, ensures the medical care of the population and task forces. This also covers precautionary measures and psychological support. Police, fire service and rescue service are the first assignment means and regulated by the cantons. On the other hand the technical operations independently satisfy their tasks in the field of electricity, water and gas supply, disposal, traffic connections and telematic systems.

Operation control

In case of every day events the management is assumed by the operation controllers of the partner organisations on assignment (as a rule the fire service or the police). In case of major events the participating partner organisations or the administration are responsible for the management of a joint operation control with event-based selected specialists. If several partner organisations are on assignment over a longer period of time, one management body assumes responsibility for the coordination and management. The partner organisations are represented in the management body. If required further institutions (e.g. social services), private organisations (e.g. Samaritans, Red Cross), private companies (e.g. forest, construction and transport companies), persons carrying out community service or the army can be used for support.

Personnel and training

The number of persons available for working in civil protection to cope with disasters and emergencies is around 120,000 throughout the whole of Switzerland. Around 6,000 conscripts for protective service are recruited each year for civil protection. The liability for protective service lasts from the age of 20 to 40. The liability for protective service can also be assumed by women and foreigners residing in Switzerland from the age of 20 and by former persons liable to military, community or protective service. In order to avoid double training, the partner organisation with the most extensive specialist know-how, the greatest assignment experience and a practical training infrastructure should offer training. Each partner organisation organises its own specialist training. Insofar as possible, and useful, specialists from other partner organisations or institutions can also be involved for selected issues. With the new orientation of the civil protection the training of the conscripts for protective service is adapted and partly compensated for again. The training contents are oriented to the tasks of civil protection when coping with disasters and emergencies and thus no longer to the requirements of the armed conflicts.

By coordination with the future tasks of civil protection and in order to enable polyvalent training and as far as possible polyvalent assignment of the conscripts for protective service, the new training concept envisages three basic functions:

• Staff assistant (for the field of management support);
• Supervisor (for the field of protection and support);
• Pioneer (for the field of support).

The Samaritan associations of Switzerland are also integrated into civil protection. Thus, for example, they provide alarm groups, who move out, especially in case of events in which injured persons can be expected, together with the fire service and assume responsibility for the first aid of the patients at the emergency location. If no patients are to be supervised in these events, the Samaritans support the military services during extinguishing work, etc. The Samaritan associations are also partly integrated into regular fire service assignments as so-called fire service medical station.

An assignment troop consisting of 35 so-called “Kata-Samaritan” was created from five town Samaritan associations in Winterthur, who can be alarmed at all times through pagers or mobile phones. These helpers are prepared for their field of activity in special further training courses, in which above all the cooperation with the fire service, the rescue service and the police is practised. They are also given initial instructions in the correct handling of the patient guidance system (PLS), the Swiss sighting and documentation system, the set-up and operation of an emergency collection point and in the correct behaviour at the incident location.