The Civil Protection agency is responsible for safeguarding the integrity of life, assets, resources, and the environment from any large-scale event. This entity is coordinated nationally by the Department of Civil Protection. It is a complex machine, which requires preparation and specific tools, constantly updated and ready for the needs of citizens and the territory.
What, then, are the techniques and technologies used to protect goods and people?
Civil Protection: values and mission
To understand how the activities and the role of technology, it is necessary first to understand the values at the core of the National Civil Protection Service.
These are outlined by the logo: a blue triangle circumscribed by an orange background. The triangle, the universal symbol of danger, rests on a background that defines its limits. This symbolizes the Civil Protection's duty to identify the risk and control and contain the danger through all the necessary measures to restore the peace.
The task of the Civil Protection, therefore, is not only to react but above all to prevent the event through targeted actions, solid and shared protocols, and clear and effective communication.
Civil Protection: tools to prevent and manage emergencies
The Civil Protection uses numerous tools to carry out its activity. There are on-field resources to support the active management of the emergency, and control room emergency management technologies, that help predict risks and better coordinate activities. Here is a non-exhaustive list of technologies and procedures normally used by the agency.
- Prediction and prevention tools to determine the probability of adverse events or the possible effects of an adverse event.
- Prevention and response plans: Peacetime, the period before the event of an emergency, is used to prevent and predict risks. In this phase, platforms such as Safety 1st are used to hypothesize worst-case scenarios and develop response plans. Some elements include technologies to restore energy and IT systems, to recover data, and to monitor and manage services remotely.
- Physical on-field tools: vehicles, rescue equipment, and smart and new generation application technologies. The response solutions are manifold and play an important role in the live operations. These tools must always be checked and updated to be used correctly.
- Communications tools: this category includes apps, tablets, and radio tools to send information from the control unit to rescuers and the population. The channels used are different, from apps to classic messaging systems to social media.
- Management tools to coordinate activities: the live management of large-scale emergencies involves numerous agencies and entities, each with its tasks and responsibilities. These must be coordinated by a control room through a tool that integrates all activities and procedures and monitors the progress of the situation in real-time. Furthermore, in Italy, non profit associations are vital in the management of any emergency, and these must be engaged and coordinated.
- Geolocation technologies: A very important function is covered by spatial analysis which must be precise and timely, to ensure the safety of people and property in the field. GPS technologies are the basis of these operations.
- Monitoring and control software for event management: management platforms, such as Safety 1st, deal with risk scenario analysis, from the preparation of emergency plans to specific measures to be taken in the event of an emergency. These tools provide precise considerations on the reachability of the place, on the size of the event, on the protection of people, of the structures involved, of the most appropriate rescue vehicles, and other decisions, which can change during the intervention and make the action to overcome the emergency is complex and risky.
Beta 80 Group and Civil Protection
Beta 80 Group is one of the leading companies in emergency management solutions. For years it has supported Civil Protection with cutting-edge management platforms, such as Safety 1st, which has, at its core, the philosophy described by the logo; an interconnected system, to protect people and property from vast and complex dangers, thanks to solid and effective emergency plans, a continuous updating of protocols and technologies and an open dialogue with clear tools for communication.