Analysis of Requirements for Notifying, Warning and Alarming the Population and Fire Protection Units in Europe

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this publication is to analyse and evaluate the literature, in particular, legal acts and normative documents and other documents on notification, warning and alarming the population, as well as fire protection units in Europe. Introduction: Due to the risk of dangerous situations and threats, which can be caused by both natural forces and the general development of civilization and human activity, warning and alarming the population is one of the overriding tasks of public administration bodies responsible for crisis management. Public warning and alarm systems are among the basic elements that affect public safety. Tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, or natural volcanic phenomena are examples of dangerous situations in which public warning systems can save lives and property. Although it was initially thought that warning systems were only needed to protect people’s lives in the event of a major emergency, statistics from actual use show that authorities are now using these systems for more local, everyday purposes. We have observed more frequent cases of using such methods as requesting the community’s help in searching for missing children, reporting sightings of runaways and taking immediate action to stay safe during a terrorist attack. Methodology: In the implementation of the research process, theoretical research was used, such as analysis of literature and legal documents, synthesis, generalization, inference, comparison and analogy. The analysis took into account the guidelines and standards of European countries. The selection of areas of analysis was guided by the level of development of these systems and the availability of source documents. Conclusions: This article examined the civil protection systems in selected European countries. Due to the large number of legal acts and normative documents in each country, public warning systems differ from one another. Every country should have the capacity to manage risk, to mitigate risk in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. One of the main formations responsible for safety is the fire service. Keywords: civil protection, safety systems, public warning, fire brigade alarms, notification systems

Keywords

• civil protection
• safety systems
• public warning
• fire brigade alarms
• notification systems