Civil Protection and Disaster Management

It is the task of government to ensure the security of all citizens even in the event of disasters. In the area of civil protection and disaster management, the Basic Law provides for the following competences: While the Federal Government has the task of protecting the population from war-related threats (“civil protection”), the states are responsible for protecting people in the event of major accidents and disasters in peacetime (“disaster management”). The federal and state governments as well as private relief organisations cooperate closely in the framework of an integrated emergency response system. This means that the resources provided by the Federal Government for civil protection can be used by the federal states for disaster management as if they were their own resources. At the same time, the organisations involved in disaster management at state level are prepared to make their resources and capabilities available to the Federal Government in a state of national defence. With this system, the resources provided by the Federal Government, the federal states and private relief organisations are closely intertwined. This ensures that the best people are on the scene as quickly as possible to provide assistance and to protect citizens.