Civil Protection: to serve and protect

CAIRO – 13 May 2017: The Civil Protection Authority is often mentioned in the news; however, are we aware of its importance and services?

Civil Protection is an effort to protect the environment and citizens of a state, usually non-combatants, from natural disasters, hostilities and potential threats. It was first introduced during World War I after the bombing of civilian areas.

Civil Protection Authorities started as initiatives in some countries during the 1930s, especially in war zones, and the world became more familiar with it after the threat of nuclear weapons was realized.

After the war, the Air Raid Precautions Committee was established in 1924 to explore ways for ensuring the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids.

The concept of civil protection, hence, has significantly changed since the end of the Cold War. The Civil Protection Authorities broadened their scope of duties instead of solely focusing on war-related threats. Their duties evolved to include crisis management, emergency services, civil protection and contingency planning.

Here are top eight duties of the Civil Protection Authority in Egypt:

1- To protect individuals , given that citizens are the state’s most precious asset

2- To protect resources because they are the fuel of economic activities and progress

3- To secure activities at public and private events to ensure a safe inauguration and conclusion

4- To protect the surrounding environment from dangers of chemicals and the gas emissions and pollution

5- Firefighting ; to reduce the impact and damages caused by fire, while saving property and souls

6- River rescue ; concerned with accidents occurring in the river

7- Land rescue ; concerned with victims of collapsing buildings and car crashes on highways

8- The bombing squad , which deals with strange and rather suspicious
contraptions and objects that often get reported, to deal with the situation if the object is a bomb