Civil Protection Department

The Head of Department meets the Head of the French Civil Protection

The Head of Civil Protection Department Franco Gabrielli met on, April 24, at the Department headquarters, the Head of French Civil Protection, prefect Jean Paul Kihl and his delegation.

The collaboration between the two countries is well established and was initiated by the Department in 1992. The aim of the meeting, was to discuss cooperation measures between France and Italy in civil protection, in light of the new European Union rules - defined by the Treaty of Lisbon - which poses on member states a renewed need for reciprocal alliances.

The Italian territory and the French territory are characterized by joint major hazards. For this reason the Department and the French Civil Protection signed an agreement in 1992 stating "Cooperation in the field of prediction and prevention of major risks and mutual assistance in case of natural disasters or due to human activities" and in 1997 stipulated an agreement for "cross-border cooperation in mountain emergency rescue areas."

The risk of forest fires is one of the main joint operation areas and in 2004, Italy and France signed an agreement of mutual assistance in case of forest fires.

During the visit to the Department the delegation of the French Civil Protection took particular interest in Italy’s Coordination Room: the structure that houses the Department’s "System", the national coordination center, which task is to monitor the area, locate and follow the 'evolution of the emergency situation’, and to alert and activate the components and operational facilities of the National Service that contribute to emergency management.

For this reason emphasis was stressed on the need for a greater exchange of information between Italy’s Situation Room and Cogic the French counterpart structure, which is the interministerial emergency operational centre.