13 maggio 2021

Operational guidelines for the coordination of post-earthquake technical assessment activities

On 12 February 2021, the Department of Civil Protection issued the Operational guidelines for the coordination of technical assessment activities after an earthquake. The aim of the document, addressed to components and operational structures of the National Service of Civil Protection, is to define the aims and timing phases of the different areas of recognition activated after an emergency by the Fire Fighters and trained technicians from components, operational structures and subjects of the National Service.

The Operational guidelines are the result of an in-depth and articulated process of inter-institutional sharing, which included the creation of a round table between the Department and the National Fire and Rescue Service and a later exchange of observations with the Regions, Autonomous Provinces and other interested parties. 

The document's application areas include its implementation within the individual civil protection plans, at the various territorial and institutional levels, in particular in defining the procedures of the support function dedicated to damage assessment and post-earthquake agibility assessment.

The Department also implemented the operational guidelines by realizing a dataset, i.e. a digital map of the structural aggregates present throughout Italy, to support the damage assessment activities. The Regions, Autonomous Provinces and the Agenzia delle Entrate (italian Revenue Agency) collaborated in the project.

The index of the topics covered by the document is summarized below. It is addressed to the components, operational structures and actors of the National Service involved in organizing and carrying out the post-earthquake technical inspection activities:

  • Definition of the inspection phases
  • Objectives of the inspection phases
  • Timeline definition of the inspection phases
  • Operational methods and tools used for the inspection phases
  • Analysis of the results of the two phases
  • Object of the inspection, compatibility and comparability of the results deriving from the two phases
  • Organisation of inspections: procedural modalities
  • Area of intervention
  • Handling of inspection requests from citizens to the Fire Brigade territorial structures
  • Submission of inspection requests for requesting inspections PHASE 1
  • Flow of communications for reconnaissance PHASE 0
  • Planning of inspections PHASE 1 on the Triage scheme
  • Notification of results - Issuing/revoking evacuation orders
  • Sharing of geo-referenced information from inspections
  • Connection between Phase 0 activities and post-earthquake surveys of buildings of cultural interest falling within the competence of MiBACT

Annex 1: Criteria for the exchange of survey information for the interoperability of the GIS platforms of the Civil Protection Department and the National Fire and Rescue Service
Annex 2: IPP MODEL

    The regulatory references for activities related to impact assessment, damage survey, and post-earthquake usability assessment of public and private structures, as well as buildings of cultural interest, in the event of emergencies are as follows:

    • Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of March 13, 2013
    • “Approval of the Manual for completing the damage survey form for cultural heritage,” Churches Form “Model A - DC.”
    • Directive of the President of the Council of Ministers of January 14, 2014
    • “National emergency response program for seismic risk”
    • Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of July 8, 2014
    • “Establishment of the National Technical Unit for damage survey and usability assessment in post-seismic emergencies and approval of the updated model for damage detection, emergency intervention, and usability assessment for ordinary buildings in post-seismic emergencies, along with the related completion manual”
    • Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of January 14, 2015
    • “Approval of the post-earthquake damage and usability assessment form for buildings with prefabricated structures or large spans (GL-AeDES) and the related completion manual”
    • Directive of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism of April 23, 2015
    • “Update of the Directive of 12 December 2013 concerning the ‘Procedures for the management of safety and safeguarding activities of cultural heritage in the event of emergencies resulting from natural disasters’”
    • Legislative Decree No. 1 of January 2, 2018: Civil Protection Code
    • Note of the Civil Protection Department, prot. no. 22409 of April 29, 2019
    • “Minimum requirements for the training of civil protection volunteers and public administration officials in the field of safeguarding cultural heritage within civil protection activities”
    • Operational Guidelines of October 29, 2020
    • for the training of public administration technicians, volunteer organizations, and professionals registered with professional orders and associations
    • Operational Guidelines of February 12, 2021
    • for the integration and coordination of rapid technical inspection activities