Civil defense or civil defence (see spelling differences) is an effort to prepare civilians for military attack. International humanitarian law ( IHL) often referred to as the Laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict Protective signs are symbols to be used during an armed conflict to mark persons and objects under the protection of various treaties of International Humanitarian Law American and British English spelling differences are one aspect of American and British English differences. A civilian under International humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her Country 's Armed forces. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery. Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks Emergency evacuation is the movement of people from a dangerous place due to the threat or occurrence of a disastrous event Programmes of this sort were initially discussed at least as early as the 1920s but only became widespread after the threat of nuclear weapons was realized. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion.
Since the end of the Cold War, the focus of civil defense has largely shifted from military attack to emergencies and disasters in general. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The new concept is described by a number of terms, each of which has its own specific shade of meaning, such as crisis management, emergency management, emergency preparedness, contingency planning, emergency services, and civil protection. In some countries, the all-encompassing nature of civil defense is denoted by the term "total defense" such as the Swedish word totalförsvar. Total Defence (全民防卫 Pertahanan Mutlak Tamil: -- is a concept introduced by the Government of Singapore in 1984 to improve readiness in matters related Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the The name suggests committing all resources, hence the term total, of the nation to the defense. It can be compared to total war. Total war is a conflict of unlimited scope in which a Belligerent engages in a total mobilization of all available resources at his disposal
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History
In most of the NATO states, such as the United States, the United Kingdom or Germany as well as the {then} Soviet Bloc, and especially in the neutral countries, such as Switzerland and in Sweden during the 1950s and 60s, many civil defense practices took place to prepare for the aftermath of a nuclear war, which seemed quite likely at that time. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Such efforts were opposed by the Catholic Worker Movement and by peace activists such as Ralph DiGia , on the grounds that these programs gave the public false confidence that they could survive a nuclear war. The Catholic Worker Movement is a Catholic organization founded by the " Servant of God " Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933 Ralph DiGia ( December 13, 1914 &ndash February 1, 2008) was a World War II Conscientious objector, lifelong pacifist and [1] There was never strong civil defense policy because it fundamentally violated the doctrine of "mutual assured destruction]] by making provisions for survivors. Also, a fully fledged total defense would have been too expensive. Above all, compared to the power of destruction a defense would have been ineffective. In the M. A. D. doctrine, there are not supposed to be any survivors for a civil defense system to assist (thus the acronym). Governments in the West sought to implement civil defense measures against nuclear war in the face of popular apathy and scepticism. Duck and Cover was a suggested method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear detonation which the United States government taught to generations
Public Service Accouncements including children's songs were created by government institutes and then distributed and released by radio stations to educate the public in case of nuclear attack. [2]
During the Cold War, civil defense was seen largely as defending against and recovering from an attack involving nuclear weapons. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. After the end of the Cold War, the focus moved from defense against nuclear war to defense against a terrorist attack possibly involving chemical or biological weapons; in the context of the United States this eventually led to the replacement of the United States civil defense with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy. Biological warfare (BW — known as a germ warfare, biological weapons and bioweaponry — is the use of any Pathogen ( Bacterium The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See also Civil defense United States civil defense refers to the use of Civil defense in the History of the United States, which is the organized The purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a Disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities After the September 11, 2001 attacks, in the United States the concept of civil defense has been revisited under the umbrella term of homeland security and all-hazards emergency management. The term homeland security refers to the broad national effort by all levels of government to protect its territory from hazards both internal and external natural and man-made
In Europe, the triangle CD logo continues to be widely used. The old US civil defense logo was used in the FEMA logo until recently and is hinted at in the United States Civil Air Patrol logo. The purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a Disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities The Civil Air Patrol ( CAP) is the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF Created in 1939 by Charles Coiner of the N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency, it was used throughout World War II and the Cold War era. In 2006, the National Emergency Management Association — a U. S. organization made up of state emergency managers — officially retired the Civil Defense triangle logo, replacing it with a stylized EM (standing for Emergency management). Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks [1]
The term "civil protection" is currently widely used within the European Union to refer to government-approved systems and resources tasked with protecting the civilian population, primarily in the event of natural and technological disasters. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in In recent years there has been emphasis on preparedness for technological disasters resulting from terrorist attack. Within EU countries the term crisis management emphasises the political and security dimension rather than measures to satisfy the immediate needs of the civilian population.
In Australia, civil defense is the responsibility of the volunteer-based State Emergency Service.
Importance
Relatively small investments in preparation can speed up recovery by months or years and thereby prevent millions of deaths by hunger, cold and disease. According to human capital theory in economics, a country's population is more valuable than all of the land, factories and other assets that it possesses. Human capital refers to the stock of skills and knowledge embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce Economic value. Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. People rebuild a country after its destruction, and it is therefore important for the economic security of a country that it protect its people. Also, reducing fear and uncertainty via civil defense helps people's quality of life and has positive economic benefits. According to psychology, it is important for people to feel like they are in control of their own destiny, and preparing for uncertainty via civil defense may help to achive this. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and If the people are not in control, and the preparations ineffective, the government loses its credibility and the respect of its citizens.
Threat assessment
Threats to civilians and civilian life include nuclear threats, biological threats, chemical threats, and others. Threat assessment involves studking each threat so that preventative measures can be built into civilian life.
- Conventional
This would be conventional explosives. Blast sheltering against nuclear blast would pretty much protect against conventional explosives.
- Nuclear
The biggest threats from a nuclear attack are effects from the blast, fires and radiation. One of the most prepared countries for a nuclear attack is Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Almost every building in Switzerland has an abri (shelter) against the initial nuclear bomb and explosion followed by the fallout. Because of this, many people use it as a safe to protect valuables, photos, financial information and so on. Switzerland also has air-raid and nuclear raid sirens in every village.
- Dirty Bomb
A "radiologically enhanced weapon", or "dirty bomb" uses an explosive to spread radioactive material. The term dirty bomb is primarily used to refer to a radiological dispersal device ( RDD) a speculative Radiological weapon which combines Radioactive This is a theoretical risk, and such weapons have not been used be terrorists. Depending on the quantity of the radioactive material, the dangers may be mainly psychological. Toxic effects can be managed by standard hasmat techniques. A dangerous good is any Solid, Liquid, or Gas that can harm people other living Organisms property or the environment
- Biological
The threat here is primarily from disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses.
- Chemical
Various chemical agents are a threat such as nerve gas (VX, Sarin, etc. Nerve agents (also being referred to as nerve gases, though these chemicals are liquid at room temperature are a class of Phosphorus -containing organic chemicals ).
- Other
There are many other possible threats besides these, for example the invasion of enemy troops and armed warfare.
Stages
Mitigation
Mitigation is the process of actively preventing the war or the release of nuclear weapons. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. It includes policy analysis, diplomacy, political measures, nuclear disarmament and more military responses such as a National Missile Defense and air defense artillery. Nuclear disarmament is the proposed dismantling of Nuclear weapons. National missile defense (NMD as a generic term is a type of Missile defense: a military strategy and associated systems to shield an entire country against incoming Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces In the case of counter-terrorism, mitigation would include diplomacy,intelligence gathering and direct action against terrorist groups. Intelligence (abbreviated int or intel) is not Information, but the product of evaluated information valued for its currency and relevance rather than Mitigation may also be reflected in long-term planning such as the design of the interstate highway system and the placement of military bases further away from populated areas. The Dwight D Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly called the Interstate Highway System (or simply the Interstate System) A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking
Preparation
Preparation consists of building blast shelters, and pre-positioning information, supplies and emergency infrastructure. A blast shelter is a place where people can go to protect themselves from Bomb blasts For example, most larger cities in the U. S. now have underground emergency operations centers that can perform civil defense coordination. FEMA also has many underground facilities located near major railheads such as the one in Denton, Texas and Mount Weather, Virginia for the same purpose. Denton is the County seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (or simply Mount Weather) is a "civilian" command facility the center of operations for the Federal Emergency Management Other measures would include continuous government inventories of grain silos, the National Strategic Medical Stockpile, the uncapping of the strategic petroleum reserve, the dispersal of truck-transportable bridges, water purification, mobile refineries, mobile decontamination facilities, mobile general and special purpose disaster mortuary facilities such as DMORT and DMORT-WMD, and other aids such as temporary housing to speed civil recovery. A Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team or DMORT is a team of experts in the fields of victim identification and mortuary services
On an individual scale, one means of preparation for exposure to nuclear fallout is to obtain potassium iodide (KI) tablets as a safety measure to protect the human thyroid gland from the uptake of dangerous radioactive iodine. Fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a Nuclear explosion, so named because it "falls out" of the atmosphere into which it is spread during the explosion Potassium iodide is an Inorganic compound with formula K[[iodide I]] The thyroid is one of the largest Endocrine glands in the body Iodine (ˈaɪədaɪn ˈaɪədɪn or /ˈaɪədiːn/ from ιώδης iodes "violet" is a Chemical element that has the symbol I and Atomic Another measure is to cover the nose, mouth and eyes with a piece of cloth and sunglasses to protect against alpha particles, which are only an internal hazard. Alpha particles (named after and denoted by the first letter in the Greek alphabet, α consist of two Protons and two Neutrons bound together into a
To support and supplement efforts at national, regional and local level with regard to disaster prevention, the preparedness of those responsible for civil protection and the intervention in the event of disaster
- To establish a framework for effective and rapid cooperation between different civil protection services when mutual assistance is needed (police, fire service, healthcare service, public utility provider, voluntary agencies). Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous Fires that threaten civilian populations and property to rescue people from car accidents collapsed Health care is the prevention treatment and management of illness and the preservation of mental health through the services offered by the medical, Nursing A public utility (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the Infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using A volunteer is someone who works for a community or for the benefit of environment primarily because they choose to do so
- To set up and implement training programs for intervention and coordination teams as well as assessment experts including joint courses and exchange systems.
- To enhance the coherence of actions undertaken at international level in the field of civil protection especially in the context of cooperation.
Preparing also includes sharing information:
- To contribute to the information of the public in view of increasing the level of self-protection of citizens
- To collect and disseminate validated emergency information
- To pool information on national civil protection capabilities, military and medical resources.
- To ensure efficient information sharing between the different authorities.
Response
Response consists first of warning civilians so they can enter Fallout Shelters and protect assets. A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a Nuclear explosion.
Staffing a response is always full of problems in a civil defense emergency. After an attack, conventional full-time emergency services are dramatically overloaded, with conventional fire fighting response times often exceeding several days. Some capability is maintained by local and state agencies, and an emergency reserve is provided by specialized military units, especially civil affairs, Military Police, Judge Advocates and combat engineers. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking Civil Affairs ( CA) is a term used by both the United Nations and by military institutions (such as the US military but for different purposes in each case Military police ( MPs) are normally the Police of a Military Organization. Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG, can refer to the judicial arm of any of the United States Armed Forces including the Air Force Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in
However, the traditional response to massed attack on civilian population centers is to maintain a mass-trained force of volunteer emergency workers. Studies in World War II showed that lightly trained (40 hours or less) civilians in organized teams can perform up to 95% of emergency activities when trained, liaised and supported by local government. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In this plan, the populace rescues itself from most situations, and provides information to a central office to prioritize professional emergency services.
In the 1990s, this concept was revived by the Los Angeles Fire Department to cope with civil emergencies such as earthquakes. The Los Angeles Fire Department ( LAFD) also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer The program was widely adopted, providing standard terms for organization. In the U. S. , this is now official federal policy, and it is implemented by community emergency response teams, under the Department of Homeland Security, which certifies training programs by local governments, and registers "certified disaster service workers" who complete such training. In the United States a Community Emergency Response Team ( CERT) sometimes known as a Neighborhood Emergency Response Team ( NERT) or
Recovery
Recovery consists of rebuilding damaged infrastructure, buildings and production. The recovery phase is the longest and ultimately most expensive phase. Once the immediate "crisis" has passed, cooperation fades away and recovery efforts are often politicized or seen as economic opportunities.
Preparation for recovery can be very helpful. If mitigating resources are dispersed before the attack, cascades of social failures can be prevented. One hedge against bridge damage in riverine cities is to subsidize a "tourist ferry" that performs scenic cruises on the river. When a bridge is down, the ferry takes up the load.
Implementation
Some advocates believe that government should change building codes to require autonomous buildings in order to reduce civil societies' dependence on complex, fragile networks of social services. An autonomous building is a building designed to be operated independently from infrastructural support services such as the Electric power grid municipal water systems
An example of a crucial need after a general nuclear attack would be transport fuel to transport every other item for recovery. However, oil refineries are large, immobile, and probable targets. An oil refinery is an industrial Process plant where Crude oil is processed and refined into more useful Petroleum products, such as Gasoline One proposal is to preposition truck-mounted fuel refineries near oil fields and bulk storage depots. Other critical infrastructure needs would include road and bridge repair, communications, electric power, food production and potable water.
Civil Defense organizations
Civil Defense is also the name of a number of organizations around the world dedicated to protecting civilians from military attacks, as well as to providing rescue services after natural and human-made disasters alike. Comprehensive Emergency Management as defined in various laws throughout the United States is the preparation for and the carrying out of all emergency functions other than functions
In a few countries such as Jordan and Singapore (see Singapore Civil Defence Force), civil defense is essentially the same organization as the fire brigade. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Singapore A fire station (also called stationhouse) is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus (i In most countries however, civil defense is a government-managed, volunteer-staffed organization, separate from the fire brigade and the ambulance service. An ambulance is a Vehicle for transporting sick or injured people to from or between places of treatment for an Illness or Injury. As the threat of Cold War eased, a number of such civil defense organizations have been disbanded or mothballed (as in the United Kingdom and the United States civil defense), while others have changed their focuses into providing rescue services after natural disasters (as for the State Emergency Service in Australia). The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located See also Civil defense United States civil defense refers to the use of Civil defense in the History of the United States, which is the organized A State Emergency Service is an Australian volunteer organisation that provides emergency help during and after declared (natural or otherwise disasters For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. However the ideals of Civil Defense have been brought back in the United States under FEMA's Citizens Corps and CERT. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a Disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities
Notes
- ^ McReynolds, David (2008). "Ralph DiGia, 1914-2008". The Catholic Worker LXXV (March-April): 6. The Catholic Worker is a monthly Newspaper published by the Catholic Worker Movement community in New York City.
- ^ Civil Defense & CONELRAD recordings
See also
- Atomic Cafe
- Blast shelter
- Civil Air Patrol
- Civil Defence Corps
- Civil Defence Ireland
- Civil defense geiger counters
- Civil defense siren
- Collective protection
- Comprehensive Emergency Management
- CONELRAD
- Duck and cover
- Emergency preparedness
- Fallout shelter
- Hurricane Katrina
- Nuclear warfare
- Nuclear war survival skills by Cresson Kearny
- Nuclear weapon
External links
- Institute of Civil Defence and Disaster Studies
- Civil Defense Logo dies at 67, and Some Mourn its Passing, The New York Times, 1 December 2006 by David Dunlap. The Atomic Café is an acclaimed Documentary film about the beginnings of the era of Nuclear warfare, created from a broad range of archival of film from the A blast shelter is a place where people can go to protect themselves from Bomb blasts The Civil Air Patrol ( CAP) is the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF The Civil Defence Corps was a civilian volunteer organisation established in Great Britain in 1949 to take control in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. Civil Defence Ireland is the Civil defence organisation of the Republic of Ireland. Most Civil Defense Geiger Counters were issued by the United States Civil Defense during the 1960s in the midst of the Cold War in an effort to help prepare A civil defense siren (also referred to as an air raid siren, tornado siren, tsunami siren, or other outdoor warning siren and also rarely referred Collective Protection is used for group protection of personnel in a nuclear biological or chemical event ( NBC) Comprehensive Emergency Management as defined in various laws throughout the United States is the preparation for and the carrying out of all emergency functions other than functions CONELRAD ( Con trol of El ectromagnetic '''El'''ectronic Rad iation was a method of emergency Broadcasting to the public of the Duck and Cover was a suggested method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear detonation which the United States government taught to generations Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a Nuclear explosion. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States Nuclear War Survival Skills or NWSS by Cresson Kearny is a Civil defense manual Cresson Henry Kearny (ˈkɑɹni — wrote several survival A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Survivalism is a commonly used term for the Preparedness strategy and subculture of individuals or groups anticipating and making preparations for future possible disruptions Transarmament (also known as civilian-based defense is the partial or total replacement of Armed forces with the physical and social infrastructure to support nonviolent See also Civil defense United States civil defense refers to the use of Civil defense in the History of the United States, which is the organized A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- Cold War Era Civil Defense Museum – Features much historical information about Civil Defense history, its equipment and methods, and many historical photographs and posters.
- Annotated bibliography for civil defense from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues
- The American Civil Defense Association
- Comprehensive Emergency Management Reference Material Repository (gopher link)
- Ready.gov - The official preparedness site of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security
- "Civil Defence" – A site with details of the UK's Civil Defence preparations, including those implemented during the Cold War such as the Burlington Central Government War HQ. , at Corsham, Wiltshire.
- http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/section.asp?catId=2341
- The official Civil Defence site for the Republic of Ireland
- The official Civil Defense site of São Paulo State - Brazil
- Doctors for Disaster Preparedness
- Physicians for Civil Defense
- Dutch civil defense instructions in English
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