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cdDRM Voluntarism as learning Tool for disciplined approach to

emergency management- The enrolment of young volunteers in Germany for Civil Protection

NCDC – GIZ cooperation

2011 – 2012 (13)F. Bemmerlein-Lux, Dr. Sandhya Chatterji

GIZ Senior Advisors of the cdDRM Programme under the Indo-German cooperation programme ASEM

Nagpur, 17th November 2011

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Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk (THW)(Federal Agency for Technical Relief)

THW Training Centre Neuhausen

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Structure

• The German civil protection system

• Consequences for civil protection training

• Strengths and challenges of the THW training system

• Experiences or lessons learnt

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19.04.23 Seite 5Page 5www.thw.de

Volunteers in civil protection in Germany

S

Germany has a long tradition of

voluntary based civil protection

1,7 million volunteers

majority (1,3 million) in volunteer fire

brigades

Germany has a long tradition of

voluntary based civil protection

1,7 million volunteers

majority (1,3 million) in volunteer fire

brigades

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• responsible for national civil defence & protection of the population

• supervising respective offices and agencies

BBK Federal Office of

Civil Protection andDisaster Assistance

Ministry of the InteriorBerlin

THWFederal Agency for Technical Relief

16 federal states

(responsible for disaster protection)

A decentralized system Federal

The German civil protection system

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Civil protection

International operationson behalf ofthe Federal

Government

Local and national disaster preventionon request of the

responsible authority(police, fire brigade)

THW‘s legal mandate

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headquarters

668 local sections with app. 80.000 volunteers

1 logistic centre

99% voluntary commitment

THW-President Albrecht Broemme

800 paid staff

foundedin 1950

Federal Agency for Technical Relief

8 state associations

2 training centres

66 regional offices

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Volunteers vs. paid staff (10 : 1)

Ger:357 111 km²> 81 Million Inhabitants

MAHARASHTA: 307.762 km²> 112 Million Inhabitants.

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...locates ...rescues ...vacatescoordinates

...repairs ...pumps ...caters illuminates

...wires ...blasts ...builds ...purifies

...cleans

but not:

THW‘s capacities...

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Consequences for civil protection training

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Key elements to keep in mind

In Germany:

• Civil protection = state (Länder-) responsibility

• THW = only federal organisation in this field, but not as first responder

• THW = volunteer-based civil protection work

• THW = nationwide deployed,

same modular system everywhere

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In Germany:

• Decentralized training

• Each organization e.g. fire fighters, Order of the Maltese, St. John‘s Ambulance has own training system and curricula

At THW:

• 90% of training on local level, standardized training

• 10% of specialized training at the 2 THW –

schools, e.g. international training

(EU-OPM etc.)

Consequences for civil protection training

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Dynamic qualification 334 different courses Modern training materials and teachware 28 trainers Assisted by volunteer training staff 9000 participants (2009) 4,4 Mio. Euro (2009)

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for UN:

Workshop for Emergency Management (WEM) / UNHCR

Global Logistics Cluster Support Cell /WFP Support Staff Course

Team Leader Training / Info-Management UN-OCHA

OCHA

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THW training center Hoya

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Basic Training I

Basic Training II

Team leader (basic)

Local Adm.

Local Adm.

Training CenterGroup leader (8 P)

Team leader Training I

Team leader Training II

Public relation

Training Center

Training Center

Training CenterTeam leader (3-5 G)

Staff Org. (operation controll)

Liaison officer

Communication

officer

Coordination

Head

Basic Training – Command level

Logistic officer

Team member

Step 1 - National Training

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Basic Training I

Basic Training – Specialist

Basic Training II

Special Training I

Local Adm.

Local Adm.

Local Adm.

truck driver radio comm blasting dredger driver

youth leader breathing protection welding

Machinist/ water purification/ electric generator

Training Center

Step 2 - National Training (technical)

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Local units

are deployed in all 668 local section

are the basis of the THW units

are standardized all over Germany

The „modular system“

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Supra-local units,

Deployed in every of the 66 regional offices

Special units for special tasks (for instance Water Hazards, Search and Rescue, Debris Clearance)

129

69

154

The „modular system“

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Supra-regional units,

deployed on the level of the 8 state associations

for very special interventions, in particular international

missions

Water Supply and Treatment, Bridge Construction

3

24

14

The „modular system“

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Hoya

Neuhausen

THW HQ, Bonn

Quantity:

dynamic qualification of appr. 80.000 volunteers

Nationwide deployed

Quantity:

dynamic qualification of appr. 80.000 volunteers

Nationwide deployed

Challenges for THW

Ger:357 111 km²> 81 Million Inhabitants

MAHARASHTA: 307.762 km²> 112 Million Inhabitants.

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Experiences or lessons learnt

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Training is the essential motivator for volunteers

• belonging to a cluster of excellence

• As a volunteer: handling state of the art equipment professionally

• Through the international network: participating in EU trainings and exercises

• As a result: work is highly appreciated

Experiences or lessons learnt for THW

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The technical and logistical Federal intervention agency

THW

intervention training

• highly qualified, flexible units• successful partner of EU and UN

equipment

modern, state of the art equipment

• Modular system• Modern teaching methods (e-learning)

Training = link between equipment + intervention

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We train for

• efficient,

• competent,

• well organized and coordinated

interventions for the benefit of people in need

And this is what we train for...

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Relief response after ...

heavy floods 2002, Elbe

desastrous snow catastrophe 2005, Münster

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Relief response after Hurricane „Kyrill”

Germany, January 2007

7.489 THW volunteers in total

• Electricity supply,

• clearance of streets and

railways,

• illumination...

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Floods in Arles France 2003

Hurricane „Katrina“, USA, 2005

International missions

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Prevention without receivers who are informed and understand is useless -> Awareness Building

Informed people without knowledge what to do are helpless -> Knowledge transfer

Knowing what to do without skills and the possibility and the infrastructure to use the knowledge is desperate -> Development of infrastructure and processes

Capacity Development in DRM: Needs and Dimensions

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The technical and informational infrastructure without key persons to plan, implement, use and to guide is ineffective -> technical and managerial Skills Training

Key persons and institutions without a clear mandate and support from the society and politicians are isolated -> Dialogue, institutional cooperation and participation

Awareness, knowledge and skills not passed to more people and the next generations are not sustainable -> Network of (Training) Institutions

Capacity Development in DRM: Needs and Dimensions

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Thank youand a fruitful cooperation