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Every year, March 1 is celebrated as World Civil Defense Day. Protecting the population during hostilities and armed struggle has always been one of the most important tasks of the state. If we talk about our country, then the date of the beginning of state protection of the population can be considered February 1918, when German troops went on the offensive and invaded the territory of Russia, which at that time included our republic. And on March 8 of the same year, in the appeal “To the population of Petrograd and its environs,” the revolutionary defense committee of Petrograd for the first time set out the rules of conduct for citizens during raids by enemy aircraft. Even then, gas masks were the main means of protection against toxic substances. In addition, during the same period, the organizational basis for evacuation measures was developed.
Of course, a lot has changed since that moment: the system of protecting the population and territories has been constantly transformed. This is due to the fact that over time the immediate nature of the threats and the living conditions of society as a whole became different.
Современная гражданская оборона Республики Беларусь, как составная часть системы национальной безопасности и обороноспособности страны должна действовать по двум основным направлениям:
carry out missions in any scenario of military operations and large-scale terrorist attacks, including in conditions of massive enemy use of modern and advanced weapons;
take part in the protection of the population and territories in emergency situations of natural and man-made nature.
A few words about the history of this Day
IN 1931 году по инициативе нескольких государств французский генерал медицинской службы Жорж Сен-Поль основал в Париже "Ассоциацию Женевских зон" – "зон безопасности" для создания посредством двухсторонних и многосторонних соглашений локальных зон безопасности во всех странах, которая затем была преобразована в Международную организацию гражданской обороны (МОГО).
IN 1972 year MINE получила статус межправительственной организации. В настоящее время в МОГО входят 50 стран, еще восемь государств имеют статус наблюдателя.
This holiday отмечается в странах – членах МОГО с целью пропаганды знаний о гражданской обороне и поднятия престижа национальных служб спасения.
Day March 1 выбран не случайно. Именно в этот день вступил в силу устав MINE , который одобрили 18 государств.
Among the activities of ICDO следует выделить следующие: подготовка национальных кадров в области управления в период чрезвычайных ситуаций; оказание технической помощи государствам в создании и совершенствовании систем предупреждения ЧС и защиты населения; пропаганда опыта и знаний по ГО и вопросам управления в период ЧС. Подготовка специалистов проводится в Учебном центре ГО в Швейцарии.
The dissemination of world experience in civil defense is carried out through the ICDO documentation center, published in 4 languages (including Russian) magazine "Civil Defense" .
Actions on the signal "Attention everyone!"
An emergency is always a real threat to the life and health of people. The lack of notification in this case causes not only panic, but also an increase in material damage and, worst of all, human casualties. And the natural disaster that occurred on the night of July 7 in the Krasnodar Territory is a clear confirmation of this. More than 170 dead and about 5,000 injured – this is the tragic result of the flood caused by heavy rains. The technical condition of the warning system, the direct purpose of which is to give the population the opportunity to quickly take the necessary protective measures, prevented the local residents from being warned of the impending danger in a timely manner. Thus, a completely justified question arises: what is this system and how does it work in Belarus.
Today, the country has created and, importantly, is improving a warning system at the republican, territorial, local, and facility levels. Its main task is to timely convey information about all types of danger and orders for carrying out protective measures not only to the population, but also to the authorities and the forces of the State Emergency Service (the state system for the prevention and response of emergency situations). Information is transmitted through voice messages over radio and television, and wire communications. Sirens are also activated, vehicle horns and outdoor loudspeakers are used.
First of all, to attract people’s attention, a warning signal “Attention everyone!” is given. You can recognize it by the sound of electric sirens and other signaling devices lasting 3 minutes. If you hear something like this at home, you should immediately turn on your radio or television. At this time, an emergency message is transmitted, which states the emergency situation that has occurred and provides all the necessary recommendations for subsequent actions.
If you are at work, turn off the equipment. Alert the wired broadcasting nodes located in the notified area, turn on the radio and television stations. Tell others about the received signal and get ready to listen to speech information. Further behavior should be determined directly by these instructions.
As for chemically hazardous facilities, they have their own local warning systems, the technical means of which must be in constant readiness to transmit signals and information. In addition, they provide automated activation of warning systems based on signals from the territorial centralized warning system and from the duty dispatcher of a potentially dangerous facility. With the help of this system, not only the manager and personnel of the facility are informed about the danger, but also the population falling into the area of possible damage.
Thus, upon receiving the signal “Attention everyone!” at the time of an accident involving the release of hazardous chemical substances, it is necessary to turn on the radio and television to obtain reliable information and recommended actions. Close the windows, turn off electrical appliances and gas. The temporary resettlement of people from those residential buildings and institutions that are located in the area of possible infection is planned in advance according to the preliminary forecast.
In case of emergency response measures: when there is no possibility of withdrawal from the emergency zone, the population living or working in the immediate vicinity, as a rule, is not removed from the danger zone, but takes shelter in residential (industrial and service) buildings and structures. The premises are sealed: doors, windows, ventilation openings and chimneys are tightly closed, and any cracks in them are sealed with paper or tape. Personal respiratory protection equipment – gas masks – is used. If they are not available, cotton-gauze bandages or other household items can be used to cover the mouth and nose, moistened with a 2.5% aqueous solution of baking soda (to protect against chlorine) or a 2% aqueous solution of citric or acetic acid (to protect against ammonia).
As already indicated above, voice messages are the main way of alerting the population. So, say, if there is a threat of flooding, you will hear something like this: “Attention! Due to heavy rains and a sharp increase in the water level in the river... flooding of houses along the streets is expected... (listed). The population living in the area of possible flooding should move necessary things, clothing, shoes, food to attics and upper floors. If there is a possibility of flooding of the first floors, additional information will be provided. Be prepared to leave your home. Before leaving, turn off the electricity, gas, water, and turn off the fire in the stoves. Don't forget to take documents and money with you. Notify your neighbors about this. Provide assistance to children, the elderly and the sick. Keep calm and order. If water finds you in a field or forest, go to higher ground. When this is not possible, climb a tree. Use all objects that can hold a person on the water – logs, boards, fragments of fences, wooden doors, barrels, car tires. Follow our messages." Naturally, other emergencies correspond to other variants of speech messages.
You wouldn’t wish anyone to witness such emergency situations, but, unfortunately, it’s impossible to give a 100% guarantee that this won’t happen to you, so it’s important to know how to behave in extreme circumstances. And most importantly, remember that your main enemy is panic, which most often only leads to negative consequences. Keep yourself in control, clearly assess the situation and strictly follow all recommendations – then you will find a way out of this situation much faster!
Propaganda Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations
