Civil defense in Pelinai (Pacifica)
Civil defense in Pelinai encompasses all state and private entities in Pelinai dedicated to preparation for and the mitigation of damage caused by military attacks, CBRN and HAZMAT incidents, severe industrial accidents, and natural disasters, as well their activities and the organizational structures used to coordinate them. The concept has received a surge in interest from both the state and the public from the 1980s onwards due to events such as the Pelinese Civil War.
Civil defense as a concept first reached Pelinai in the late 1920s as a means of protecting population centers from conventional air raids before being extended to protection from nuclear weapons in the 1950s. Problems of cost and obtaining sufficient societal involvement severely limited early preparations to basic continuity of government planning and some construction of air raid shelters near Pelograd until the beginning of the Pelinese Civil War in 1979 necessitated enormous expansion of civil defense efforts. The strengthened civil defense system was later merged into wider disaster response with the establishment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in 1983, establishing the current framework for operations.
History
Establishment
Post-nuclear developments
Civl War era
Postwar era
Organization
Basis
Civil defense in Pelinai is organized according to the basis of total defense and whole-of-society involvement in incident preparedness and response. Command structures such as the Pelinese Incident Command Structure are configured to facilitate effective deployment and coordination of personnel and resources from local, regional, and federal agencies. High emphasis is placed on the provision of civil defense training to as much of the population as possible and the mobilization of civilians for response through state-sponsored volunteer organizations. Government regulations in construction, fire safety, industrial safety, urban planning, and elsewhere incorporate the needs of civil defense.
Entities
The Pelinese civil defense apparatus is organized in a layered fashion. The strategic level of decision-making rests with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, which participates in national total defense planning through the Security Council of Pelinai, directs federal-level forces such as the Royal Pelinese Civil Defense Force, and coordinates regional-level civil defense entities. Regional-level Departments of Civil Defense, in turn, perform functions such as regional-level defense and disaster management planning, direction of forces organized at the regional level, and coordination of local-level civil defense capabilities: the local level is the lowest maintained by the government and consists of municipal authorities; local fire, militsiya, and public safety departments; and organized citizens’ volunteer teams.
Government authorities not dedicated to civil defense purposes may also be mobilized in anticipation of or during emergencies in order to provide manpower and equipment or perform ancillary functions. Such entities include public security forces such as the Royal Pelinese Homeland Guard and militsiya, medical personnel from the Ministry of Health, and (rarely) military personnel from the Ministry of Defense.
Below the governmental level, several other types of organization are also charged with some form of civil defense responsibility. This primarily includes public utilities such as water, electricity, natural gas distribution, and communications/internet; industries handling dangerous and/or essential goods such as petroleum; and major universities.
At the lowest and most immediately present level of civil defense are the Civilian Defense Teams, organized volunteer auxiliaries established under the framework of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and sponsored by local fire, militsiya, and emergency medical entities; they consist of non-professional civilian volunteers that receive training in various basic disaster response tasks. Under emergency conditions they perform first response activities, provide assistance to professional emergency personnel, and help to maintain order and prevent panic.
Protective measures
Construction
Facility protection
Manufacturing facilities and other heavy industrial sites are highly prioritized for implementation of civil defense measures against fire, military strikes, and other concerns.
Pelinese civil defense and industrial safety regulations require the establishment of site-based civil defense teams for any industrial facility with more than 32 employees in direct labor positions, as well as any facility engaging in defense production and/or handling goods that are explosive, highly flammable, or highly poisonous; an additional team is also required for every 32 additional direct labor employees. Each site-based civil defense team consists of a team leader, a deputy team leader, and one specialist each for chemical defense, fire protection, first aid, direction of workers, rescue, and (if applicable) veterinary; these positions are drawn from volunteering or selected factory personnel that are given specialized training and engage in normal work outside of emergencies. Site-based teams may also be augmented by non-departmental, professional civil defense personnel assigned by the government in the case of nationally important facilities.
Owners of industrial facilities are required to file an up-to-date civil defense plan with the local fire department. Such plans include the facility’s address, current building layout, nature of work (manufacturing, warehousing, fuel storage, etc), a list of all hazardous materials regularly kept on site, and any special considerations.