International Distinctive Sign for Civil Defence (Wikipedia)
{This article is partially original but also drawn verbatim from Wikipedia entries: Civil Defence; Civil defencese by country - still being reviewed...}
Historical Development
Civil defence is a concept aimed at the protection of citizens of a state who are non-combatants (hors de combat) from human-made or natural disasters. The concept has its origins in the First World War with the bombing by German Zeppelins and Gotha bombers of the population centres of England. In the 1920s the Air Raid Precautions Committee was established and it estimated that, based on the raids of World War 1, there could be as many as 17,500 casualties per week. With increasing political tensions in the 1930s and especially with the apparent air superiority of fascist Germany and Italy (and lessons from the Spanish Civil War - i.e. Guernica), the UK Civil Defence Service was established. Over 1.9M served with Civil Defence and 2,400 died from enemy action. The United States did something similar.
Geneva Conventions and Protocols -
Cold War to Today
During the Cold War the focus shifted to the effects of a nuclear attack. In 1968 the Civil Defence Corps in the UK was shut down for economy. Apparently it continues on the Isle of Man and in the Republic of Ireland. By the early 2000s, in the US, the focus shifted as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emerged and dealt with natural disasters and terrorism.
There are stages to civil defence and these include mitigation, preparation, response and recovery. These are the elements at the core of the Northwest Territories emergency plans. Therefore, what was known as civil defence is now known in the Northwest Territories as emergency management.
International Dimension
Worldwide protection is managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In a few countries such as Jordan and Singapore (see Singapore Civil Defence Force), civil defense is essentially the same organization [clarification needed] as the fire brigade. In most countries, however, civil defense is a government-managed, volunteer-staffed organization, separate from the fire brigade and the ambulance service.
As the threat of Cold War eased, a number of such civil defense organizations have been disbanded or mothballed (as in the case of the Royal Observer Corps 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 Australian states). However, the ideals of Civil Defense [clarification needed] have been brought back in the United States under FEMA's Citizen Corps and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
United Kingdom and Ireland
In the United Kingdom Civil Defence work is carried out by Emergency Responders under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, with assistance from voluntary groups such as RAYNET, Search and Rescue Teams and 4x4 Response. In Ireland, the Civil Defence is still very much an active organization and is occasionally called upon for its Auxiliary Fire Service and ambulance/rescue services when emergencies such as flash flooding occur and require additional manpower. The organization has units of trained firemen and medical responders based in key areas around the country.
Canada
Canada's civil defense measures evolved over time. As with many other matters in Canada, responsibility is shared between the federal and provincial government.[4] The first post-WWII civil defence co-ordinator was appointed in October 1948 "to supervise the work of federal, provincial and municipal authorities in planning for public air-raid shelters, emergency food and medical supplies, and the evacuation of likely target areas".[5]
In 1959, the Government of Canada, under John Diefenbaker handed authority for civilian defense to the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO).[5] Large fallout shelters, known as "Diefenbunkers" were built at rural locations outside major cities across Canada at the height of the Cold War during the infancy of the ICBM threat.
The EMO then became Emergency Planning Canada in 1974, then Emergency Preparedness Canada in 1986. In February 2001, the Government replaced Emergency Preparedness with the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness (OCIPEP), responsible for civilian emergency planning in both peace and war.[5]
Among the "Core Missions" of the Canada First Defence Strategy (under the Canadian Department of National Defence) are to respond to terrorist attacks and other crises such as natural disasters.[6] According to the Emergency Management Act, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is responsible for exercising leadership relating to emergency management in Canada by coordinating, among government institutions and in cooperation with the provinces and other entities, emergency management activities.[7]