Under ordinary conditions of life, citizens independently ensure their safety. But in emergency situations (ES), this responsibility is shifted to civil defense structures, which can also connect other departments to the defense depending on specific tasks. One way or another, the procedure is based on the main ways of protecting the population, affecting the most diverse aspects of maintaining an adequate level of security.
Principles of protecting citizens in case of emergency
Regardless of the protective and rescue measures taken, security services should be guided by the following principles:
- Early planning of operations aimed at protecting citizens, and conducting them in all settlements included in the risk zone.
- Prevention of emergency situations, as well as minimizing damage and losses when they occur.
- Planning and implementation of measures to protect the population in case of emergency is carried out taking into account local economic, natural and other characteristics that may affect the effectiveness of the work.
- The content and scope of protective measures should be determined on the basis of the principles of sufficiency and physical ability to use specific forces and means, taking into account the available resource base.
- Civil defense forces, allocated by local authorities with the support of the executive branch at the regional level, participate in the elimination of emergencies.
The main ways to protect the population
In specific emergencies, the set of activities and actions may be different. All of them will be guided by the prevention and maximum reduction of the risks of defeating people, however, the methods, scope and nature of protective measures may differ depending on the situation and the conditions of the incident. If we talk about tactics of complex action, then with a greater degree of probability the following methods and means of protection will be used:
- Timely informing. Various alerts are applied to the public.
- Shelter of people in protected objects.
- The use of personal protective equipment.
- Measures to protect the population from biological, radiation and chemical threats.
- Evacuation measures.
- Recovery activities, medical care and humanitarian support.
At the same time, preventive education of the population, intelligence activities, the creation of backup food supply channels and the establishment of communication networks can be organized if possible.
Timely notification of the population
The purpose of informing people through warning means is to bring orders and operational information about all kinds of threats and actions (infection, flooding, radiation hazard, evacuation, etc.). Modern technologies make it possible to immediately alert not only about a threat as such, but also about the time, place and pace of movement of its carrier. According to the calculations of specialists of the Ministry of Emergencies of the Russian Federation, warning signals allow people to take refuge in 10-15 minutes after informing. This reduces losses from 85% to 5% on average.
As for the applied signals, today such types of communication are used as broadcasting, television, special wireless equipment and other means of delivering information using light and sound sources. In cities, for the purpose of mass information, they use an apartment radio broadcasting network and a speakerphone connected to a single panel. The content of alerts can be different depending on the conditions of the alarm situation. As a rule, specific instructions are given on the course of action, the time of the onset of danger is specified, etc.
Types of Alarms
In addition to general information messages, there are a number of alarm signals that are used to alert the immediate danger of using chemical, nuclear and bacteriological weapons. These signals include the following:
- "Air alert." The signal is intended for the population of a specific territorial point, which is at risk of defeat by the enemy. The notification is carried out through a broadcasting network and is accompanied by the sounds of sirens.
- "Chemical anxiety." This signal alerts you to specific threats to a bacteriological or chemical attack. This means that you need to wear a gas mask and immediately find shelter. In the event of a threat of a bacteriological attack, additional instructions on further actions are given as part of the alert.
- "Radiation hazard." The signal is intended for settlements in the direction of which the radioactive cloud is moving. Those to whom this notification is addressed should use a cotton-gauze dressing and a respirator, and then take refuge in a radiation protection shelter.
- "End of air alert." Broadcasting this signal means that with the permission of the commandants the shelter can be abandoned. In places affected by weapons of mass action, information is transmitted on the current situation, behavioral regimes and measures aimed at eliminating the attack.
Types of measures to protect the population
To begin with, it is worth highlighting two classifications of measures related to the nature of emergencies and the nature of the means of protection used. In the first case, protection methods are divided depending on the technogenic or natural origin of the threat, and in the second they are divided into compulsory and operational actions. In each case, the selection of specific activities is made depending on the resettlement of people in the territory, climatic conditions, economic opportunities and other factors. Integrated public protection systems include the following activities:
- Engineering protection of the population.
- Operations aimed at protecting against radiation and chemical threats.
- Medical events.
- Preparing the population for emergency protection.
Evacuation measures
One of the basic ways to ensure public protection in case of emergency. The most effective evacuation during radioactive contamination and catastrophic flooding of the area. The main goal of this method of protection is the organized movement of a certain group of people and, if possible, material assets to safe areas. The following classifications of methods for evacuating people:
- By means of transportation - transport, on foot, combined methods.
- By hazard type - from zones of biological, chemical, radioactive infection, flooding, severe destruction, etc.
- By remoteness - evacuation can be local (within the city, town or region), local (within the municipality of the Russian Federation), state (within the borders of the Russian Federation).
- According to temporary indicators - temporary (with the possibility of returning to an abandoned place in a few days), medium-term (up to 30 days), long-term (more than 30 days).
The need for evacuation of the population, its methods and timing is determined by the local emergency commission. The basis for such actions may be a threat to the life of people identified and evaluated according to previously prepared regulatory criteria.
Shelter in protective structures
The infrastructure of urban settlements should provide for the possibility of local shelter in protected structures. This is important if it is difficult to completely evacuate the population. The protective structure is an engineering structure designed to temporarily shelter people, equipment and material property from natural and man-made hazards. To date, the main way to protect the population in the form of shelter involves the evacuation of open and closed types to shelters. The former include trenches and crevices, and the latter include special anti-radiation shelters.
Technical organization of shelters
The funds of protective structures are built up in various ways. To accommodate objects of economic, industrial and social purpose with the possibility of providing external protection, underground urban spaces can be developed. Basements and other shallow rooms of ground structures are also registered. Natural cavities, mine workings and underground mines, after appropriate retrofitting, can be used to organize the protection of the population and material assets during the threatened period. For all objects from the fund of protective urban shelters, certain requirements apply to the conditions of detention of people, which relate to sanitary and hygienic rules. The basic requirements also include the possibility of preparing a shelter for the reception of the population within 12 hours from the moment of notification.
Personal protective equipment
In the process of carrying out evacuation and providing local protection, in the threat zone it is necessary to use personal protective equipment (PPE). They can be represented by one or a group of objects that serve to inhibit the action of biological, chemical radioactive substances on one person. The most common means of protecting this type of population include gas masks, fabric masks, respirators and cotton-gauze dressings. For protected organs, PPE is isolated for the skin and respiratory system. For this kind of protection, household materials can also be used. For example, clothing made from rubberized insulating fabrics will provide protection against harmful airborne contaminants.
Medical assistance
In the general complex of protective measures, medical actions are also carried out. They can be carried out as part of medical, sanitary-hygienic and preventive measures aimed at minimizing the impact of the damaging effect on people. The content and scope of medical actions will depend on the conditions of the current situation and the characteristics of the damaging factors. For example, ensuring the protection of the population in the framework of treatment and prophylactic measures can be carried out using radioprotective drugs, disinfectant solutions, antibacterial, painkillers and dressings. Among the service personnel, it is also worth highlighting an individual first-aid kit, an anti-chemical package and a dressing kit.
Conclusion
The technological development of communications and collective defense means today can effectively cope with the tasks of civil defense in emergency situations. Although the main ways to protect the population still come down to timely notification, evacuation and the use of PPE, there are also modified ways to protect against modern threats and challenges. For example, new requirements are being developed for organizing shelters designed to isolate nuclear and chemical factors from the damaging effects. The approaches to the communication organization of protective measures are also changing, which saves more time on alerting the public and preparing briefings.