disaster control and crisis management in the netherlands

7/29/2019 Disaster Control and Crisis Management in the Netherlands

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D i s a st e r Co n t r o l a n d

Cr i s i s M a n ag e m en t

in

the

N

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therlands


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I n t r o d u c t i o n

In a densely populated country such as the Netherlands, disasters

and serious accidents can have far-reaching consequences.Whether a disaster occurs in the form of a flood, traffic accident,

factory explosion or plane crash, it almost always involves human

victims. People may be injured or die, and their health may be

adversely affected over long periods. Also the loss of property may

lead to serious hardship.

Technically speaking, society is becoming increasing complex. In the

Netherlands, the road system is intensively used, many tunnels have

been built, and the construction of a railway for high-speed trains isin full progress. Complexity increases the chance of a serious acci-

dent occurring. However, there are more possibilities for effective

disaster control and risk management. Fortunately, more and more

attention is being paid to safety aspects. However, accidents and

disasters can never be prevented altogether. It is therefore necessary

to prepare for the worst. This applies not only to relief workers

deployed at a disaster site, but also to those who at various levels in

the government have administrative and organizational responsi-

bility for disaster control.

This brochure includes an outline of the system of disaster control

and crisis management in the Netherlands, supplemented by a

summary of recent developments. The content is intended for both

those who are professionally involved and interested outsiders. It is

based on the everyday practice of our emergency services, which are

basic to the system of disaster control and crisis management.

There then follows a succinct description of the organization of

disaster control, and a summary of the tasks of the various

departments. The last subject covered is the actual realization of

preparations for a disaster. Also the role of the Ministry of the

Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) is discussed.


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Da i l y a ss i s t an c e as t h e bas i s o f d i s a s t er co n t r o l

Although disasters and serious accidents do not occur frequently,when such an emergency situation arises, the reaction must be both

rapid and adequate. Dangerous situations take many forms, for

example, a sudden fog may lead to a serious, multiple collision on a

motorway; a cloud of poisonous smoke may find its way to a resi-

dential area after a fire has broken out in a chemical factory; or

chaos can result from large numbers of computers crashing simul-

taneously. Also serious riots, long-term strikes and hijackings - not

to mention war - can adversely affect the very foundations of society.

These cases are referred to as crises.

There is an important difference between a disaster and a crisis:

whereas a disaster is a large-scale physical incident, a crisis is

primarily a threatening or acutely adverse effect on the social

system, which negatively affects basic values and norms. In both

cases, the actions of relief workers and administrators must be both

adequate and professional. This brochure will cover the subject of

crisis management later on.

Contrary to some other countries, the Netherlands does not have a

separate executive organization for calamities. Putting fires out,

caring for victims and maintaining public order are part of the daily

tasks of such departments as the fire brigade, medical assistance

services and the police. These organizations are at the core of

disaster control. If necessary, other departments can be summoned

to provide assistance; for instance, the army can be called upon for

its helicopters or other materiel, or to supply specific knowledge and

personnel. Other organizations are also involved in disaster control,

such as rescue teams, water boards, the Red Cross, environmental

departments and other municipal en provincial services. In border

areas, foreign relief organizations can also provide assistance; for

this, our country has concluded agreements with Germany and

Belgium. In all cases it is important that the assistance is officially

requested. There are procedures and protocols in which the roles of

the municipality, the province and the state are laid down.


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The fact that disaster control can use these various services and

departments has big advantages. However, the intensive

cooperation between very different organizations demands a lot of

coordination, organizing power and effective understanding of one

anothers possibilities and idiosyncrasies. These are thereforeimportant points of attention. By implementing multidisciplinary

training courses and large-scale exercises, the government is

ensuring that relief workers can acquire the right kind of knowledge

and skills for the purpose, so that when such is needed, they can

carry out their tasks efficiently and effectively.

Bottlenecks still occur in actual practice, however, and this makes

the activation of emergency services less efficient and less flexible

than desired. By implementing national projects, the government isworking hard to improve the quality of disaster control. Better

harmonization between administrative and operational services is

also relevant in this context.

T h e co o r d i n a t ed u se o f emer g en cyse rv i ces

A disaster is an incident leading to a serious disturbance of

general safety, where the life and health of many persons and/or

large material interests are threatened, and where the

coordinated deployment of services and organizations of various

disciplines is required.

These words are taken from the Disaster and Serious

Accidents Act (WRZO, 1985).

The responsibility for disaster control primarily lies with the mayor

of the municipality where the disaster situation occurs. The mayor is

advised by a municipal policy team, which is made up of represen-

tatives from the operational emergency organizations of the fire

brigade and policy and medical services. Other services may also be

represented in this team. The mayor consults with all the services

involved and, if necessary, with other services.


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Many disasters are not limited to one municipality, and can be so

extensive that the capacity of the municipal services is inadequate.

In that case, the operational emergency services must organize

themselves in a larger context. This is called upscaling.

Such upscaling can occur both at a regional and at a provincial or

state level.

If a disaster affects more than one municipality, then each mayor

remains in charge of the administrative management of disaster

control within his or her own municipality. The mayors can agree

that one of them will act as coordinator for the disaster area, but

that mayor does not assume the competence of the other mayors.

In the case of a large-scale disaster, the Royal Commissioner can

give instructions to the mayors regarding the administrative and

operational management of disaster control.

Municipal

disaster staff

Mayors assembly

Municipal

disaster staff

Municipal

disaster staff

Municipal

disaster staff

Control

Province/Queens Commissioner

National Government

Coordinating

MayorMayor Mayor Mayor

Management

team

Operational

team

Press Centre

Regional

Coordination

Centre

National

Coordination

Centre

Provincial

Coordination

Centre

Municipal

Coordination

Centre

operational units

Operational

manager

Media


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The operational management of disaster control is the responsibility

of one official - in principle, the commander of the fire brigade.

The mayor, who has supreme command of disaster control, desig-

nates the operational commander, who then translates the policy

decisions into operational orders and coordinates the tasks of thevarious emergency organizations. These are first and foremost the

police, the fire brigade and the medical services. What are the tasks

and resources of these organizations?

T h e f i r e b r i g ad e: t h e k eyo r g a n i z a t i o n w i t h i n f i r e c o n t r o l

The tasks of the fire brigade comprise a lot more than just putting

fires out and rescuing people. The Fire Brigade Act (1985) describes

these various tasks. Even if there is no fire, the fire brigade still has

the task of limiting and controlling the risk to man and beast in the

case of accidents. If there is a danger of goods being damaged or

destroyed, the fire brigade can also render technical assistance.

However, the fire brigade is activated not only in a calamity:

together with other municipal services, it is an important partner in

the prevention, limitation and control of risks. This is done

according to the links in the safety chain. This chain comprises five

links.

The first (proactive) link is the attention paid to safety aspects of

the designs for large constructions, industrial sites, roads and

tunnels. The second (preventive) link concerns such aspects as the

materials that can prevent a disaster or limit its consequences.

The third (preparation) link is the preparation of actual actions if a

calamity arises, such as planning, exercise and the purchase of

materials. The fourth (intervention) link is the actual control of a

disaster, such as salvaging, extinguishing, detecting dangerous

substances, and protecting the environment. The fifth (follow-up)

nazorgrepressiepreparatiepreventiepro-actie


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link comprises the provision of care for victims and relief workers,

the restoration of normality, settling claims, and a deployment

evaluation in order to learn from the experience.

Eighty percent of fire department services within Dutch munici-palities are handled by volunteers. In addition, there is a regional

fire brigade, made up of some tens of fire department companies

with professional personnel for large-scale actions, divided over

various regions. Each company comprises two fire department

platoons and one support platoon, and has available heavy equip-

ment for extinguishing work and technical assistance.

If necessary, they can also make use of the materials stocked at the

Logistic Centre Zoetermeer, which is run by the Ministry of the

Interior. Preparations for disaster control is primarily the task ofregional fire brigades.

Although on paper the organization of the fire brigade service is

excellent, it has become evident in recent years that it is not yet

optimal. This is due to such factors as the heavy workload of the

volunteers involved with the fire brigade service.

Furthermore, municipalities are not yet giving enough priority to

disaster control, and not enough exercises are being organized.

The Fire Brigade Reinforcement Project (PVB) - an initiative of the

Ministry of the Interior and the Royal Netherlands Association of

Fire Brigades (KNBV) - is an attempt to improve this situation.


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F i r s t a i d , t r a n s p o r t b y a m b u l a n ce an dh o s p i t a l t r e at m en t s - l i n k s i n t h emed ica l ass i s tance cha in

When a disaster occurs, the first priority is of course to rescue the

victims. Then, their injuries must be medically attended to. The first

hour following a disaster - which is known as the golden hour - is

of decisive importance in this respect. First aid is usually

administered by ambulance personnel, who must get to the site as

quickly as possible.

Our country has network of ten trauma centres to help the victims

of serious accidents. Each of these centres can deploy a mobilemedical team made up of a specialized doctor and a specialized

nurse. Such a team can provide specialized assistance at an

accident site, supplementary to the relief provided by ambulance

personnel. Four of the trauma centres have a helicopter available for

the rapid transportation of serious casualties. This scheme is a pilot

project, and helicopters currently operate from Amsterdam,

Rotterdam, Nijmegen and Groningen.

First aid, transportation to a hospital or trauma centre, and the

subsequent treatment and revalidation of victims can be regarded

as separate links in one relief chain. In the past, it became apparent

that these links did not always interconnect smoothly. There are

various reasons for this, including financial and organizational

bottlenecks. For instance, when a large-scale accident occurs, the

emergency services which need to be involved may be based in

different regions. These services must then cooperate and inter-

connect in a flexible manner. However, this will not be easy if there

is no uniform organizational structure and if the available equip-

ment differs widely.

For this reason, recent years have seen the development of a

partnership of emergency organizations: the Medical Combination.

These Combinations are made up of:

a mobile medical team (a specialized doctor and a

specialized nurse);


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two ambulance team-members (driver and nurse) who do

not participate in the transportation of victims to hospital,

but who provide first aid on site;

a Rapid Deployment Group for Medical Assistance (SIGMA),

comprising eight volunteers (usually from the Dutch RedCross), who task is to support the mobile medical team and

the ambulance team; and

an executive from the medical region, who coordinates all

medical activities at the site and is assisted by a coordinator

for the transportation of the injured, who comes from the

Central Station for Ambulance Transportation (CPA).

Many enhancements in the organization of medical assistance

originate from the Project for Medical Assistance in Accidents andDisasters (GHOR). This project was the result of a survey of bottle-

necks in administrative, organizational, operational and financial

fields. Thanks to this project, there is now a clear view on the

desired solutions. Implementation of the reorganization is still in

progress.

T h e p o l i ce f o r ce i s a l so a p r i mar yp a r t n e r i n d i s a st e r co n t r o l

The police force has various tasks to perform when a disaster

occurs. Like the fire brigade, the police force is a part of the disaster

team. Other police tasks are the installation of a safety zone around

the disaster area, the maintenance of public order, and the

implementation of traffic measures. The National Police Services

Brigade has a facilitative function; for instance, it can deploy the

Disaster Identification Team and helicopter support.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the police force was restructured,

and the Netherlands was divided into police districts. For large-scale

activities, the brigades from neighbouring districts can be called

upon to provide assistance. The police can then form a Mobile

Unity Structure and call in military police platoons from other

districts.


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Cr i s i s management

Vandalism, riots, lock-outs, occupations, hijackings or assaults can

all pose threats that can disturb society to a greater or lesserdegree. However, also epidemics, environmental pollution or an

international energy crisis can threaten society. A crisis threat

requires (central) government to take measures to protect vital

interests. This involves, for example, the protection of legal order

and the maintenance of public order and safety.

The government, if possible together with the business world,

prepares for internal and external threats by developing scenarios

and adapting the organization to them. All departments involvedmust consider the measures that would be necessary if such a

scenario were to occur. The preparations include carrying out

exercises.

In a serious crisis, the usual procedures and normal lines of

decision-making may no longer be adequate. All departments must

then switch to an adapted structure, involving a Departmental

Coordination Centre (DCC). A DCC will become active if there is a

crisis in the field of one ministry. If a crisis affects the policy fields

of several departments, however, then stronger interdepartmental

coordination is required, and a National Coordination Centre (NCC)

must be activated (housed in the Ministry of the Interior).

A National Public Information Centre (NVC) may also be activated.

If the crisis is very complex, sweeping and far-reaching, the entire

Council of Ministers will be involved in the decision-making.

The Minister-President and the ministers concerned will then have

joint responsibility.


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H o w t h e N e t h er l a n d s i s a ct i v e l yp r e p ar i n g i t s el f f o r d i s a st er s

We have seen that the administrative responsibility for disaster

control resides primarily with municipal mayors, who can use theirown municipal services as well as regional operational services.

If necessary, they can also ask assistance from other partners.

Municipalities and regional services

Municipalities: 600

Fire brigade districts: 40

Medical districts: 26

Police districts: 25

The medical and police districts are practically identical. In the

future, the districts of fire departments, medical services and the

police will fully overlap.

The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (Ministry of

BZK) at the central government level has been charged with the

system responsibility for disaster control and crisis management.

This means that this ministry deals with the laws and regulations,

and makes available additional facilities for the tasks at provincial,

regional and municipal levels.

In our country, disaster control, fire services and medical assistance

for disasters and accidents have been arranged by law. There may be

developments necessitating an adaptation of the law, such as agree-

ments at the European level. For instance, the Ministry of BZK

together with two other ministries recently incorporated the so-called

Seveso II Directive into the Netherlands laws and regulations.

This guideline concerns environmental care, employee safety and

disaster control. Companies working with dangerous substances

must now keep the municipality and the regional fire brigade

informed more extensively, and municipal authorities have more

possibilities to inspect these companies.

Another change is that, in the future, disaster control plans will be

published. Such publications will fit in with a broader public infor-

mation campaign on disaster control.


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An example is the annual PO Box 51 public information campaign,

which explains why each year sirens throughout the Netherlands are

tested on the first Wednesday in June, and what one should do if the

sirens sound on another date.

Active preparations for a disaster or a crisis are not limited to

formulating a scenario or a disaster control plan: training, exercises

and the purchase of materials are also involved. Several training

institutions recently combined forces and founded a consortium to

provide training courses to anyone involved in disaster control or

crisis management. This consortium includes Bestuursacademie

Nederland (BAN), Crisis Onderzoek Team (COT) of the University of

Leiden, Nederlands Bureau Brandweerexamens (NBBe), Nederlands

Instituut voor Brandweer en Rampenbestrijding (Nibra), PolitieInstituut Openbare orde en Veiligheid (PIOV), and Stichting

Opleiding en Scholing Ambulance Hulpverlening (SOSA).

Tests will always be needed to establish whether plans work, which

is why exercises are the final step in effective preparations.

There are various types of exercises. Not only must operational

assistance and the correct use of available materials be tested, but -

since disaster control is often a matter of achieving the best form of

organization - much attention needs to be paid to multidisciplinary

and administrative exercises. Such exercises will not of course be

useful until the right agreements have been made at an

administrative level.

Naturally, the operational services must have high-quality

communications equipment available, so that the fire brigade,

police force and medical assistance services can quickly request

information from and communicate with each other. A pilot project

involving an integrated alarmcentre system (GMS) is currently

under way. This system is much more comprehensive than that

behind the Europe-wide alarm number (1-1-2) for alerting the fire

brigade, police or ambulance service. The future linking of various

databases will ensure that all necessary information can be directly

accessed.


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For communications between services, in one district a pilot project

involving large, advanced connection network (C2000) is in

progress. Once the network has proved itself, it will be implementedon a national scale.

Conc lus ion

The quality of relief in disasters remains a subject requiring much

care. At both the administrative and the executive level, everyoneinvolved in relief work must always be prepared for all possible

situations. The national government puts a lot of work into these

preparations, and makes additional facilities available. There are

specific training courses for all officials involved in disaster control

and crisis management at an administrative, public servant or

operator level. The disaster control plans must also be continuously

tested in actual practice by means of drills, and multidisciplinary

and administrative exercises.

The authorities at the municipal, provincial and national levels know

best which supplementary measures are necessary to ensure that

disaster control teams will function correctly in actual practice.

Furthermore, the local and regional levels can best judge how to

prevent disasters and limit risks. Early attention to safety and

prevention remains of the utmost importance.

disaster control and crisis management in the netherlands

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