Riga City Council adopts the new capital city civil defense plan – Riga

On Wednesday, March 27, the Riga City Council unanimously adopted the capital’s new civil defense plan*, which develops algorithms and provides concrete advice on how to act for citizens in various crisis situations, including in the event of a military threat. Riga is the first public sector institution that has included practical information for citizens on how to prepare and act in the event of a military threat in its civil defense plan.

The civil defense plan was developed by the Civil Defense and Operational Information Department of the Riga municipality established last year in cooperation with a wide range of experts from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of the Interior, the National Armed Forces and the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD).

“The unanimous support of the City Council for the Riga Civil Defense Plan once again confirms its high quality. We have taken an important step to promote the safety of our citizens in various crisis situations. The plan also gives us a new regulatory basis to start such practical works as marking places of safe refuge, renovating bomb shelters, arranging basements at the disposal of the municipality and involving citizens in civil defense mechanisms, especially in the context of military threats, which is a new part of this plan,” Rīgas emphasizes. the deputy chairman of the council, Linda Ozola.

“We are sure that awareness contributes to citizens’ sense of security and allows us to avoid misunderstandings and mistakes, so we cannot avoid talking about different scenarios. On April 10, with the seminar “General recommendations for citizens in X hour”, we will start an information campaign for citizens about civil protection. This year, we have planned a total of eight seminars in which residents will be informed about evacuation, safe places of refuge, involvement in national defense and other important issues of personal protection,” says L. Ozola.

Although the regulatory acts stipulate that the section of the civil defense plan on the action of the municipality in the event of a military threat is information of limited availability, Riga is the first public sector institution and municipality in Latvia that has developed practical recommendations on how to properly prepare and act in crisis situations in a concentrated and transparent manner. The plan also collects information and advice from the state defense authorities, it is supplemented with visual materials that make it easy to perceive and understand for every resident.

The plan also includes information on gathering places in case of danger, evacuation points, food distribution points. Recommendations are also given on how to communicate with other people, how to behave during the evacuation process, how to improve the place of refuge, etc. important information.

At the same time, the municipality is developing an information plan for residents to educate them on how to act in crisis situations. Throughout this year, various educational activities and seminars will be held, and based on the new civil defense plan, a visible booklet will be prepared for citizens, which will be available both digitally and in paper format.

You can follow the seminars both in person and online on the Riga City Council website and Facebook profile. The recordings of these seminars, the civil defense plan and booklet, as well as other useful materials, will be available in a separate section of the website.

The civil protection plan is part of the broader civil protection action plan. This year, it is also planned to map and mark the safe places of refuge in the city, to restore and arrange individual bomb shelters, as well as to develop the material and technical base of civil defense.

*Civil defense plan of cooperation territory of the city of Riga

Riga civil defense plan

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External Communication Department of the Riga Municipality Communications Department