Civil protection, emergency services and local healthcare providers are some of the many instruments and organisations in place at cantonal level that can be called upon to respond to incidents. If a canton needs additional resources, neighbouring cantons can provide assistance. Processes have been established and intercantonal agreements have been made for precisely this purpose.

In cases where there is a shortage of equipment or human resources, requests can also be made with the Confederation’s resource management service ResMaB. In the event of a national or international incident, the Confederation can support the cantons and operators of critical infrastructure through ResMaB.

Requests for resources and services are evaluated by the experts at ResMaB according to clear criteria. As part of this process, factors such as whether conscripts would be deployed to assist other service providers are considered, as is the situation overall. In each case, the experts must determine whether there is in fact a shortage of equipment, or if these goods could be purchased on the existing market and therefore do not need to be provided by ResMaB.

To ensure the right resources are allocated, all of the relevant agencies and organisations are directly involved. This includes the Cantonal Management Boards, federal agencies, operators of critical infrastructure, private companies and international organisations.