The Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) supports the cantons and municipalities as well as the part-ner organisations in their civil protection activities. It includes the following branches: Civil Protection Policy, Spiez Laboratory, National Emergency Operations Centre, Training, Infrastructure and Resources.
Civil protection is an integrated management, protection, rescue and relief system. The partner organisations – police, fire services, health services, technical services and the CPO (an additional civil protection organisation) – are in charge of their own specific tasks, and provide mutual support. Joint management ensures coordinated planning and preparation, and operational command in case of deployment.
Disasters can occur at very short notice and sometimes without any advance warning. This is why it is so important to ensure a fast flow of information and to alert the public in time. The FOCP will continue to develop the system over the coming years: in addition to the existing alarm with sirens new media are to be used for communicating incidents such as cell phone and Internet.