Six business units

The Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) in the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) is generally responsible for civil protection at the federal level The FOCP consists of the following business units (organisational units)

• Strategy and Steering
• Programme Management
• Resources
• National Emergency Operations Centre and Incident Management
• Civil Protection and Training
• Spiez Laboratory

Strategy and Steering

The Strategy and Steering unit is responsible for the strategic steering of tasks and resources, as well as the future development of the Office. It is responsible for Office policy, risk-based strategy and the ongoing development of Switzerland’s civil protection organisation for the prevention and management of disasters and emergencies. It is responsible for communication within the Office itself, within the Department and externally (public, other federal agencies, cantons, operators of critical infrastructures). It puts in place legal and risk-based foundations, steers policy matters and is responsible for project portfolio management at the Office level.

Management

The management board of the FOCP consists of the Director and the heads of the business units. Michaela Schärer has headed the FOCP since 1 April 2020. The FOCP is run according to the three management processes of the FOCP’s integrated management system (FOCP IMS): business planning, management and optimisation.

Numbers

The FOCP has altogether 324 employees. 155 work at the central office in Bern, 109 in Spiez (Spiez Laboratory), 57 in Schwarzenburg (Federal Training Centre) and 3 in Zurich (National Emergency Operations Centre). (as of decembre 2022)