Danish Emergency Management Agency
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| Established | December 23, 1992 |
| Activated | January 1, 1993 |
| Director | Frederik Schydt |
| Budget (2005) | 496 million DKK |
| Homepage | www.brs.dk |
| Employees | 600 staff ~750 conscripts every 6 months |
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The Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) (Danish: Beredskabsstyrelsen) is a Danish governmental agency under the Ministry of Defence. Its principal task is to manage the National Rescue Preparedness Corps (Beredskabskorpset or Det statslige redningsberedskab), who work out of six Emergency Management Centres, to supervise the national and municipal rescue preparedness and to advice the authorities on matters of preparedness. DEMA works in closely structured co-operation with the EU, UN, NATO and several neighbouring countries.
DEMA is capable of deploying abroad on request from another state or an international organisation. The decision to render assistance is taken in co-counsel with the Danish Foreign Ministry. DEMA can give support in instances of natural disasters and accidents, technological events and crises and civil wars. It is able to react quickly in acute situations and leave its home base within 12 hours.
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[edit] History
By the Danish Preparedness Act (Beredskabsloven), which came into force on January 1, 1993, the former Fire Service (Brandvæsenet) and the Civil Defence (Civilforsvaret) were integrated into one rescue preparedness service, to be used in peacetime as well as during a crisis and in war. The Emergency Management Agency was created out of the two agencies responsible for these former services, namely "Civilforsvarsstyrelsen" and "Statens Brandinspektion".
The Civil Defence was created March 1, 1938, as the State Civil Air defence (Statens civile luftværn) and was under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior. The name Civil Defence dates from the first Civil Defence law of April 1, 1949. The Fire Service was under the Ministry of Justice. The new Emergency Management Agency came under the responsibility of Ministry of the Interior, however as of February 1, 2004 it is under the Ministry of Defence.
By means of a number of political agreements supported widely by the parties in the Danish Parliament, the rescue preparedness has been continuously developed and adapted to the changing demands made by the society and the changes in the security-policy situation.
[edit] Emergency Management locations
The agency has a staff of some 600 people. About 170 of these are employed in the central Emergency Management Agency in Birkerød. The rest are employed at the agency’s six rescue centres and three schools. It is possible to do the conscription for the Danish military in the National Rescue Preparedness Corps and the agency has around 750 every 6 months.
[edit] Emergency Management Centres
The Emergency Management Centres are part of the National Rescue Preparedness Corps. The emergency centre Beredskabsstyrelsen Fyn (Middelfart) ceased to be a response centre in 1985 and until 2005 it ran a number of refugee centres. The Emergency Management Centres are;
- Beredskabsstyrelsen Nordjylland (Thisted)
- Beredskabsstyrelsen Midtjylland (Herning)
- Beredskabsstyrelsen Sydjylland (Haderslev)
- Beredskabsstyrelsen Sjælland (Næstved)
- Beredskabsstyrelsen Bornholm (Allinge)
- Beredskabsstyrelsen Frivilligcenter Hedehusene (Hedehusene)
[edit] Emergency Management Schools
- Bernstorff Palace, Beredskabsstyrelsens Center for Lederuddannelse (Gentofte)
- Beredskabsstyrelsens Højskole (Snekkersten)
- Beredskabsstyrelsens tekniske Skole (Tinglev)
[edit] Other Departments
[edit] Nuclear Division
Responsibilities include:
- Inspections of nuclear facilities in Denmark, currently only Risø,
- The Danish nuclear preparedness,
- International cooperation on nuclear safety and nuclear preparedness within the Nordic countries, the EU (EURATOM),
- The IAEA and the OECD.
- Nuclear support programmes for countries in Eastern Europe.
[edit] Chemical Division
The chemical division's responsibilities include:
- Analytical chemical investigations of unknown substances, including chemical warfare agents and explosives.
- Examination of dangerous goods and hazardous materials.
- Advisory services, including the National Chemical Response Center (Kemikalieberedskabsvagten), and education and research.
[edit] Civil Preparedness Division
The Danish Preparedness Act stipulates that each ministry, agency, or other authority in the Danish government is required to carry out relevant planning within their respective sector to deal with a serious adverse impact on critical functions of society. CPD helps facilitate planning within the different sectors and the coordination between the different sectors. This includes responsibility for the National Emergency Plan, publication of guidance materials, courses, and other activities to strengthen the cooperation between the different actors in the Danish civil preparedness establishment.
