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T H E C I V I L P R OT E CT I O N H A N D B O O K FO R FA M I L I E S
Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri

Dipartimento della Protezione Civile
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I
f you are aware of the possible hazards concerning the territory where you live, if you know how
and where to get information, if you know how to get organized in order to face a critical moment,
you live in a safer way and the Civil Protection can function at its best. Indeed, because you are the
first player in this system: you are the one who must know how to be vigilant, to give warning, to coop-
erate with rescue services. When an emergency occurs – nearly always in a sudden and unpredictable
way – you and your family may have to confront difficult and dangerous situations on your own, even if
only for the response time needed by rescue workers to reach you and assist you. A lapse of time that
may be short or long, depending on the scale of the emergency and on the environmental conditions
you find yourselves in. It is therefore essential to know what to do and how to act in such situations.
The purpose of this handbook is to help each member of your household (from children to grandpar-
ents) to perform his/her Civil Protection role to the best of his/her ability.
Read it carefully: it provides suggestions and answers; it explains what to do and how; and, above all,
it points out both dangerous and proper actions for you and those around you.
Remember: we all are the Civil Protection.
The Civil Protection

In Italy the Civil Protection is a “national service” organized on four levels of competence and respon-
sibility, thus conceived to identify all the solutions to different problems. The first level is municipal:
the Mayor is the first Civil Protection authority within the Municipality, the one closest to citizens; her
task is to give warning and to face the initial difficult moments or very localized situations, using the
resources and manpower at his disposal. If the Municipality is unable to cope with the emergency on
its own, the Province, the Government’s territorial Offices – i.e. the Prefectures – and, subsequently,
the Region intervene in favour of the areas affected by the disaster by activating all the intervention
means available. In the event of more serious and widespread emergency situations, the national level
steps in: in that case, the intervention becomes the direct responsibility of the Prime Minister, assumes
the direct responsibility of the interventions, operating through the Department of Civil Protection.
At each level, the Civil Protection makes use according to need of all local and central resources: all
the bodies organized by the State are a part of the National Service, from the Fire Brigade to the Police
Force, from the Armed Forces to the Forestry Corps, from Traffic Wardens to the Red Cross, from the
scientific community to the Alpine Rescue Service, from the National Health Service to paramedics
and ambulances. In addition, the Civil Protection Voluntary Organizations have assumed a particular-
ly significant role, and have grown in all Italian regions, both in numbers and in terms of operational
capacity and specialization.
Each fire-fighter, police officer, soldier, volunteer and nurse represents the Civil Protection system.
These are the “professionals” who watch over the conditions of our daily life, 24 hours a day and all
the year round. But remember: you and your household are the first organizational element of the Civil
Protection.
The Civil Protection is changing from a “rescue machine” which intervenes only after a disastrous
event, to a monitoring, forecasting and prevention system of the national territory and its hazards. This
transformation has involved the main scientific and technical bodies that operate in Italy, at all levels
of the system.
A network of “Monitoring Centres” covering the whole national territory has been created: it starts
with those networks monitoring potential risks and reaches all regional structures, all the way to the
central level. This network provides useful data to decide possible interventions, to inform citizens, to
reduce response time and, most of all, to try and prevent disasters.
Civil Protection and Family Units

In order to be efficient and effective during interventions, our structure mostly needs two conditions:
- to be credible and trusted by all citizens;
- each household must feel part of the system and not a passive user.
The most “civil” and useful way of facing topics that concern everyone’s safety, with serenity and aware-
ness, is to make your family an active subject of Civil Protection. It is neither difficult nor too demand-
ing!
How? By creating together with all the members of your household a “Civil Protection Family Plan”
which entails five fundamental chapters:
1 knowing the risks

2 knowing how to get information
3 getting your family organized
4 knowing how to ask for help
5 emergency and disability
table of contents
1 knowing the risks: p. 7
earthquakes p. 8 heat waves p. 28
volcanic eruptions p. 12 forest fires p. 30
landslides p. 15 domestic fires p. 32
floods p. 17 blackouts p. 34
seaquakes or tsunamis p. 20 industrial hazards p. 36
road conditions p. 21 flu
snow and avalanches p. 23 epimedics/pandemics p. 38
water shortages p. 26 terrorist attacks p. 40
2 knowing how to get information p. 46
3 getting your family organized p. 49
4 knowing how to ask for help p. 52
5 emergency and disability p. 54
6 P R E S I D E N Z A D E L C O N S I G L I O D E I M I N I S T R I - D I PA R T I M E N TO D E L L A P R OT E Z I O N E C I V I L E
1 knowing
the risks
P R E S I D E N Z A D E L C O N S I G L I O D E I M I N I S T R I - D I PA R T I M E N TO D E L L A P R OT E Z I O N E C I V I L E 7
earthquakes
The seismic hazard in a given area may be measured by the damage we can expect following an earth-
quake, within an established amount of time. It may be expressed in terms of casualties, econom-
ic cost, and damage to buildings. Hazard and danger are not the same thing: the danger is repre-
sented by the earthquake that could hit a given area (the cause); the hazard is represented by its
possible consequences, that is by the damage we can expect (the effect). In fact, the definition of
hazard includes dangerousness, as well as the territorial characteristics.
SEISMIC HAZARD = EARTHQUAKES x VULNERABLE BUILDINGS x EXPOSED PROPERTY
What does seismic hazard depend on?

To determine the hazard level of an area it is necessary to know its seismicity, that is how often earth-
quakes occur and how strong they are, but also the way humans have built their works, which are
the vulnerable properties and their numbers, and the population density. In point of fact, given the
same frequency and intensity of earthquakes, the hazard is nonexistent where there are no build-
ings, exposed properties, nor population; whereas areas which are densely populated or charac-
terised by buildings with little resistance to the jolts of a seismic wave, pose a high hazard.
How do we protect ourselves from earthquakes?

Earthquakes cannot be avoided. The only weapon to reduce the seismic hazard is prevention, which
comprises: making a complete seismic classification of all Municipalities; building according to
specific earthquake-proof technical regulations; acting appropriately; and working out municipal
emergency plans which are necessary to organize prompt assistance for the population involved.
Major Italian earthquakes in the 20th century

Date Epicentre Area Intensity Magnitude
8th september 1905 Calabria X 7.1
28th december 1908 Reggio C. – Messina XI 7.2
7th june 1910 Irpinia IX 5.9
13rd january 1915 Marsica XI 7.0
29th june 1919 Mugello IX 6.2
7th september 1920 Garfagnana X 6.5 Area 1 > It is the most
23rd july 1930 Irpinia X 6.7
dangerous area, where strong
21st august 1962 Irpinia IX 6.2
earthquakes can occur. It
15th january 1968 Belice X 6.2
includes 716 Towns.
6th may1976 Friuli IX-X 6.5
23rd november 1980 Irpinia IX-X 6.9
26th september 1997 Umbria-Marche IX 5.8 Area 2 > The Towns
inserted in this area may
experience quite strong
What is the seismic classification? earthquakes. It includes 2.324
Towns.
Based on the frequency and intensity of past earthquakes, interpreted in the light of modern tech-
niques analysing dangerousness, the whole national territory has been classified in four seismic
Area 3 > The Towns
areas. These provide for ever-increasing action levels that must be taken into account when design-
inserted in this area can be
ing buildings (maximum levels for Area 1). The territorial classification began in 1909 and has been
subject to moderate quakes.
updated numerous times up to the current one, provided for in 2003 by Prime Ministerial Ordi-
nance.
Area 4 > It is the least
dangerous. In the Towns
Getting to know the seismic zonation of your Municipality inserted in this area possible
seismic damage is low. It
Adopting the territorial seismic classification is incumbent on the Regions by law. Starting from the
includes 3.427 Towns.
Prime Ministerial Ordinance (n. 3274/03), each Region has drawn up its own lists where each town
is given a precise assignation to one of the four seismic areas. It is possible to examine the seis-
mic classification of your town, by checking the website www.protezionecivile.it. In the towns clas-
sified as seismic, anyone building a new house or working on an already existing one must respect
earthquake-proof regulations, according to specific criteria for planning and erecting buildings.
WHAT TO DO…
before the earthquake during the earthquake
INQUIRE ABOUT THE SEISMIC CLASSIFICA- IF YOU ARE INDOORS TAKE SHELTER IN A
TION OF THE TOWN WHERE YOU LIVE > DOOR OPENING… > inside a bearing wall
You must know which building regulations (the thickest ones) or under a beam be-
to adopt, who to ask and which measures are cause these can protect you from possible
provided for in case of cave-ins
________________________________________
GET TO KNOW THE LOCATION AND HOW SEEK SHELTER UNDER A TABLE > It is
TO CLOSE WATER AND GAS TAPS, AND dangerous to stay near pieces of furniture,
HOW TO TURN OFF THE LIGHT SWITCHES heavy objects or windows that could fall on
> Such installations could sustain damage you
during the earthquake
________________________________________
AVOID KEEPING HEAVY OBJECTS ON HIGH DO NOT RUSH TO THE STAIRS AND DO NOT
SHELVES > Secure the heaviest furnishings USE THE LIFT > Sometimes the stairs are
to the wall because they could fall on you the weakest part of a building and the lift
can get stuck and prevent you from exiting
________________________________________
KEEP A FIRST-AID KIT AT HOME… > an IF YOU ARE IN A CAR, DO NOT STOP NEAR
electric torch, a battery-powered radio, a fi- BRIDGES, BEACHES OR GROUNDS SUB-
re extinguisher and make sure that every fa- JECT TO LANDSLIDES > These could devel-
mily member knows where they are kept op cracks, collapse or be hit by tsunami
waves
before the earthquake during the earthquake

AT SCHOOL OR AT YOUR WORKPLACE ASK IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS, STAY AWAY FROM
IF THERE IS ANY EMERGENCY PLAN > BUILDINGS AND ELECTRIC CABLES > They
Because by following instructions you can could collapse
help manage the emergency
________________________________________
after the earthquake

CHECK THE STATE OF HEALTH OF PEO- STAY AWAY FROM INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
PLE AROUND YOU > You can help those AND ELECTRIC CABLES > Accidents could
in difficulties and facilitate rescue operations occur
________________________________________
DO NOT TRY TO MOVE SERIOUSLY INJU- STAY AWAY FROM LAKESHORES AND BEA-
RED PEOPLE > You could worsen their CHES > Tsunami waves can hit the sho-
conditions res
________________________________________
GO OUT CAUTIOUSLY ALWAYS WEARING DO NOT GO WALKING AND LOOKING
SHOES > In the street you could hurt your- AROUND > But rather reach the waiting
self with broken glass or rubble areas pinpointed by the municipal emer-
gency plan because it is important to avoid
dangers
________________________________________
GO TO AN OPEN SPACE, FAR FROM UN- AVOID USING YOUR TELEPHONE AND CAR
SAFE BUILDINGS > They could fall on you > It is necessary to keep the phone lines
and roads free not to hinder rescue ope-
rations
volcanic eruptions
Volcanic eruptions occur when the magma (solid, liquid and gaseous material at high temperature)
from the inside of the Earth comes out to the surface.
A first general classification of volcanic eruptions distinguishes between effusive (lava flow) and ex-
plosive (with magma fragmentation into shreds of various sizes called pyroclastic rocks). There
are various types of volcanic eruptions, each of which may pose different dangerous phenomena:
1. lava flow; 2. fall of coarse material (volcanic bombs and blocks of various sizes); 3. fall and de-
posit of fine material (ashes and lapilli); 4. pyroclastic flows; 5. gaseous emissions; 6. mudflows.
The most dangerous among these phenomena are pyroclastic flows and mudflows.
The length of volcanic eruptions may vary from a few hours to tens of years (the Kilauea Volcano
in the Hawaii Islands has been erupting since 1986). Eruptions can occur from the same volcanic
dent (e.g. the Vesuvius) or from dents opening in different places (e.g. the Campi Flegrei and Etna),
and the volumes of lava that they can emit are very variable.
Unlike other natural phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions are usually foreseeable,
thanks to distinctive precursory phenomena that can be detected by monitoring networks creat-
ed for such purpose.
WHAT TO DO...
if you live or find yourself in a volcanic area
INQUIRE ABOUT THE EMERGENCY PLAN DURING THE ERUPTION OBEY THE PROHI-
OF YOUR MUNICIPALITY > In order to act BITION TO ENTER THE AFFECTED AREAS
adequately and carry out possible evacua- > Although eruptions seem spectacular
tion operations and generate curiosity, these places are
dangerous
________________________________________
FOLLOW EXCLUSIVELY THE INSTRUCTIONS IT IS DANGEROUS TO GO NEAR CRATERS
INDICATED BY CIVIL PROTECTION AUTHO- EVEN WHEN THE VOLCANO IS NOT ACTIVE
RITIES > During critical situations unfoun- > Sudden explosive phenomenon and/or ga-
ded news may easily be given, thus hinde- seous emissions are always possible
ring the rescue intervention
________________________________________
in case of lava flow
DO NOT APPROACH AN ACTIVE LAVA FLOW EVEN AFTER THE ERUPTION HAS ENDED
EVEN IF IT IS FLOWING DOWN REGULARLY DO NOT WALK ON THE SURFACE OF A LAVA
> They are very hot, release gases, and can FLOW > The flows retain their heat for ye-
cause falling incandescent rocks and sud- ars
den explosions
________________________________________
in case of falling “volcanic bombs”
INQUIRE WHETHER THE AREA WHERE YOU EXAMINE THE EMERGENCY PLAN OF YOUR
ARE IS SUBJECT TO FALLS OF COARSE MA- MUNICIPALITY AND GET READY FOR A POS-
TERIAL > It is a highly destructive pheno- SIBLE EVACUATION > The preventive depar-
menon for buildings which cannot there- ture from the affected area is the only pos-
fore constitute a shelter sible defence
in case of falling volcanic ashes

STAY HOME WITH CLOSED WINDOWS AND OUTDOORS WEAR A RESPIRATOR AND PRO-
CHECK THE DEPOSIT ON YOUR HOUSERO- TECTIVE GLASSES AND DRIVE CAREFULLY
OF > Volcanic ash is heavy and its build- > Ashes provoke trouble to the respiratory sy-
up could cause the roof to crack or cave in stem and to the eyes, and causes the road
surfaces to become slippery
________________________________________
in case of gaseous emissions
AVOID STOPPING OR CAMPING IN VOLCA- DO NOT THINK THAT YOU ARE SAFE IF YOU
NIC AREAS AND DO NOT ENTER UNDER- STOP FAR FROM THE CRATER > Gaseous
GROUNG PLACES > Carbon dioxide is an emissions can reach even distant areas
odourless gas heavier than air and is le-
thal in high concentration
________________________________________
in case of pyroclastic flows in case of mudflows
GET READY FOR A POSSIBLE EVACUA- FOLLOW THE CIVIL PROTECTION PLAN
TION > The only defence from this type of WHICH PINPOINTS THE WAITING AREAS
flow is the preventive departure from the AND MOVE AWAY FROM THE AREAS AT RISK
area at risk > Fine ashes can trigger dangerous mud-
flows that pour along watercourses
landslides
The process of a landslide can be explained as follows: the material making up a slope, an escarp-
ment or a rock face is attracted downwards by the force of gravity and stays in that position until
factors such as the nature of the ground or rock, the shape or profile of the slope, and the amount
of water present keep it balanced. Just think of a sandcastle: if you do not add a little water to unite
the grains it will never hold up, but if you add too much it collapses! The same happens along
slopes: they need the right amount of water not to slide down. There are numerous and often com-
bined causes that bring about the destabilization process of a versant. In addition to the amount of
water or snow fallen, deforestation and fires also cause landslides: in point of fact, on wooded
slopes the tree roots consolidate the ground and absorb excess water. The actions of Man on the
terrain have provoked landslides in the past and could provoke them again in the future. For instance,
the action of digging at the foot of a slope or halfway up a hillside to build roads or constructions
may cause the ground to subside. Italy’s Alpine and Apennine terrains, as well as coastal ones,
are generally exposed to landslide risk due to the nature of rocks and inclination, which can give
the slope a certain instability called relief energy. Furthermore, the climatic characteristics, the year-
ly distribution of precipitations, as well as the deep territorial transformation brought about by
human activities that are often lacking common sense and respect for the environment (building
roads, ski slopes, new settlements, etc.) all contribute to the increasing vulnerability of the terrain.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A LANDSLIDE

If you are indoors If you are outdoors
DO NOT RUSH OUTSIDE, STAY WHERE YOU MOVE AWAY FROM BUILDINGS, TREES,
ARE > By staying inside the building you are STREETLIGHTS, ELECTRIC CABLES AND
more protected than outside TELEPHONE LINES > They could fall down
and hurt you
________________________________________
TAKE SHELTER UNDER A TABLE, BELOW DO NOT WALK OR DRIVE ALONG A ROAD
THE ARCHITRAVE OR NEAR THE BEARING WHERE A LANDSLIDE HAS RECENTLY
WALLS > They protect you from possible SLIPPED > It is unstable material that
cave-ins could start moving again
________________________________________
STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS, DOORS WITH DO NOT VENTURE OUT ON THE LANDSLI-
GLASS AND CUPBOARDS > They could DE BODY > The material of a landslide,
fall and hurt you even if stable in appearance, can hide dan-
gerous underlying holes
________________________________________
DO NOT USE LIFTS > They could get stuck DO NOT ENTER HOUSES INVOLVED IN THE
and prevent you from exiting LANDSLIDE BEFORE A THOROUGH AS-
SESSMENT BY EXPERTS > They could ha-
ve sustained structural damage and be un-
safe

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VADEMECUM_INGL_ok.

qxd 17-11-2007 22:47 Pagina 1

Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri

The Civil Protection

Civil Protection and Family Units

1 knowing the risks

2 knowing how to get information p. 46

3 getting your family organized p. 49

4 knowing how to ask for help p. 52

5 emergency and disability p. 54

What does seismic hazard depend on?

How do we protect ourselves from earthquakes?

Major Italian earthquakes in the 20th century

before the earthquake during the earthquake

after the earthquake

in case of falling volcanic ashes

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A LANDSLIDE

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