Emergency Management in Scandinavia:Lessons Learned at Home and Abroad

FEMA Higher Education ConferenceJune 2, 2009

Joanne Stone Wyman PhD, Director

Humanitarian & Disaster Relief Logistics Application Division

SOLE – The International Society of Logistics | Hyattsville, Maryland

joanne.wyman@gmail.com

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Topics

Introduction to Scandinavia Top Take-Home Messages Denmark Norway Sweden Conclusion

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Introduction to Scandinavia

No standard definition Most common usage =

Denmark + Norway +Sweden

Large geographic area of Northern Europe, extending from the Barents Sea and Arctic Ocean to the Baltic Sea

Distinct paths despite some shared history and culture, plus hazards/risks in common

Source: Kort & Matrikelstyrelsen, Denmark. From www.norden.org

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Top Take-Home Messages Describing another country’s policies and institutions

using our concepts and lexicon is a challenge Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are not as alike as some

might think. Despite similarities, each country has its own unique mix of hazards, vulnerabilities, and EM framework

Post WWII, all three considered themselves generally more secure and safe than most other countries. “EM” tended to be a combination of Civil Defense and Rescue Preparedness, with a local emphasis

But crises at home, abroad, and even globally were “wake up” calls, serving as catalysts for new perceptions of risks and vulnerabilities and self-examination of the adequacy of existing policies, programs, and institutions

Today, similarities (embracing risk assessment) and differences (varying levels of integration at the national level)

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“Mainland” (Jutland) borders Germany, North Sea, Danish Straits, and Baltic Sea

Smallest country 400+ islands, ±78 inhabited Coastline = 4,545 miles Low-lying; forests, bogs,

meadows, heath, dunes, lakes; no large rivers

Mild winters (average low of ~320F) and cool summers (average high of ~600F); rainy and windy

Source: European Union http://europa.eu/abc/maps/members/denmark_en.htm

*Faroe Islands and Greenland not included.

Denmark: Overview*

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Denmark: Overview (Cont’d) Second highest population (5.5 million),

most densely populated, highly urbanized

Economy combines services, manufacturing, design, oil & gas exports; the economic system is a blend of free market and social welfare

Government blends constitutional monarchy + parliamentary democracy

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Denmark:Hazards, Vulnerabilities, Risks

3 broad categories of hazard/risk: Natural – landslides and winter storms

with high winds and flooding Manmade – accidents (transportation,

industrial, other); infrastructure failures Security/Crime – terrorism,

international organized crimeNot all hazards are domestic. Events abroad – South Asia tsunami and Lebanon crisis, for example, have

affected Danes living, working, or traveling abroad and stressed Denmark’s emergency preparedness

capabilities and capacity.

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Denmark:Hazards, Vulnerabilities, Risks

First National Vulnerability Assessment in 2004 discussed trends altering Denmark’s threat and risk climate:

Globalization (capital, ideas, information, labor) Technological innovation (specialization, cross-sector dependency) End of Cold War, expansion of EU and NATO Militant, non-state, networks

Annual National Vulnerability Reports highlight lessons learned from recent crises and trends creating new threats or new effects from old ones.* Key concerns are:

Terrorism – at home or abroad Extreme weather – more frequent and intense – due to climate change Infrastructure – failures spread rapidly across sectors and country

borders Human, animal, and plant disease and illness outbreaks/possible

pandemic

*Anticipation of continuing vulnerabilities from incidents that affect Danes or Danish interests abroad.

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Denmark: Disaster History North Sea Car Ferry Fire (1990) Winter Storm Anatol (1999) Roskilde Music Festival (2000) Oil Tanker Accident (2001) Power Outage, from Sweden (2003) Fireworks Accident (2004) Winter Storm (2005) Bird Flu (2006) Protests in Copenhagen (2006 – 2007)Tsunami (2004) & Lebanon Crisis (2006) had big impact.

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Denmark: Policies & Institutions

Pre-1992 – focus on conventional “civil defense” and “civil protection” for war

1992 – New Danish Preparedness Act “Rescue preparedness”: prevent, reduce, and remedy

harm to people, property, and the environment from accidents or other disasters

Merged two agencies into a single Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) within Ministry of Interior and Health (later moved to Defense)

2002 to 2007 – crucial policy and practice changes

Annual National Vulnerability Assessments Formal government policy on emergency management Participation in international initiatives

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Denmark: Policies & Institutions

Key Principles Sector Responsibility – authority, company or institution

responsible for a particular area or function during “normal” times is responsible during a major accident or other disaster

Local Responsibility – preparedness one community at a time; response at lowest level of government first

Three Tiers With DEMA Oversight, Coordination, Assistance

Level 1 – Local response with fire and rescue brigades; capacity based on municipal risk assessment

Level 2 – 14 Centers (9 Support Centers run by selected municipalities plus 5 DEMA Rescue Centers) augment local resources

Level 3 – DEMA’s Rescue Centers activated for comprehensive, complex accidents of disasters

Special Attention to Aid Danes in Major Crises Abroad

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Norway: Overview Europe’s most northern country “Mainland”, plus Svalbard archipelago

and Jan Mayen, a volcanic island in Arctic Ocean); 50,000 offshore islands

Borders Sweden, Finland, Russia, Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Danish Straits

Second largest (>149,000 square miles), least populous (4.8 million)

Long, rugged coast ~13,167 miles without islands

Spans 13 degrees of latitude, with 1/3 above Arctic Circle

Source:https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

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Norway: Overview (Cont’d)

Terrain varies widely across four regions, with valleys, forests, deep fjords, mountains

Climate varies too, dramatically: dramatic from -620F to 860F, mild winters in some regions, “Midnight Sun”

Economy dominated by oil & gas since early 1970s; combination of capitalism and social welfare

Government blends constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy

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Norway:Hazards, Vulnerabilities, Risks

Natural hazards – significant, potentially catastrophic slides (rock, mud, snow); occasional earthquakes; winter storms; flooding; heat, draught, forest fires

Manmade – accidents (transportation, industrial, other), tunnel safety, offshore oil and gas hazards

Security/Crime – some concern with terrorism and crime

External incidents such as South Asia tsunami are of concern.

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Norway:Hazards, Vulnerabilities, Risks

White Paper (1998) valued risk and vulnerability assessment

Vulnerability Commission (1999) examined society-wide and sector-specific risks and institutional capability to address them

Annual National Vulnerability Assessment (since 2005) highlighting significant risks:

Climate change – extreme weather, sea level rise, changes in vegetation, infrastructure disruption, more rockfalls/tsunamis

Infrastructure vulnerability, e.g., fire at Oslo Central Station

Accidents – train crashes, shipwrecks, tank explosions

Other – CBRN, transport of dangerous goods, petroleum industry

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Norway – Disaster History

Train Crash Lillestrøm (2000)

Nordland County Storm (2002)

M/V Rocknes Sinking (2004)

Dynamite Theft (2004)

Winter Storm Narve (2006)

Vest Tank Explosion (2007)

Oslo “S” Fire (2007)

Forest Fire (2008)

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Norway: Policies & Institutions

EM historically fragmented among many public, private, and voluntary entities

1993 – Ministry of Justice assumes a coordinating role, but fragmentation persists

2000 – Report of Vulnerability Commission recommends new Ministry to integrate public roles and authorities for safety and rescue

2003 – Partial integration with establishment of Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (DSB), reporting to Ministry of Justice and the Police

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Norway: Policies & Institutions

DSB identifies/communicates hazards; promotes and oversees emergency planning; and implements laws on preventing fire, explosion and accidents from dangerous substances; rescue operations; various products; and civilian defense

Key Principles “Liability” – an institution responsible for a function

during “normal” times retains responsibility during a crisis

“Decentralization” – crisis management should occur at the lowest possible level of government

“Conformity” – society able to function normally during a crisis

Underlying these is an expectation that each citizen has personal responsibility for his/her own safety

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Sweden: Overview Spans 14 degrees of

latitude; land borders with Norway and Finland; Gulf of Bothnia, Baltic Sea, Danish Straits

Largest (174,000 square miles), most populous (9.3 million), ~15% above Arctic Circle, 220,000 islands

Coastline ~ 7,163 miles

Source: European Union http://europa.eu/abc/maps/members/sweden_en.htm

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Sweden: Overview (Cont’d)

Terrain varies across three unofficial regions; key features include mountains, wilderness, large rivers, lakes, forests, flat coasts, sandy beaches

Climate is milder than many areas at similar latitudes, with significant variations regionally

Economy evolved from agrarian to industrial during 20th century, based on abundant natural resources (including water for hydroelectric power), design, and inventions. Blends free market and social welfare.

Government combines constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy.

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Sweden:Hazards, Vulnerabilities, Risks

Natural Hazards - several types of slides; chronic flooding in areas; two major winter storms in three years.

Manmade - bridge collapses, train crashes, passenger ferry accidents, electric power grid disruptions

Security/Crime - terrorism

South Asia Tsunami proved to be a physical and political catastrophe for Sweden.

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Sweden: Hazards, Vulnerabilities, Risks

Commission on Vulnerability and Security in a New Era (1999) discussed changing threats due to Cold War’s end, globalization, complex infrastructure, and climate change

National society-wide threat and risk analyses since 2005

Sector-specific analyses (e.g., Climate Change)

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Sweden - Disasters Landslide Tuve (1977) Assassination of Prime

Minister (1986) Ferry Estonia Sinking

(1994) Mount Fulufjället

Flooding (1997) Nightclub Fire (1998) Fatal Attack on

Foreign Minister (2003)

South Asian Tsunami (2004)

Hurricane Gudrun (2005)

Forest Fire Boden (2006)

E6 Landslide (2006) Winter Storm Per

(2007)

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Sweden: Policies & Institutions

Pre – 1999 – Swedish Agency for Civil Emergency Planning established in 1986, sharing responsibility with dozens of other national, regional, and local authorities

1999 – Commission on Vulnerability and Security in a New Era

2002 – Swedish Emergency Management Agency replaces Swedish Agency for Civil Emergency Planning; served as a support and coordinating agency, not an operations one

2003 – New Civil Protection Act (effective 2004), requiring municipalities to conduct annual risk assessments and send results to SEMA; but EM still fragmented

2004 – 2005 – Tsunami plus major winter storm (Gudrun) two weeks later, shocked public and rocked Sweden’s political establishment

2006 – 2007 – New commission recommends organizational and other changes which result in creation of MSB

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Sweden:Policies & Institutions

Key Principles Principle of responsibility – whoever is

responsible for an activity in normal times retains responsibility during a crisis

Principle of parity – calls for organization of authorities during a crisis to be as similar as possible to peace time structure

Principle of proximity – states that crises should be dealt with at the lowest possible level, preferably by local government

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Sweden:Policies & Institutions

New Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) Consolidates former Swedish Emergency

Management Agency, Swedish Rescue Services Agency, and Swedish National Board of Psychological Defense

Addresses entire spectrum of risks to civilian society

Executes full range of policymaking and action

Other initiatives Crisis Management Center in Government

Offices Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Consular Services

strengthening of emergency preparedness

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Conclusion

Today, varying levels of “centralization” at national level

Drivers for EM change trends (e.g., end of Cold War, Y2K and new technology, climate change) plus specific internal and external incidents, multilateral initiatives

Reliance on risk and vulnerability analysis to keep up with trends and set priorities