Project concept: Joining expertise in civil protection and care

Experts from six Samaritan organisations came together in Frankfurt on 6/7 March to work out a concept for a new international project.

Civil protection and social or care services are two main pillars of the SAM.I. members, with some organisations having a stronger focus on one or the other. After discussing future cooperation in civil protection at an event earlier this year in Brussels, the Samaritans developed the initial idea. Building upon previous international projects such as SAMETS, which brought expertise in psychosocial care to the emergency temporary shelters operated by civil protection forces, the group brought the idea one step further:

Not only should more expertise in care be shared with civil protection workers, but experts and professionals in care should also have a basic grasp of civil protection concepts and operating methods. This way, both groups can cooperate a lot better in case of large-scale emergencies. This improvement in preparedness will directly benefit the particularly vulnerable groups of people usually utilising care services.

Together with the disaster research unit of the Free University of Berlin, SAM.I. members ASB, ASBÖ, FSR, IDC, USB, and WK are currently working on finalising their project proposal, which will be handed in to the European Commission’s DG ECHO. The deadline is in early May.