Health-related civil protection plays a key role in managing the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The Public Health Service is supported in this situation by institutions and organisations of civil defence and disaster control (fire brigades, Federal Agency for Technical Relief, rescue services, relief organisations). The aim of the research project (duration 12 months) is the analysis of the capacities and potentials of civil protection and disaster control organisations in the context of health-related civil protection in the event of a pandemic, using the example of SARS-CoV-2.

Since the pandemic situation is still very dynamic, a flexible heuristic is used to form situation-adapted priorities in the course of the research project. The project consists of five work packages (WP). In WP1, a desktop study will be conducted to review the current state of research regarding the legal, administrative and socio-historical foundations of health-related civil protection in pandemic situations. WP2 empirically analyses the manifold support measures of civil protection and disaster response organisations in the fields of medicine/care, social support, transport/logistics, CBRN protection and command structures. In WP3, the organisations themselves are regarded as critical infrastructures whose primarily volunteer-generated operational capability is of particular importance due to the risk of infection and the scale of the situation in the current outbreak. WP4 serves the international comparison of cases (e.g. Italy/Austria) as well as the exchange on the scientific level. Finally, WP5 will develop recommendations for the Public Health Service as well as civil protection and disaster control organisations.

See also: https://www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/de/bepal-gesundheitlicher-bevolkerungsschutz-durch-den-zivil-und-katastrophenschutz-in-11719.php

Publications

Dittmer, Cordula; Lorenz, Daniel F. (2022): Gesundheitlicher Bevölkerungsschutz: Der Zivil- und Katastrophenschutz an der Schnittstelle zum Öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienst in der Bewältigung der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie. Working Paper Nr. 23. Berlin: Katastrophenforschungsstelle. Available online at: https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/bitstream/handle/fub188/33664/Working_Paper_BePal_final_final.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y.

Dittmer, Cordula; Lorenz, Daniel F. (2020): Der Zivil- und Katastrophenschutz in der Pandemiebewältigung In: Notfallvorsorge 3/2020, pp. 19-27. 

Lorenz, Daniel F.; Dittmer, Cordula (2020): (Disaster) Utopian Moments in the Pandemic: A European Perspective, items. Insights form the Social Sciences. Social Science Research Council. Available online at: https://items.ssrc.org/covid-19-and-the-social-sciences/disaster-studies/disaster-utopian-moments-in-the-pandemic-a-european-perspective/.

Workshops

Dittmer, Cordula; Lorenz, Daniel F. (2021): „Gesundheitlicher Bevölkerungsschutz zwischen Katastrophenschutz und öffentlichem Gesundheitsdienst – Lessons Learned?“, Final BePal Workshop, 26.05.2021.

Dittmer, Cordula; Lorenz, Daniel F. (2020): „Der Bevölkerungsschutz in der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie“, Fachtagung Katastrophenvorsorge, Berlin, 19.-20.10.2020. Watch the event recording online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ZmgOMaLMM.