The institution of the Department of Civil Protection

Law n. 996 of 1970 provided that in case of serious emergency the President of the Council of Ministers could appoint a Commissioner. Law n. 938 of 1982 formalized the figure of the Minister for the Coordination of Civil Protection.

The purpose of this law is to provide for a sort of "permanent commissioner", responsible for intervening in case of emergency. This prevented the need to identify each time a different subject with the task of building the "organisational machine".

The Minister for the Coordination of Civil Protection relies on the Department of Civil Protection, established in 1982, within the Presidency of the Council of Ministers by Service Order of 29 April. Instead of setting up a special ministry, with a bureaucratic structure of equal rank with respect to other ministries, it was decided to create a streamlined, supra-ministerial body, able to coordinate all the forces available to the country.

The Department of Civil Protection collects information and data regarding the forecasting and prevention of emergencies, prepares the implementation of national and territorial plans of civil protection, organizes the coordination and direction of rescue services, promotes volunteer initiatives, and coordinates emergency planning for the purposes of civil defense.Civil protection now operates along four main lines: forecasting, prevention, relief, return to normal conditions.

Foto: Il primo Comitato Operativo, presieduto da Elveno Pastorelli, si riunisce il 7 maggio 1985 nella sede del Dipartimento della Protezione Civile in via Ulpiano a Roma