Performance Potentials of Civil Protection Contact

In response to new threats such as 11 September 2001 and the

BBK, Department I, Crisis Management
flood catastrophe of 2002, the Federal Office of Civil Protection
and Disaster Assistance (BBK) was established on 1 May, 2004. Section I.2 German Joint Information and
Situation Centre (GMLZ)
With this Office, the Federal Republic of Germany has a central
organisation element for civil safety. You can reach the GMLZ 24/24, either during
service hours or on call duty.
The interdisciplinary approach of this office includes all services of
civil safety prevention and links them up to an efficient protection In the event of an emergency, the GMLZ is daily
system for the population and its basic survival needs. staffed for up to 24 hours for the entire duration
of the incident.
Therefore the BBK is not only a technical authority of the Federal
Ministry of the Interior (BMI) but also gives competent advice and
support to the other Federal and Land authorities to help them
with the completion of their tasks.
Hence there is now one central authority
• To fulfil the tasks of the Federal government with regard to civil
protection and the co-ordination of international co-operation
• To prepare national and area risk analyses, hazard cadastres
and emergency planning as well as to co-ordinate civil-military-
police co-operation
• To provide conceptual planning and interdisciplinary co-ordina-
tion of the protection of critical infrastructures
• To ensure national information, communication and resource
management in case of damage
• To co-ordinate technical-scientific research relating to civil
protection as well as to the protection of the population against
weapons of mass destruction
• To ensure threat-adequate civil protection training of executives
at high and highest administrative levels
For more information please contact:
• To provide national co-ordination of the European integration
Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz
process in the field of civil safety prevention
und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK)
• To provide disaster medicine Provinzialstrasse 93
• To procure equipment for civil protection. 53127 Bonn
Postfach 1867
53008 Bonn
Telephone: +49(0)228-99550-0
German Joint Information
Homepage: www.bbk.bund.de and Situation Centre
Email: poststelle@bbk.bund.de
(GMLZ)

© BBK 2009

Performance Potentials of Civil Protection

Starting Point New Strategy Missions
Due to the devastating terrorist Against this background, the standing conference of the Ministers The main missions of the GMLZ are the following:
attacks of 11 September 2001, of the Interior and senators of the Länder (IMK) agreed with their • Operation of a
a new way of thinking in civil resolution of 6 June 2002 on the concept of a new strategy for the reporting centre
defence and disaster relief was protection of the population. which, in the event
triggered. An essential component of this strategy is the creation of a joint of large-scale
Both the Federal government coordinating office of the Federal government and the Länder, hazard scenarios
and the Länder have declared the German Joint Information and Situation Centre (GMLZ), as and events of
their intention to develop an inte- well as the launch of the German Emergency Planning Information national importance,
grated assistance system in the System (deNIS) which can be accessed on the Internet via is available any time
context of a www.denis.bund.de. • Generation of a
new strategy regularly updated
of civil protec- awareness of the
tion in Germa- Damage caused by the hurricane “Kyrill”
global situation of civil security for the inter ministerial co-ordina-
ny which, with tion group, the situation centres of the Länder ministries of the
the participa- Interior as well as for various Federal departments and other
tion of all esta- users
blishments
and organiza- • Preparation of qualified and validated hazard and damage
tions, ensures predictions in co-operation with other authorities, organisations
efficient crisis and institutions
management. This intention • Placement of shortage resources for hazard prevention to
applies in particular to large- national and international users
scale damage scenarios or • Support of co-operation in disaster control missions in the
events of national importance. context of the Mechanism of the European Union.
The Elbe flood of August 2002
confirmed the necessity of
such an approach. The GMLZ uses
To this end, a closer co-opera- both the German
tion of the Länder with the Emergency Planning
Federal government is neces- Information System
sary, including German Joint Information and Situation (deNIS) as well as a
the municipali- Centre (GMLZ) continually growing
ties and network of interior
organisations Since 1 October 2002, the department “Crisis Management” of and exterior experts
which work in the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance in from various civil pro-
the field of di- Bonn has operated the German Joint Information and Situation tection institutions
saster control Centre of the Federal government and the Länder (GMLZ). One and authorities.
and rescue. representative each of the relief organisations and the Länder Thanks to its advanced technical equipment (at the end of 2006
regularly contribute by adhering to the spirit of the German Joint modernised and expanded), with, e.g., a multi-media screen
Information and Situation Centre. consisting of twelve 50’’ cubes for the presentation of the
The Centre ensures Länder and organisation wide information and situation, four 42’’ plasma screens for TV surveillance, state of
resource management for the Federal government, the Länder the art digital record and documentation technology, a video
and organisations in the event of large-scale damage scenarios or conference system with four motorised system cameras, the
other incidents of national importance. GMLZ is one of the most modern situation centres in Germany.
By order of the Ministry of the Interior, the GMLZ is also involved
in international requests for help, i.e. above all in the framework
of the Mechanism of the European Union for the promotion of an
intensified co-operation in international disaster control missions
with German participation.