National ABC deployment concept - 1. -

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1. The special forces in the national ABC deployment concept

by Gerhard Piper

In the Federal Republic there are around 1.600 accident operations (ailing nuclear power plants, bio-tech companies and chemical plants). In addition, around 340 million tons of dangerous goods are transported annually by road, rail or air. There are also nuclear thefts, such as the series of thefts of americium-241 since December 2008 in Denmark and Germany. (1) Another risk factor is the growing danger of mega-terrorist attacks. After the anthrax attacks in the USA in September / October 2001 (5 dead, 22 injured, 120.000 false alarms) there were around 5.000 "copycat acts" by free riders in the FRG Germany will be increasingly threatened in the next 5 to 10 years. "We also know that Germany is in our sights," declared Chancellor Angela Merkel on September 8, 2009 in her government statement on the massacre caused by the German-American attack on two tanker trucks. (2) In order not to let the costs of defending against mega-terrorists slip into astronomical heights, the national NBC protection concept is largely based on so-called "special forces", whose personnel capacities and technical resources are limited.

1. Civil protection and NBC protection

According to the federal legal system of the Federal Republic of Germany, the federal states are responsible for disaster control (Article 30 of the Basic Law) and the federal government or the federal government are exclusively responsible for civil protection (Article 73, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law). In practice, this strict legal separation was partially abolished, as the civil protection forces were recruited from the staff and the organizations (fire brigade and aid organizations) that also provided the emergency services in the event of disasters. It was therefore in the self-interest of the federal government to support the emergency services for disaster control (KatS) of the federal states with funds and material in order to indirectly promote civil protection. For decades, the federal government left its "federal equipment" to the voluntary fire brigades and aid organizations under private law (Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft, German Red Cross, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, Malteser-Hilfsdienst, etc.) for free Use in the event of catastrophes and accidents (Art. 35 GG): The federal government provided 8.103 fire engines, medical troop cars, four-wheel carriers, care combos, field kitchens, etc. On the other hand, the federal government would have been able to fall back on the state capacities in the - never-declared - civil protection case so far a legal basis for the mutual "double benefit".

Although the federal government will continue to support the disaster control of the federal states in the areas of fire protection, NBC protection, medical services and support, the federal government will no longer equip the KatS units of the federal states with new vehicles across the board according to the "watering can principle", but only focus on equipping so-called task forces. The corresponding "Federal Concept for Equipping Supplementary Disaster Protection" was unanimously adopted by the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) on July 27, 2009 and provides for federal spending of 57 million euros annually over a period of ten Years ago. The federal government is planning to purchase - according to various sources - 5.036 to 5.120 new cars at a price of around 500 million euros, which will be different from the old vehicles due to their innovative design (fire fighting vehicles, equipment trolleys, water supply logistics, equipment trolley care, care station wagons, medical service equipment trolleys ) differentiate. They are intended for the analytical task forces, the medical task forces and the so-called supplementary equipment in the ABC area.

At the same time, the federal government is for the first time assuming its own control competencies in disaster control. Officially, this is presented in such a way that the federal government - in agreement with the federal states - wants to take into account "the need for coordination with regard to special damage situations" This meanwhile has its own operations center, the Common Reporting and Situation Center (GMLZ), which in turn is based on an extensive database system for emergencies and emergencies, the so-called German Emergency Preparedness and Information System (deNIS II^(more)), can fall back.

For the reform, the old Civil Protection Act (ZSG) of 1997 had to be revised by the Civil Protection Amendment Act (ZSGÄndG) of April 2, 2009. (3). The new Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Act (ZSKG) came into force on April 9, 2009. The longstanding practice that the federal states use civil protection components provided by the federal government for their disaster control operations was thus given a legal basis for the first time.

So it says in the ZSKG:

"Section 16 Coordination Measures; Resource management

(1) The facilities and provisions of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, in particular in the field of situation assessment and assessment as well as evidence and brokerage of bottleneck resources, can also be used to support a Land in the context of administrative assistance under Article 35 (1) of the Basic Law.

(2) The support referred to in paragraph 1 also includes the coordination of aid measures by the Federal Government if the Land or Lands concerned so request. The federal government shall determine which measures will be coordinated by the federal government in agreement with the Land or Lands concerned.

(3) The responsibility of the federal states for operational crisis management remains unaffected.

(4) The Confederation maintains coordination instruments. The call for federal crisis management structures to carry out its own tasks remains unaffected.

§ 17 data collection and use

(1) Insofar as it is necessary to fulfill its tasks according to Section 16, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance may collect and use information, including personal data, about potential assistance and about objects and infrastructural facilities that are relevant for civil protection and disaster control . This includes, in particular, information about

1. Personnel, material and infrastructural potential for general hazard prevention,

2. Establishments, facilities and systems from which additional dangers may arise in the event of a damage situation (risk potential),

3. Infrastructures, the failure of which would seriously impair the supply of the population (critical infrastructures), and

4. Objects which, due to their symbolic power or dimensions, are possible targets for attacks (endangered objects). (...)

Section 31 Restriction of Fundamental Rights

The basic rights of physical integrity (Article 2, Paragraph 2, Clause 1 of the Basic Law), freedom of the person (Article 2, Paragraph 2, Clause 2 of the Basic Law), freedom of movement (Article 11, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law) and the inviolability of the home ( Article 13 of the Basic Law) are restricted in accordance with this law. "(4)

At its meeting on March 25, 2002 in Hanover, Working Group V of the Conference of Interior Ministers decided on a graduated concept of four levels of protection and care as part of the so-called "New Strategy for the Protection of the Population in Germany", which was implemented on June 5, 2002 by the IMK was officially adopted.

- Protection and supply level I:
standardized, everyday protection,

- Protection and supply level II:
standardized, comprehensive basic protection,

- Protection and supply level III:
increased protection for endangered regions and facilities,

- Protection and care level IV:
Special protection with the help of special forces (task forces) for special dangers defined jointly by the federal and state governments. (5)

Analogous to the general protection concept with its four supply levels, a four-level CBRN concept (CBRN = Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) was also developed specifically for NBC hazards:

- Protection and supply level I:
Basic supply with CBRN components

The standardized everyday protection of the population is to be managed with the local means of averting danger. To a limited extent, the units of the municipal professional and voluntary fire brigades can also use their equipment, which they use for normal fire fighting, for NBC defense: gas detection tubes and breathing apparatus. In addition, the fire brigade units are equipped to varying degrees with equipment trolleys measuring technology (GW Mess).

- Protection and care level II:
Comprehensive and standardized CBRN exploration and decontamination

From supply level II, in addition to the municipal equipment, the "supplementary equipment of the federal government in NBC protection" is used: The original plan in the nineties provided that each of the (currently) 301 German rural districts and 107 independent cities with three NBCs each -Erkundungskraftwagen (ABC-ErkKW). For cost reasons, the number was finally reduced to a total of 450 explorers, so mostly one per district or city. The first explorers were introduced in 2001, meanwhile 371 vehicles of the Fiat Ducato 230 L type have been built They are used by the fire brigades and aid organizations (DRK and DLRG). The explorers are equipped with a Geiger counter Thermo FG 40 G-10, a photoionization detector (Auer ITOX) and an ion mobility spectrometer (Bruker RAID-1). However, with Only a limited number of chemicals can be clearly identified to the explorer. Since July 2009, the existing Fahr witness modernized. The "upgraded" version will receive a new computer with more user-friendly software and - probably from December 2009 - a backpack for taking organic samples. Externally, the only difference between the new and the old version is that there are four silver-colored suction ports in front of the right-hand side door .

The original plan envisaged that up to five explorers would be guided from a mobile command post during a mission. However, the procurement of this so-called measurement control component (MLK) has been delayed by years. A prototype (BN-8026) was developed by the Institute for Automation Technology at the University of Bremen and tested by the Bremen Fire Department. The official tender for the project is expected to go out to industry this year. 104 MLK are to be procured in the coming years.

Parallel to the procurement of the explorers, the districts should be equipped with 450 new trucks for personal decontamination of the type MAN 10.163 LAEC. In the meantime 374 of these so-called Dekon-P have been procured for the fire brigades and aid organizations. With their pneumatic shower tents, up to 50 people can be decontaminated per hour. In addition, between 2001 and 2006, the federal government procured over 53.000 NBC protective suits (overgarment and liquid-tight overalls) for fire brigades and aid organizations. The paramedics received minimal NBC protection training.

- Protection and supply level III:
further ABC vehicles at danger spots

While the above-mentioned explorers and Dekon-P vehicles are used nationwide throughout Germany, another 50 or 51 ABC explorers and 61 Dekon-P 2+ (for the Medical Task Forces) are being procured for focus of danger. The federal capital Berlin, the city states (Hamburg and Bremen) and the locations of the nuclear and chemical industries are considered risk areas. These were given preferential delivery, that is, while some of the districts are still waiting for "their" explorers, the main danger areas have already been fully equipped be modernized sporadically.

According to a resolution of the Conference of Ministers of the Interior (IMK) on July 27, 2007, the following distribution of 950 ABC explorers and decon P vehicles is sought: Baden-Württemberg (93 units), Bavaria (102), Berlin (20), Brandenburg (36 ), Bremen (7), Hamburg (12), Hesse (52), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (36), Lower Saxony (98), North Rhine-Westphalia (138), Rhineland-Palatinate (72), Saarland (12), Saxony ( 58), Saxony-Anhalt (48), Schleswig-Holstein (30) and Thuringia (46 copies). (6) In addition, due to its population density and the degree of its industrialization, North Rhine-Westphalia is setting up a state-owned "Measuring Train NRW" with five additional ABC explorers and a decontamination area ("Injured Decontamination Area 50 NRW") with a decon roll-off container. (7)

- Protection and care level IV:
Special forces

The federal and state governments are jointly responsible for providing special protection with the help of special forces (task forces). The emergency services on site are to be supported by the nearest, specially equipped and trained Analytical Task Forces (ATF). These are distributed over seven bases in Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Heyrothsberge, Munich, Mannheim, Cologne and Dortmund) and are to be used within a radius of 200 kilometers each.

In theory, the first forces from the fire brigade and rescue service should arrive at the scene around 8 minutes after an accident with dangerous goods - still without NBC protection. The first reconnaissance results of the ABC explorers of the local fire brigade should be available after 30 minutes and after around 50 minutes the decon-P should begin with the decontamination of the first victims. After around 2 to 3 hours, the nearest ATF with its special technology should be on hand for reinforcement in order to identify the hazardous substance more precisely so that suitable countermeasures can be initiated. In addition, the rescue workers on site are to be reinforced by one or more of the 61 Medical Task Forces (MTF), which have special capacities for the decontamination of injuries. ATFs and MTFs form what is known as the "core component" of the CBRN equipment concept. They are officially referred to as "special forces", but this categorization must be viewed with caution: While the ATFs consist of specialized professional fire fighters, the MTFs are made up of volunteer paramedics Additional training together. In addition to the ATFs and MTFs, there are a few special units that are used in special ABC situations.

In addition to the expansion of the NBC units, the authorities have also taken on the planning of operations: there is a separate fire brigade plan or disaster control plan (K plan) for each incident operation. In the case of supraregional epidemics, the National Pandemic Plan or the Smallpox Alert Plan come into force. There is at least one confidential federal and state framework plan to combat bio-terrorism. If necessary, you can fall back on the security laws and regulations.

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Sources:

(1) NN: Radiant Prey, Die Zeit, August 27, 2009,
Online: http://www.zeit.de/2009/36/Schmutzige-Bombe

(2) Merkel, Angela: Government Declaration, in: German Bundestag, Stenographic Report, Plenary Protocol 16/232, Berlin, September 8, 2009, p. 300,
Online: http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btp/16/16233.pdf

(3) German Bundestag: draft law of the federal government - draft of a law amending the civil protection law, printed matter 16/11338, Berlin, 10 December 2008,
Online: http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/16/113/1611338.pdf

(4) Law on civil protection and federal disaster aid, Berlin, 2009,

(5) Federal Office of Administration - Academy for Crisis Management, Emergency Planning and Civil Protection (ed.): New strategy to protect the population in Germany, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, 2003,

(6) German Bundestag: Answer of the Federal Government to a small question from the MPs Hartfrid Wolff (Rems-Murr), Jens Ackermann, Dr. Karl Addicks, another member of parliament and the parliamentary group of the FDP, printed matter 16/6867, Berlin, October 29, 2007,

(7) Ministry of the Interior of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia: NBC protection concept NRW - "Measurement train NRW"
Online: http://www.idf.nrw.de/service/downloads/pdf/2009_07_17_abc_schutzkonzept_messzug_nrw.pdf

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