2. ENVIRONMENTAL ChEMISTRy & TEChNOLOGy 2.1. Lectures

Chem. Listy, 102, s265–s1311 (2008) Environmental Chemistry & Technology
P47 CIVIL PROTECTION IN ThE CZECh
REPubLIC AND ITS PERSPECTIVES
OTAKAR J. MIKA and LEnKA FIŠEROVá
Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova
118, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic,
mika@fch.vutbr.cz
Introduction
From the legal, institutional and structural points of
view the history of the conception of civil protection in the
Czech Republic was relatively complicated during 90-ties.
The above development accompanied fundamental socialpolitical
changes in the country after 1989 without being
completed with adaptation of legislation focused on civil
protection. Even if the importance of civil protection reflecting
increasing risks of anthropogenic, natural and mixed
origin in peace conditions was fully accepted by specialists
and the responsible state authorities passed individual measures
aimed on gradual change of the state then, the global
conception of civil protection was approved by the Czech
government as late as in 2002.
The Act no. 239 of June 28, 2000 on integrated rescue
system introduced the term civil protection into the Czech
legal code. According to the above act civil protection is
understood as fulfillment of civil protection tasks, especially
warning, evacuation, sheltering and emergency survival of
civilian population and further measures to ensure protection
of their lives, health and possessions with reference to the
article no. 61 of Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions
of August 12, 1949 on protection of international armed
conflicts victims (Protocol I).
Civil protection has become an integral and priority
domain of emergency planning and management. In connection
with its systematical implementation and practical
realization the necessity of university education for qualified
emergency managers mastering thoroughly both theoretical
and practical background of civil protection has been proved.
history of Civil Defense and Protection
Purposeful and qualified attention has been paid to the
practical and theoretical problems of civil protection in the
Czech Republic (former Czechoslovakia) for more than
seventy years.
As early as in 1929, after World War I, the Centre for
Civil Defense was established by the Czechoslovak Ministry
of Defense as a response to both complicated international
political situation then and to growing fears of danger from
air force war activities threatening civilians especially with
chemical warfare agents. The Centre was run as a voluntary
organization via local bodies with the semi-official support
of central authorities and with active participation of organizations
whose program was concentrated on defense activities.
One year later the organization Protection of Civilians
against Air Raids arose.
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A remarkable change of situation was noticed in the
first half of 30-ties of the previous century. At that time the
attempt of nazi Germany to realize its political aims aggressively
by all the available means expressed by its intensive
building military and air forces was becoming more and more
apparent.
The authorities of the Czechoslovak Republic reflected
the above situation by introduction of a series of individual
precautions resulting in passing the Act no. 82/1935 Coll.
on protection from and on defense against air raids. The base
for system of legal regulations for civil protection was set
both by promulgation of the above law and by establishment
of Civil Air Defense (referred to as CAD). Amending the
above law another Act no. 75 of April 1938 represented a
reaction to immediate threat of the Czechoslovak Republic
by fascist Germany. The conception of CAD in the pre-war
Czechoslovak Republic fulfilled requirements then and under
given conditions it comprised the first historical phase of systematic
and effective attempt to solve the problems of civil
protection.
During the occupation of the Czechoslovak Republic by
nazis the CAD was liquidated and its compartments, units
and material equipment were taken over by the German Air
Defense in 1941. After liberation in 1945 the CAD passed out
of existence. The first attempts to re-establish it were realized
after 1948.
Regardless of certain individual measures the work
on institutionalization of a civil defense (referred to as CD)
organization culminated in 1951 by acceptation of Government
resolution on civil defense fixing gradual organizational,
personal and material building of civil defense in the
legal code.
Between 1951 and 1970 civil defense was focused
solely on protection against conventional weapons and on
priority ensurance of protection against weapons of mass
destruction effects (referred to as WMD). In 1955 the
Research Institute of Civil Defense was established. Transfer
of civil defense subject to protection against weapons of mass
destruction expressed crucial qualitative change that resulted
in acceptance of the new Resolution of Government of the
Czechoslovak Republic no. 49/1958 Coll. on civil defense
of the Czechoslovak Republic. For its support the following
services were founded: medical, energy, gas, transport, fire,
order, road and bridge, municipal, shelter, water-technical,
agricultural, camouflage, construction-technical and supply
ones. Operative control of civil defense was ensured by CD
staffs whose members were mainly regular soldiers.
Based on the legal resolution of Federal Assembly no.
17/1976 Coll. drawing on doctrinal theory of Warsaw pact
countries the subordination of CD was transferred from the
Federal Ministry of Interior to the Federal Ministry of national
Defense effective January 1, 1976. The State Defense
Council became the supreme body for state defense control.
Federal Ministry of national Defense was entrusted to
become the central body of state administration for organization,
coordination and control of CD on the whole area of the