Failure of emergency organisations
A failure of the emergency organisations refers to a situation where the emergency organisations, such as the fire service, police, public health and/or rescue services, are no longer able to perform their primary functions properly. This includes primarily emergency assistance, such as putting out fires, maintaining public order or providing intensive care.
Less urgent tasks, such as removing wasp's nests or issuing parking tickets, are not included. These tasks can be postponed.
Risks and causes
Causes
Consequences
What can you do?
BEFORE
- Take a first aid course and regularly refresh your skills in this area.
- Keep a basic first aid kit in your emergency kit (at home, in the car, at the office) so that you can administer first aid yourself. Do not forget to regularly check the condition of the products and medicines in your basic medicine cabinet.
DURING
- In case of a life-threatening emergency, call the emergency number. The operators have an overview of the available capacities of the emergency services. They can guide you in administering first aid.
- If possible, use the 112.be app. It will quickly redirect you to the appropriate emergency services.
- Avoid activities that pose a medical, fire, or safety risk as much as possible.
- Contact your neighbours and other vulnerable people to see how you can help.
AFTER
No specific recommendations.
Impact and probability
The figures relating to probability and impact describe a extreme failure of the emergency services. The BNRA theoretically describes such a scenario as follows:
- Public access to the emergency services (such as hospitals or police stations) is reduced.
- There is a 25% to 50% reduction in human and/or material resources.
- There is a 25% to 50% delay in the response time of the emergency services.
- The communication systems of the emergency services are disrupted (technical failure or malicious act), thereby limiting the provision of services to the public.
How should you interpret these results?
Within the BNRA, experts assessed three scenarios for each risk: considerable, major or extreme. On each page, you will find the results of the scenario with the highest score based on the combination of likelihood and impact. This does not mean that this scenario will occur or is the most likely. Read more here about how to correctly interpret the results.
Probability
Very weak
Human impact
Weak
Societal impact
Strong
Environmental impact
No impact
Financial impact
Moderate
What do the authorities do?
Each emergency service has a plan that sets out the various procedures: the Mono-disciplinary intervention plan. These procedures also detail possible forms of support if there is limited capacity or resources.