Berek: The government has accepted the draft of the Population Protection and Civil Defense Program

The Council of Ministers has accepted the draft of the Population Protection and Civil Defence Programme, which will allow the allocation of significant funds to local governments and other entities for the construction of a population protection system - informed the head of the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers, Maciej Berek.

On Thursday, the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers met. During the session, the Population Protection and Civil Defense Program, among others, received approval - Maciej Berek reported on Platform X. As he noted, the project prepared by the Ministry of Interior and Administration, "will allow for the allocation of significant funds to local government units and other entities for the construction of a population protection system."

The draft program for 2025-2026 focuses on six areas of action. These include inventorying and increasing population protection and civil defense resources, building and modernizing shelters, developing the ability to respond to threats, and actions to ensure the continuity of the state's functioning and supplies in situations of crisis and war.

In 2025-2026, the Program assumes a review and verification of facilities that potentially meet the conditions and can serve as collective protection facilities. Opinions and technical documentation from the verification of such facilities will be one of the criteria for financial support provided, among others, for the renovation and modernization of protective structures. In the first place, renovations and investments will be directed at areas covered by the National Deterrence and Defense Program "East Shield", but also at cities and places of particular risk indicated by the governors. Among others, shelters under the so-called thousand-year-olds will be renovated.

According to the Program, the construction or modernization of public utility facilities should take into account the achievement of energy autonomy and water supply and sewage disposal. The review will also include backup control stations for local and government authorities, as well as potential public places that can perform protective functions for the population. There are also plans to indicate facilities that can be temporarily designated for the bodies of people who suffered in disasters and mass events.

The program provides for the replenishment of warehouses so that they provide resources necessary to protect the population for at least 3 days of the threat. Among other things, equipment to be purchased for conducting operations in conditions of hybrid threats, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear, as well as threats of a military or terrorist nature, for detection, identification and elimination of contamination, including decontamination of people, animals, facilities and terrain.

Entities carrying out rescue and aid operations will receive additional equipment for rescuers, equipment for organizing and conducting rescue operations, including evacuation and humanitarian aid.

The plans include, among other things, the construction of a network of hospital landing pads that will be able to accommodate military aircraft, as well as police, Border Guard and LPR helicopters. Medical information management software will be implemented in hospitals to manage the flow of the wounded, sick and paralyzed. The hospital infrastructure is to be adapted to accommodate an increased number of vehicles, including buses. (PAP)

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