The Safety Regions Act seeks to achieve an efficient and high-quality organisation of the fire services, medical assistance and crisis management under one regional management board. The Act stipulates that as a common rule, safety regions must be structured on the same scale as the police regions.
The administrative structure of disaster and crisis management is defined with clear tasks and powers. The fire services and the Regional Medical Assistance Organisation (GHOR) falls under one management board. This makes it easier and more effective to steer the emergency services and take a coordinated approach. This also applies to the cooperation between the police and the multidisciplinary operational services.
The regional scale promotes further professionalization. Dividing the territory into equal regions creates an essential basis for multidisciplinary action in the event of a disaster or crisis. As the safety regions have been structured via extended local government, the municipalities continue to be involved in the fire services and in disaster management.
The Safety Regions Act lays the foundations for organising disaster and crisis management with the aim of better protecting citizens against risks.