Disaster emergency management workshop

17 January 2018 – In August and October 2016, two strong earthquakes struck Central Italy, causing 299 deaths and 388 wounded. Several houses, public buildings and cultural sites in the region of Le Marche were severally damaged by the violent quakes. Subsequently, the Regional Education School of Public Administration of Le Marche engaged UNAI member institution Cerchio Blu in order to train all local police officers and rescuers involved in first responder activities.

Cerchio Blu trains police and rescuers to manage emergencies and cope with disasters by helping them manage trauma, identify priorities and provide victims with psychological support.

The training took place from November 2016 to December 2017 in four cities of the Italian east coast: Civitanova, Ascoli, San Benedetto del Tronto and Jesi. Cerchio Blu trainers worked in the areas hit by the earthquakes with police officers, fire-fighters and civil protection workers.

Cerchio Blu and officials of Le Marche Region collaborated with the aim of developing an effective action plan to carry out in case of catastrophes, in the hopes of making the project more broadly known later. Cerchio Blu’s main purpose is empowering police officers to perform their social task within the local community by helping them address the psychological impact of disaster emergencies.