Better solutions for crisis preparedness

Crisis preparedness is about planning, organising and implementing measures to minimise the consequences of disasters for individuals, communities and systems. This is be achieved by fully involving all stakeholders of crisis management, such as local authorities, responders and citizens. 

–  Crisis preparedness is receiving increasing attention in a troubled world characterised by climate change, war and digital threats. Through the EU project SYNERGIES, we at Sintef are researching how we can promote a culture of crisis preparedness, says Matthieu Branlat, Senior Researcher at SINTEF Digital. 

The EU project consists of 17 partners in eight European countries. The research is based on three pilots, which are being carried out in Malta, the French island of la Réunion, and Rotterdam.

Aim to develop new solutions

SYNERGIES is developing various types of solutions aimed at authorities and first responders. For example, the project will develop a tool to assess and monitor the level of preparedness. 

The tool will be used in collaboration with citizens, including the most vulnerable, to assess preparedness and identify what actions are needed to strengthen it. It will be tailored to the users’ role and experience, type of hazard and context. This includes, for instance, the population's trust in the authorities and socio-economic conditions. 

– The project is developing a knowledge base of tools, practices, lessons learnt and guidance materials to help formal actors and community leaders develop emergency plans and take action, says Branlat.  

One of the goals of SYNERGIES is to enable citizens, communities and organisations to make informed decisions when a crisis occurs. 

This can be summarised in three points: 

• Formal actors and community leaders should be trained and promote preparedness and citizen involvement.
• We need to improve communication with citizens during the emergency phase to support more effective information sharing between local authorities, citizens, particularly vulnerable populations, and the private sector. 
• Special attention should be given to coordinate ‘spontaneous volunteers’, i.e. individuals or groups of people who want to help during or after an incident, so that their contribution can be best utilised in the disaster response. 

Developing a training programme

In addition, SYNERGIES is developing a training programme for local community leaders, social workers, first aid personnel and teachers. The aim is for them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote a culture of preparedness and to actively involve citizens. 

– This work builds on the results of six previous EU projects. We hope to maximise the impact of the results already achieved, says Branlat. 

The project is funded under Horizon Europe's Innovation Framework Programme, with the ambition to develop solutions with a high level of maturity. For example, the solution catalogue developed in ENGAGE, coordinated by Branlat at SINTEF, and the LINKS Community Centre, forms the basis for the development of the SYNERGIES knowledge base.  

– SINTEF contributes with expertise that can enable the population to participate in crisis management. In SYNERGIES, SINTEF is responsible for research on spontaneous volunteering and for coordinating the pilot programme on the French island of la Réunion. SINTEF also contributes to research on population participation and vulnerable groups, says Branlat.