State parliament passes new civil protection law

Saxony has a new law for fire protection, rescue services and disaster control. The state parliament passed the government's bill on Wednesday without any votes against, there were only abstentions. Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) spoke of one of the most modern laws of its kind in Germany. "Be it the corona pandemic, flood situations or the massive forest fires last year - many insights from these events have been incorporated into the legislation (...). With this law, we are increasing the safety of people in the Free State of Saxony."

"We are ensuring that all Saxons are well protected in the event of an emergency. Be ready when there is a fire. Be there when help is needed. Protect the population when nature takes its toll on people," explained SPD interior politician Albrecht Pallas. This requires coordinated processes and the best conditions. "With the amendment, we are improving these working conditions for all volunteers and full-time helpers. And we are strengthening innovation and development potential for better protection and medical assistance for the population in Saxony."

The law regulates, among other things, the cost sharing of the Free State in the event of major fires and defines "major incidents" as events that endanger a large number of people and for which the forces of local fire protection are not sufficient to combat. This also includes chemical spills or storms. In the event of such an incident, the district fire chief takes charge of operations for the affected municipalities. The protection of "critical infrastructures" is explicitly mentioned in the law. Crisis intervention teams are integrated into the disaster control structures.