Preparing a joint emergency preparedness plan for the border region
Beneficiaries & Territory
Border region ARKO
Ten municipalities along the border between Innlandet (NO) and Värmland (SE), Arvika (SE), Eda (SE), Eidskog (NO),Grue (NO), Kongsvinger (NO), Nord-Odal (NO), Sunne (SE), Sør-Odal (NO) Torsby (SE) and Åsnes (NO) are involved in the project.
Goal
Develop a cross-regional crisis preparedness plan: The pilot action prepares the process and ensures anchoring within the administration and political leadership of the 10 member municipalities of ARKO. It will also lay the groundwork by identifying any potential cross-border obstacles to the work.
The pilot action will prepare the foundation for the ARKO Border Committee’s contribution to the Horizon Europe project GRIDS (Geographical Risk-Based Information Disaster Management System), where the Border Committee is a participant.
Specific objectives
- Create a comprehensive overview of existing challenges, opportunities, and resources related to cross-border crisis preparedness. Additionally, this phase aims to identify potential bottlenecks and cross-border obstacles that could hinder effective collaboration.
- Foster a shared understanding among municipalities of the practical, legal, and organisational challenges impacting cross-border crisis management.
- Training and Capacity Building, equipping stakeholders with the knowledge and skills that will be necessary for effective participation in the GRIDS project and ensure that municipalities are prepared for future cross-border crisis situations.
Planned activities
- Kick-off meeting with political and administrative leaders from the 10 municipalities to establish a shared understanding, outline the project’s framework and clarify roles and responsibilities.
- Mapping through surveys and interviews, with collection of information on existing crisis preparedness plans, available resources, and known challenges.
- Analysis of previous experiences, gathering and reviewing reports and evaluations from previous crisis exercises in the region to identify key learning points and best practices.
- Organising cross-border regional seminars to understand each municipality’s specific working methods, legislation, and guidelines, methods for cross-border collaboration, including resource and data sharing, and sharing best practices in crisis preparedness.
- Invitation of external experts in cross-border crisis management and in AI tools and geospatial data to provide professional perspectives and practical examples.
- Organisation of practical courses focusing on the use of Geospatial Data and AI in Crisis Management for real-time monitoring, risk analysis, and decision support, and Coordination and Decision Support in Cross-Border Crisis Situations on resources and operations coordination.
- Establishing a digital collaboration platform to enable information sharing, experience exchange, and joint planning among municipalities. This platform will also facilitate communication during future crisis situations.