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Demokratiskolan
The Civil defense card from MethodKit for Society and Politics
Card 15 of 128 · MethodKit for Society & Politics
  • AreaSafety & defense
  • Centre of gravityCentral government
  • Points of influence2 on the journey
  • Decisive electionThe general election
Safety & defense

Civil defense

Non-military ways to protect people

Civil defense is society's protection of the civilian population, in everyday accidents and in the worst case of war. After decades of being dismantled it is now being rebuilt, and the responsibility lands closer to you than you might think: in your municipality (kommun), and in your own pantry.

Where does the power lie?1

  • Municipality · local preparedness & rescue services · approx 25 %
  • Region · healthcare preparedness · approx 10 %
  • State · total defense, money & command · approx 60 %
  • EU · civil protection cooperation · approx 5 %

The central government steers the rebuilding of civil defense, but it is the municipality that has to function when the crisis comes. The general election decides the most.

How it works: the breakdown

The municipalityThe local protection
The regionHealthcare preparedness
Central governmentTotal defense · centre of gravity
Who decides?
The municipal executive board (kommunstyrelsen) and the crisis management committee, with the rescue services as the everyday engine.
The regional council (regionfullmäktige) and the health and medical care committee.
The Riksdag (Sweden's parliament), the Government (the cabinet), MSB and the County Administrative Boards (Länsstyrelserna) as regional command.
What do they decide?
Water, heat, care and schooling must keep working even in crisis and war. The municipality plans, trains and runs the rescue services.
Healthcare must cope with crisis and war: disaster medicine preparedness and stockpiles of medicines and supplies.
Total defense decisions, laws, the shelters, the civil duty and the money that steers the whole build-up.
Where are decisions made?
In the municipal offices: risk and vulnerability analyses, preparedness plans and exercises.
In the region's preparedness plans and in coordination with the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen).
In the Riksdag's defense decision and in MSB's regulations and support to the municipalities.
Who pays?
Municipal tax plus central government compensation for the preparedness tasks.
Regional tax plus central government funds for preparedness.
The central government budget funds the build-up and reimburses the municipalities' planning.
Fastest way in?
The municipal election Ask the municipality about the preparedness plan, join a voluntary defense organization.
The regional election The regional election steers healthcare preparedness. Put questions to the region's politicians.
The general election The general election steers the defense decisions. Voluntary defense organizations are open to everyone.
EUThe EU's civil protection mechanism lets countries help each other in major crises, such as forest fires. Shaped in the European Parliament election.

Read the table by column to understand one level, or by row to compare the levels. The green level is the area's centre of gravity.

How it works: follow the decision

The case The brochure in your mailbox, and the preparedness behind it
  1. State

    The Riksdag decides on total defense

    The total defense decision sets goals and money for both the military and the civil defense. This is where it is settled how much protection the civilian population gets and what it may cost.

    Point of influence

    The general election decides the direction and how much money civil defense receives.

  2. State

    MSB coordinates and guides

    MSB produces support for the municipalities, is responsible for the shelters and sent the brochure If crisis or war comes to every household. The agency translates policy into practical advice.

  3. State

    The County Administrative Board holds the county together

    The County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen) has the geographic area responsibility at the regional level: it coordinates municipalities, the region and public agencies and trains them together ahead of crisis and war.

  4. Municipality

    Your municipality plans for the worst

    The municipality analyzes its risks and plans for water, heat and care to keep working anyway: backup power for care homes, safety points, emergency water tanks.

    Point of influence

    Many municipalities look for volunteers for their crisis organizations, and the preparedness decisions in the council are public.

  5. Your everyday life

    A week of home preparedness

    MSB's advice is to manage for a week: water, food, heat and a radio. Your home preparedness is not a private matter at the margins, it is a planned part of civil defense.

The journey looks the same in reverse: what has been built came the same way, through the same decisions. Whoever knows where the decisions are made also knows where they can be changed.

Questions to discuss

  1. How long would your household manage without electricity, water and open shops?

  2. What should your municipality protect first if not everything can be saved: water, heat, care or schooling?

  3. Where is the line between the central government's responsibility, the municipality's and your own?

  4. Where is your nearest shelter, and who in your block would need help in a crisis?

  5. What is reasonable to put on volunteers, and what must the public sector manage on its own?

Glossary

Totalförsvar
Everything that prepares Sweden for war: the military defense plus the civil.
Civilt försvar
Society's ability to protect the civilian population and keep important functions running in crisis and war.
Hemberedskap
What you have at home yourself to manage a week without society's support, according to MSB's advice.
Skyddsrum
Spaces meant to protect against weapons. MSB keeps the register and has supervisory responsibility.
Frivillig försvarsorganisation
An association that trains volunteers for total defense, open for anyone to join.

Go further

Footnotes

1) This is an estimate of how decision-making power over the issue is split between the municipality, the region, central government and the EU, based on how responsibility is divided in legislation. A teaching guide, not an exact measurement.