A strategic document on rescue and relief has been prepared by the Relief and Rescue Committee of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), said Ali Asghar Ahmadi, secretary general of IRCS.
The proposals were approved at a meeting of the Social Welfare and Security Planning Council, headed by the minister of labor, cooperatives, and social welfare, the Persian-language newspaper ‘Shahrvand’ quoted him as saying.
Several meetings were held to develop the document and members of the committee as well as representatives from the ministries of health, interior, environment and labor as well as officials from different organizations including Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Organization, the Judiciary, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Law Enforcement Forces, Management and Planning Organization and Basij (voluntary forces) attended the meetings.
The document analyses the current status of the national rescue and relief services and has proposed new strategies and policies to improve the situation.
Key Provisions
Ahmadi said the document includes provision of specialized training programs for rescue workers, storage of basic relief items in proportion to the population, reducing the average time to reach the scene of an incident from the current 8.32 minutes to 7.32 minutes.
It also mentions provision of support services, counseling services to children and families after natural disasters, and ways to claim compensation are mentioned in the document.
Construction and completion of rescue and relief centers in proportion to the population, creation and implementation of a comprehensive system of disaster management, preparation of a risk map of residential areas, installation of earthquake and flood Early Warning Systems (EWS), naming responsible organizations for managing disasters including forest fires, landslides and floods as well as enhancing insurance services with higher priority for disaster prone rural and urban areas, should be clarified before the document comes into effect.
Ahmadi said the document should be reviewed by the Integration Office of the upcoming five-year economic development plan (2016-2021), and ratified by Parliament.
He hoped all provisions of the document would be approved by the competent authorities.
Iran is among the 10 most disaster-prone countries in the world and preparedness to confront crises should be part of long-term national plans.
