Annex A

Two fundamental pieces of legislation were put into place in the first decades of the 20th century. In 1919 the Public Works Authority was through a law (R.D.L. 2.9.1919 n. 1915) given the responsibility for direction and co-ordination of the rescue services in the event of earthquakes. All civil, military and local authorities depended on the Public Works Authority. This law framed for the first time rescue service in case of natural disasters, but the scope of application was limited to geological events only. In 1926 a law created a permanent structure for rescue services and extended its mandate beyond earthquakes (R.D.L. 9.12.1926 n. 2389). The focus was largely geological disasters and the task assigned was that of rescuing populations affected by emergencies following disasters.

OECD Reviews of Risk Management Policies: Italy 2010: Review of the Italian National Civil Protection System

Annex A

Principal legislation and operational components