Response to Accidents and Disasters

DEMA assists the police, the municiptal fire and rescue services and other authorities in major crises, accidents and emergencies.

National Fire and Rescue Centres

DEMA' deploys from six national fire and rescue centres. The national fire and rescue centres have round-the-clock call-out and specialized gear.

DEMA deploys around the clock at five minute notice and reaches any part of the country within two hours.

Roughly 60 % of DEMA's operations are in support of the municipal fire and rescue services, while the remaining 40 % are in support of police or other authorities.

Nuclear Emergency Management

Together with the Danish Health Authority, DEMA has been tasked with leading the response in case of nuclear emergencies. DEMA's responsibilites include:

• National nuclear emergency planning.
• Day to day nuclear emergency management.
• Coordinating communication from the authorities to the public in the case of radioactive contamination.

Incidents Involving Chemical or Unknown Substances

DEMA has specialized CBRN capabilities (CBRN = Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defense).

DEMA provides expert advice and assistance to authorities in incidents involving hazardous or unknown substances. Among DEMA's tasks are:

• Sampling and chemical analyses of hazardous and unknown chemical substances.
• Consulting service in all aspects of the chemical properties of dangerous chemical substances and products, including explosives and chemical warfare agents.
• Assistance at e.g. blast sites or crime scenes, including mobile detection systems for chemical substances.

DEMA's Personel

Each of the national fire and rescue centres is manned by roughly 26 officers, 60 specially trained conscripts and 40-100 volunteers.

Conscripts form the backbone of DEMA's operations. In the nine months of service, they are trained in:

• Firefighting
• Advanced First Aid
• USAR (urban search and rescue) training
• Response and basic training for accidents involving hazardous chemicals and CBRN incidents
• Physical training
• Rescue service

Nationwide, roughly 200 officers and 400 conscripts are available at any time. In case of major incidents, DEMA can rapidly upgrade with up to 1150 conscripts, officers and volunteers.