A civil protection of proximity: Making a resilient community

This contributing paper takes a look at a new risk prevention and mitigation approach in Funchal, Madeira Island, allowing residents and school community from susceptible areas to build a collective response to emergency situations in matters of prevention and intervention. The Civil Protection Units project offers training sessions through educational play materials and different methods, such as practical exercises and the simulation of emergency situations. The project aims to promote resilience in the municipality, approaching it in a multidisciplinary way and focusing on the previous preparation of all citizens.

The study finds that the implementation of project in Funchal allowed the creation of democratic spaces to discuss population concerns, fostering greater proximity between the population and the Municipality. This project also allowed to increase the Municipality's capacity to respond more efficiently to emergency situations. The municipality’s resilience capacity is also developed in a holistic perspective where citizens may be able to make a positive adaptation when facing the impacts of a hazard.