In November 2025, the first year of activities under the collaboration agreement between the Calabria Region and CIMA Research Foundation was successfully completed. The agreement was launched through Convention rep. no. 23311 of 19 November 2024 within the framework of the intervention “Strengthening the capacity to implement interventions” – Action 2.4.3 of the PRIGA programme.
Twelve months of technical and scientific work contributed concretely to strengthening the skills, tools, and operational models of the regional Civil Protection system. This structured pathway addressed planning, digitalisation, and training in an integrated manner, with the aim of transforming plans into tools that can be effectively used throughout all phases of the Civil Protection cycle: from prevention to emergency management and recovery.
Municipal guidelines: a shared model for risk management
One of the main outcomes of the first year of the agreement was the completion of the new Guidelines for the drafting of Municipal Civil Protection Plans, approved by Regional Government Resolution no. 160 of 22 April 2025.
The document defines a homogeneous planning model, consistent with the Italian Civil Protection Code, integrating prevention, forecasting, emergency management, and recovery phases. The Guidelines adopt a multidisciplinary approach and enhance the role of local communities, promoting public information activities and training for operators within the regional Civil Protection system, thereby strengthening the capacity of territories to respond to risks in a coordinated manner.
Towards a regional digital platform for Civil Protection Plans
Alongside the update of planning tools, the first year of activities included extensive technical and scientific support for defining the technical specifications of the regional digital platform dedicated to the collection and management of Municipal Civil Protection Plans.
This activity involved the analysis of existing data, the definition of interoperability criteria, user profiling modalities, and the information architecture required to integrate territorial, operational, and descriptive components. The work was carried out in accordance with the operational guidelines of the National Civil Protection Department, ensuring compatibility with the National Catalogue of Civil Protection Plans and laying the foundations for a structured, homogeneous, and continuously updated information management system.
The new Regional Civil Protection Plan
CIMA Research Foundation also provided technical and scientific support for the drafting of the new Regional Civil Protection Plan, approved by Regional Government Resolution no. 638 of 5 December 2025, through an integrated analysis of the regulatory, operational, and territorial components relevant to risk management. The document was developed in line with the most up-to-date national guidelines, including the National Rescue Programme for seismic risk, and enhances the specific characteristics of the Calabrian territory.
The Plan framework defines roles, responsibilities, decision-making structures, activation procedures, and intervention models, integrating risks, operational procedures, and resource organisation. Particular attention was devoted to ensuring coherence between regional and municipal planning, so that the Plan can serve as a concrete and fully operational reference tool.
Training: turning plans into operational tools
A central element of the pathway was represented by training activities aimed at Civil Protection operators. From 24 to 26 November, at the regional headquarters in Catanzaro, experts from CIMA Research Foundation and the Calabria Region shared with local technicians, administrators, and officials the contents of the new Guidelines and the characteristics of the data required by the regional digital platform. The training activities also included a practical case study focused on data management and data quality, with the objective of strengthening the capacity of municipalities to translate Civil Protection Plans into truly operational tools.
“The value of this first year of work lies in having built a coherent framework in which planning, data, and skills interact with one another,” emphasised Daniele Ferrari, researcher at CIMA Research Foundation. “Only in this way can Civil Protection Plans become living instruments, capable of supporting timely and well-founded decision-making across all phases of risk management.”
The completion of all activities envisaged by the 2025 Activity Plan thus represents a first, solid milestone in a pathway aimed at the structural strengthening of Civil Protection in Calabria, grounded in technical and scientific rigour, institutional integration, and close attention to the operational needs of territories.
The agreement between the Calabria Region and CIMA Research Foundation therefore delivers a structured and integrated working model, in which planning, digital tools, and training advance in a coordinated manner, outlining a solid and replicable operational framework that can be applied in other territorial contexts as well.
