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Video length: 2 min
During natural disasters, there is a European civil protection mechanism which allows reinforcements to be sent from one country to another.
If a country calls for help, it is in a room in Brussels that the European emergency services are coordinated. “We can monitor all the warning systems for different types of natural risks, and bring together all available resources, i.e. around 5,000 firefighters”explains a member of European civil protection.
However, Europe does not have its own firefighters, but depends on its member states. Each country sends aid if it wishes and according to its means. Since 2020, French firefighters have gone to help in four European countries with forest fires, an earthquake or floods. Advantage: Europe covers three-quarters of the expenses.