Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (Swedish: Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap, MSB) is a Swedish government agency that combines now-defunct Swedish Rescue Services Agency, Swedish Emergency Management Agency, and National Board of Psychological Defence. The Swedish government decreed that on 1 January 2009 a new authority, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, would come into force to strengthen Sweden’s civil protection and emergency preparedness. The new authority would be responsible for unifying, coordinating, and supportive tasks prior to, during and after emergencies.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency is being formed from three existing national government authorities, all of which were closed down on 31 December 2008.

The agency is based at several locations around Sweden; Stockholm, Karlstad, Revinge and Sandö. The Director-General’s Office is located in the Stockholm area.

The international humanitarian operations previously run by the Rescue Services Agency continued on the same scale under the new agency.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency was to be in place and working with an all-encompassing task with regard to civil contingencies. This covers the whole spectrum of contingencies; from everyday road traffic accidents and fires, up to chemical emergencies, power cuts and other technical failures. Additionally, more serious emergencies, such as bomb threats and other antagonistic attacks, epidemics, natural disasters and war. In most cases, the responsibility for on-scene action does not lie with the Civil Contingencies Agency but with municipal rescue services, law enforcement agencies or other agencies.

External links

http://www.msb.se/