Cyprus Civil Defence

The Cyprus Civil Defence is a department of the Ministry of Interior. Τhe operation of the Force today is governed by the Laws on Civil Defence of 1996 and 1998 and the Civil Defence (General) Regulations of 1997 until 2012. The Civil Defence is staffed by permanent personnel, a number of volunteers, and conscripts obligated to serve in the Civil Defence Force. The responsibility for determining the policy of the Force and coordinating its work and activity belongs to the General Civil Defense Administration (GEDPA). Five (5) District Administrations (PEDPA) appertain to GEDPA. These are Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Famagusta.

The main mission of Civil Defence focuses on taking measures in response to natural or man-made disasters which might cause serious consequences, the size of which may cause hazards to the life and welfare of citizens or extensive damage to the environment and natural resources of the Republic. These measures to manage the consequences of a disaster include a series of actions for the prevention, preparation, response, design, education and mitigation of the negative results. Additionally, Civil Defence Force has the responsibility of protecting the civilians in periods of hostilities.

Our vision is to improve and strengthen the protection mechanism of civilians, to sensitize the population on prevention and response to disasters issues and consolidate basic rules on safety and self-protection, in order to create the circumstances for a society to be ready to contribute effectively in reducing the risks and their consequences.