Collaboration is key to effective civil protection. To ensure a safer, more equal future for the EU, a new generation of civil protection experts with a wide range of attributes, skills and knowledge must work together. In this series, we talk to young professionals in the civil protection domain to find out about their roles, motivations, and advice for others who want to work in this field.
What motivated you to get involved in civil protection/disaster management? Was there a particular person in the community that you found/find inspiring that motivated you to take this path?
I started out working in the Swedish army for several years, as a soldier as well as a Combat Lifesaver. I was lucky enough to be mentored by an officer/nurse named Danny. He truly inspired me to develop and challenged me in multiple ways. I would say he is also one of the reasons I then became a nurse, and subsequently started working in emergency medical care. He always believed in me and helped me a lot along the way. When the pandemic hit, I started working in crisis management at the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. This involved working operationally with resource management at a national level, trying to reduce the impact of the virus on a daily basis. It was a heavy and important task. That was a revelation for me, and led me further into this community.
What is your role, and what are you doing on a daily basis?
I work at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), which helps society prepare for major accidents, crises and the consequences of war. I work in the Exercise Section, which is responsible for holding regular large-scale multi-sector cooperation exercises (SAMÖ) and crisis management exercises at EU and international level. We support other joint authority exercises with exercise management, methodology, evaluations and more. We also provide support for regional cooperation exercises and courses.
Aside from this, I am also part of the MSB roster as a nurse, meaning I support those affected by crisis, conflict and disaster all over the world. Throughout the years, I have gained experience on several international missions, including in Afghanistan, Rwanda, Kenya, Malta and Ukraine. The MSB roster contains skilled experts with a number of areas of expertise. It endeavours to provide quality-assured, trained individuals for humanitarian, resilience and peace support operations. This includes missions within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The last mission I did two months ago was as a Medical Instructor providing Emergency Trauma Bag (ETB) training for UN personnel in Ukraine.
Do you see yourself staying involved in civil protection for a long time? What would you like to be doing in the future?
Yes, one hundred percent. I really love my job and the pace of it. It gives me the opportunity to learn a great deal and to give back using my experience and knowledge. A big part of it is cooperation and support at a national and international level, which suits me very well. Unfortunately, I think we can expect many of the things that are happening around us, such as natural catastrophes, war, viruses and antibiotic resistance, to continue to occur, to varying degrees. We therefore need to prepare for and keep handling these issues. In the future, I see myself working within the same scope of practice at EU level. However, I will never give up being in the field from time to time, which truly gives my heart the fuel it needs to keep moving forward.
How do you think the Union Civil Protection Mechanism should evolve?
I have to give my appreciation to the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network’s initiative on gathering youth in civil protection and disaster management. As part of the initiative, rewarding and inspiring workshops were delivered, followed by plenty of opportunities to connect with other young people from all over Europe working in this field.
I think that smaller-scale exercises could be a great way to integrate people from different groups and scopes of practices within civil protection.
I also think that having more countries included in the UCPM (alongside the EU countries and participating states that are already in it) might allow for greater disaster response efforts, as we could draw on more expertise and strengths, taking a joint approach to further prevent and respond to crises happening around the globe.
I will never give up being in the field from time to time, which truly gives my heart the fuel it needs to keep moving forward.
What advice would you give to people who want to get involved in civil protection or disaster management?
Start by firstly asking yourself, and then others, ‘How can I help?’. It does not have to be too complicated, as long as you follow your heart. There are numerous ways to get involved with civil protection and disaster management, both as a volunteer and by working on it on a bigger scale. Reach out to the different communities around you, and I think people will be happy to include you. Once you are in, you will learn a lot and find new ways to get involved. In addition, knowledge is power – if you have the opportunity to study, do it!
The Knowledge Network editorial team is here to share the news and stories of the Knowledge Network community. We'd love to hear your news, events and personal stories about your life in civil protection and disaster risk management. If you've got a story to share, please contact us.
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