The Italian Civil Protection textbook is a comprehensive educational solution that integrates Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and civil protection principles into the mandatory national school curriculum for students aged 6 to 19.
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Civil Protection in Italy: Basic Training in Civil Protection (Institutional Textbook)
General Information
ISIG
This solution is an institutional textbook designed to provide school teachers with a structured framework for teaching civil protection as part of the compulsory Civic Education course. It offers detailed modules covering the history of the National Civil Protection Service, the scientific basis of diverse hazards, and practical self-protection measures. The textbook serves as an official reference to foster a culture of prevention and community resilience from an early age. It is regularly updated with specialized dossiers, such as those addressing health emergencies, to remain relevant to current risk landscapes.
Italy is a country highly exposed to a variety of natural risks (seismic, volcanic, hydrogeological). Despite this, prior to 2019, DRR education was often fragmented or project-based. Following a 2018 Memorandum of Understanding and the enactment of Law n. 92/2019, "Civic Education" became a compulsory subject. This textbook was created as the official technical-scientific reference to ensure every student graduates with a foundational knowledge of how to protect themselves and their community. It is fully operational as of the 2020/2021 academic year.
The core function is to build long-term societal resilience by standardizing DRR education and fostering a culture of active citizenship and prevention among the youth.
Hazard Type
Geographical Scope - Nuts
Geographical Scope
Population Size
Population Density
Needs Addressed
The solution targets the historical lack of standardized, scientifically accurate risk information accessible to the general public. It specifically addresses the "last mile" problem of early warning, ensuring that when an alert is issued, the citizen understands the protocol and adopts appropriate self-protection behaviors.
The solution focuses on children and youth to ensure that future generations are risk-aware. By educating students, the program also reaches families through a "child-to-parent" knowledge transfer model.
The governance implementation model represents a "top-down institutional integration" where the central DRM authority (Civil Protection Department) provides the technical standards and content that the national education system is legally mandated to deliver.
The solution represents an advanced stage of preparedness where risk reduction is legally institutionalized and integrated into the daily life of citizens through the schooling system.
The solution utilizes existing national educational infrastructure and digital platforms for content distribution. It is also designed to integrate with advanced warning infrastructures like IT-alert.
The authorities actively sought input from the Ministry of Education and school managers to ensure that scientific content could be effectively delivered by teachers who are not DRM specialists.
Engagement was conducted through institutional working groups, joint committees between the Civil Protection Department and the Ministry of Education, and feedback loops from educational pilot projects.
The solution has a high degree of influence as it makes civil protection a mandatory part of the national educational agenda, legally requiring schools to dedicate hours to these topics.
The solution provides long-term empowerment by embedding DRM into the legal "Civic Education" requirement. This ensures that every citizen, from a young age, gains the interpretive knowledge needed to participate in local emergency planning and exercises throughout their life.
Vulnerable Groups
Governance
Emergency Preparedness
Infrastructure Readiness
Engagement Level
Empowerment Level
Implementation
The solution’s primary innovation is the structural shift from project-based awareness to institutionalized curriculum integration. It features a modular design that covers the "DRM cycle" from history and science to practical action.
Italian, English.
The solution is implemented by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Civil Protection Department. This solution is highly transferable to other National or Regional Disaster Management Agencies, Ministries of Education, or Civil Protection Departments seeking to institutionalize DRM knowledge within public education.
The Italian Civil Protection Department has over 40 years of experience in multi-hazard coordination. To follow this logic, any organization implementing this solution needs strong technical-scientific partnerships and the authority to coordinate across governmental sectors (Education and Interior/Security).
Civil Protection Department, Ministry of Education, Scientific Competence Centers (INGV, CIMA, etc.), and National Volunteering Organizations.
1. Formalize institutional partnership via MoU.
2. Establish legal mandate (national law).
3. Multi-disciplinary drafting of content.
4. Teacher training and pilot distribution.
5. Continuous updates via specialized dossiers.
The solution requires a multidisciplinary team of scientific experts for content drafting and a dedicated editorial team for didactic adaptation. It relies on a stable digital distribution system to ensure schools can access the most recent dossiers.
The implementation followed a comprehensive framework, starting from a policy agreement in 2018 to full operational integration in the 2020/2021 school year, with continuous monitoring and updates.
Experience of the Implementing Organisation in DRM
Target Audience
Resources Required
Timeframe & Phases
Participation Results
Mandatory legal frameworks (like Law 92/2019) are significantly more effective at ensuring long-term DRR education than voluntary or elective school projects.
A primary challenge is the technical complexity of scientific risks. The strategy used was the "Focus" dossier method: breaking down complex topics (like the Vesuvius plan or IT-Alert) into digestible modules that can be taught independently.
- Risk: Content becoming outdated due to technological or scientific shifts. Mitigation: The "living document" approach allows for the digital release of new thematic dossiers without reprinting the entire textbook.
- Risk: Teacher capacity constraints. Mitigation: The textbook includes a simplified glossary and clear instructional flows to support teachers who are not DRM experts.
Risk & Mitigation Plan
Scalability and Sustainability
Sustainability is guaranteed by national legislation (Law 92/2019), which makes the subject mandatory. This removes the risk of the initiative ending when a specific funding cycle or project team concludes.
The solution is a template for national DRR education. While the hazards are Italian-specific, the structure (History -> System -> Science -> Self-Protection) can be replicated globally. It is adaptable to any country with a structured school system.
The solution utilizes a developed approach to technology, using digital platforms to host a "living" textbook that integrates with the national IT-Alert infrastructure and digital classroom tools.
Direct costs are associated with the scientific drafting, editing, graphic design, and translation of the 150+ page manual.
Ongoing costs include the maintenance of the digital hosting platform and the development of new thematic dossiers to reflect emerging risks (e.g., cyber risks or climate-related extremes).
Integration into "Civic Education" ensures the solution survives changes in political administration, as it becomes a right of the student rather than a choice of the school.