EMERCOM

EMERCOM or The Ministry of the Russian Federation for the Affairs of Civil Defence, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief (Министерство по чрезвычайным ситуациям - МЧС России) was established on January 10, 1994 by President Boris Yeltsin. The complete official designation is Ministry of the Russian Federation for Affairs of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief (Министерство России по делам гражданской обороны, чрезвычайным ситуациям и ликвидации последствий стихийных бедствий). Some consider the real date of birth of the agency as December 27 1990, when the Russian Rescue Corps was established and assigned the mission of rapid response in the case of emergencies.

According to an EMERCOM publication, the Ministry is an agency of Federal Executive Power with the following tasks:
 * developing proposals and initiatives in the sphere of State policy on issues within the Ministry's competence;
 * managing the Civil Defence and Search and Rescue Service in the Russian Federation;
 * providing for the functioning and further development of the Russian System of Disaster Management (RSDM);
 * directing activities aimed at eliminating the consequences of large-scale disasters, catastrophes and other emergencies;
 * conducting special submarine activities;
 * supervising the use of finance resources allocated to the Government for disaster management and response;
 * organizing the training of the population, and governing agencies and the RSDM forces for disaster management and response;
 * and organizing international cooperation in the fields of the Ministry's competency.

Minister
The Minister in charge of EMERCOM is Sergei Shoigu. He was appointed by President Yeltsin in November 1991 as Chairman of the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence Matters, Extraordinary Situations and the Liquidation of Natural Disasters. Shoigu was given the rank of Major General in October 1994, and his committee became a ministry in January 1994. President Yeltsin showed his faith in the importance of EMERCOM by designating Minister Shoigu a member of the Russian Security Council by Presidential Decree on February 1, 1994.

Departments

 * Department for the Protection of the Population and Territories
 * Department for Disaster Prevention
 * Department of Forces
 * Department for International Cooperation
 * Department for the Elimination of Consequences of Radiological and other Disasters
 * Department for Science and Technology
 * Management Department

Commissions and Boards

 * Interagency Commission of the Russian Federation for Fighting Forest Fires
 * Interagency Commission of the Russian Federation for Floods
 * Interagency Maritime Coordinating Commission for Emergencies on the Seas and Water Basins
 * Interagency Commission of the Russian Federation for the Certification of Rescuers

Working through the office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry can ask for private, Ministry of Defence or Internal Forces assistance. That is, the Ministry has international coordination power and the ability to tap local resources if required.

The Department of International Cooperation, to present an example of the activities of one of these departments and commissions, has already signed agreements on cooperation during disaster response and prevention with Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Poland, Belarus, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. Mutual assistance pacts are ready for signing with Mongolia, Latvia, Finland, Armenia, Moldova, and Estonia. An agreement also exists with the U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and agreements are sought with the OSCE and NATO.

Internal Organizations

 * Regional Centres - EMERCOM centres are located in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Chita and Khabarovsk.
 * Civil Defence and Emergency Headquarters - Many regions, provinces, autonomous administrative units, districts and towns possess these headquarters.
 * Command and Control Center - These centers are located in Moscow, and in each region and oblast.
 * Training and Education Facilities - These include a Civil Protection Academy, Training and Methodology centres, an All-Russia Scientific Research Institute, an All-Russian Monitoring and Laboratory Control Centre, and a Centre for Scientific Analysis of Civil Defence Issues.

To perform rapid response operations the following forces and equipment are available:
 * Central Air-Mobile Rescue Team - These teams are equipped with aviation facilities that include helicopters and cargo aircraft (Ilyushin Il-76 and Antonov An-72). The teams have taken part in United Nation's humanitarian delivery operations.
 * Civil Defense Troops - These troops consist of military troop divisions and regiments stationed in various regions of the country.
 * Search and Rescue Service - This service maintains 30 units in various republics, regions and provinces.