Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear & Explosive (CBRNe) incidents, whether accidental or terrorist-based, can have a high impact on society. PROACTIVE aims to increase practitioner effectiveness in managing large and diverse groups of people in a CBRNe environment.
The main goal of the PROACTIVE project is to enhance preparedness against and response to a CBRNe incident through a better harmonisation of procedures between various categories of practitioners, and a better understanding of the needs of vulnerable citizen groups. Click on the PROACTIVE leaflet for more information.
behavioural issues associated with responding to a CBRNe incident and potential shortcomings in existing practitioner procedures and tools with respect to vulnerable groups.
real-time communication and collaboration with the use of new tools such as mobile apps for better situational awareness and better response coordination.
combinations of selected tools in joint field exercises which deliberately involve a diverse population that encompasses vulnerable citizens and non-trained staff.
human-centred recommendations for EU standards concerning the integration of CBRNe technologies and innovations that are better adapted to the needs of all citizens.
PROACTIVE tests common approaches between European safety and security practitioners, in particular Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and CBRNe First Responders.
Within PROACTIVE, a Practitioner Stakeholder Advisory Board (PSAB) and a Civil Society Advisory Board (CSAB) have been created and are under continuous expansion.
The project activities and research methods include several systematic reviews, surveys, focus-groups, workshops and field exercises for which the PSAB and CSAB will provide valuable insight.
Liaising with the eNotice H2020 project, three joint exercises are planned. During these, we will test the usability of existing procedures and tools developed within PROACTIVE. This will provide innovative recommendations for policy-makers and safety and security practitioners.
PRACTITIONERS: these are Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs; typically Police organisations), First Responders (e.g. civil protection agencies, fire brigades, ambulance) and related stakeholders including private and public bodies, transport and logistic operators, etc. who may be involved in a response in support of the official responders and international, national and municipal authorities and civil society organisations such as those that help persons with disabilities and crisis management. (From the latter perspective, ‘Practitioner’ may also include personnel who were not specifically trained for CBRNe response or CBRN decontamination procedures, such as railway staff at a railway station or a doctor who might be caught up in the incident).
CITIZENS: these are members of the public but specifically including citizens with needs that differ to the average population such as persons with disabilities, the ill (e.g. with chronic or acute health conditions), elderly, or members of an ethnic minority or of a vulnerable group. Vulnerable groups may include children, pregnant women, persons with disabilities, chronic medical disorders or addiction, older persons with functional limitations and health restrictions, institutionalized individuals as well as their carers and companions. Vulnearable citizens also include persons with limited proficiency of the respective national languages or with restrictions regarding use of transportation.
TOOLS: these include processes, software, procedures, machine, mechanism, apparatus, appliance, piece of equipment and contraption. Several tools can be regrouped under a toolkit dedicated to a specific target group.
PROACTIVE will result in toolkits for CBRNe practitioners and for civil society organisations.
The expected results are in line with the the overall Security Union approach to fight crime and terrorism. Our results will provide valuable inputs to the EUROPOL initiative to develop a knowledge hub for CBRNe activities and help consolidate the EU Action Plan to enhance preparedness for CBRN threats.
Union internationale des chemins de fer (UIC – coordinator) France
CBRNE Ltd (CBRNE) United Kingdom
Population Protection Institute (PPI – Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic) Czech Republic
Deutsche Bahn AG (DB) Germany
Umea Universitet (UMU) Sweden
Deutsche Hochschule der Polizei (DHPOL) Germany
Rinisoft Ltd (RINISOFT) Bulgaria
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (WMP) UK
Eticas Research and Consulting SL (ETICAS) Spain
State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) Ukraine
Department of Health – Public Health England (DHSC-PHE) UK
State Police of Latvia (SPL) Latvia
An Garda Síochána – National Police Force Ireland (AGS) Ireland
Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt (FFI) Norway
Komenda Główna Policji (NPH) Poland
The consortium is reinforced through a large Advisory Board which is ensuring that the PROACTIVE outcomes meet the needs of both LEAs and the vulnerable civil society. The Advisory Board is being extended throughout the life of the project through a permanent new members recruitment process.
The Practitioner Stakeholder Advisory Board (PSAB) includes a high-level international panel of experts from different areas of knowledge and Practitioner stakeholders: LEAs, First Responders (e.g. medical, fire brigades), the military (including the European Defence Agency), rail security experts, government agencies, etc. Check out our flyer for more.
The Civil Society Advisory Board (CSAB) includes a diverse panel of representatives of vulnerable citizen groups: individual experts (on subjects e.g. vulnerability or disability rights) and civil society organisations (representatives of mental health organisations, associations of the elderly, children, passengers with disabilities, etc). Check out our flyer for more.
The External Ethics Advisory Board (EEAB) includes several independent ethics experts. The EEAB will provide advice and suggestions on the solutions and results of the project and will supervise the data protection and ethical issues of project research development, ensuring the PROACTIVE research activities and tools developed comply with ethical standards.
| Authors | Date | Title | Short Discription | Type | Conference / Journal / Book | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havârneanu, G.M. & Petersen, L. | 2024 | PROACTIVE EU Project: Practical results for CBRNe emergency responders Le projet européen PROACTIVE : résultats pratiques pour les intervenants en cas d’urgence NRBCe | This paper presents an overview of PROACTIVE's innovations and practical results, all while highlighting key findings on Emergency Medical Services. It also discusses how the PROACTIVE recommendations and tools can support emergency medicine in a CBRNe environment. | Academic Journal Paper | Médecine de Catastrophe - Urgences Collectives | DOI 10.1016/j.pxur.2024.01.004 |
| Petersen, L., Havârneanu, G.M., McCrone, N., Markarian, G., | 2023 | Practitioner Perspectives of the PROACTIVE CBRNe Disaster App | This work-in-progress paper focuses on a workshop carried out with practitioners to test the first PROACTIVE mobile app prototype. The results demonstrate that the prototype mobile app is in line with practitioners expectations but that there is room for improvement. | Conference Proceedings (with blind peer review) | 20th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM 2023) | DOI 10.59297/HVJN6870 |
| Petersen, L., Havârneanu, G.M., Arnold, A., Carbon, D., Görgen, T., Gavel, A., Kroupa, T., & Kardel, D. | 2023 | Applicability of PROACTIVE recommendations on CBRNe risks and threats to passenger rail and metro sectors | With a particular focus on rail and metro, this paper examines answers collected from railway and metro security experts during PROACTIVE research activities to see if the PROACTIVE recommendations are fit for these sectors. | Academic Journal Paper | Journal of Transportation Security | DOI: 10.1007/s12198-023-00263-3 |
| Zamorano, M. M., Bertelli, V, McCrone, N., & Petersen, L. | 2023 | Privacy by Design in CBRN Technologies Targeted to Vulnerable Groups: The Case of PROACTIVE | This paper provides the results of the privacy impact assessment conducted for the PROACTIVE solutions and its subsequent privacy by design integration process. | Conference Proceedings (with blind peer review) | International Conference on Information Technology in Disaster Risk Reduction | DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-34207-3_16 |
| Dennis, A., Weston, D., Amlôt, R., Arnold, A., Carbon, D., & Carter, H. | 2023 | The role of pre-incident information and responder communication in effective management of casualties, including members of vulnerable groups, during a decontamination field exercise | This paper provides the results from the first PROACTIVE field training exercise regarding First Responder communication, the needs of vulnerable individuals, levels of compliance, and the impact of pre-incident information, during decontamination. | Academic Journal Paper | International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction | DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103806 |
| Petersen, L., Havârneanu, G.M., McCrone, N., Markarian, G., Burlin, A., & Johansson, P. | 2022 | CBRNe, a universally designed app for that? | This article examines the results from four workshops held with the potential end-users of the PROACTIVE CBRNe mobile app, recruited from vulnerable groups. Following the MoSCoW methodology, requirements were established and their relevance to the Universal Design principles discussed. | Conference Proceedings (with blind peer review) | 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM 2022) | ISCRAM Digital Library: 2454 |
| Havârneanu, G.M., Petersen, L., & McCrone, N. | 2022 | Stakeholder Engagement Model to facilitate the uptake by end-users of Crisis Communication Systems | Developing a sustainable and sucessful crisis communication system requires a strong engagement model, which PROACTIVE has aimed to achieve via a plethora of methods which are explained in this chapter. | Book chapter | Security Technologies and Social Implications. IEEE Press. Wiley | DOI: 10.1002/9781119834175.ch8 |
| Havârneanu, G.M., Petersen, L., Arnold, A., Carbon, D., & Görgen, T. | 2022 | Preparing railway stakeholders against CBRNe threats through better cooperation with security practitioners | This paper studies six dimensions of the railway preparedness against CBRNe events by examining two surveys: one with 223 first responders, one with 30 rail companies. It identifies five skills that railway staff need to develop or improve. | Academic Journal Paper | Applied Ergonomics | DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103752 |
| Carbon, D., Arnold, A., Görgen, T. & Wüller, C. | 2022 | Crisis communication in CBRNe preparedness and response: Considering the needs of vulnerable people | This paper presents the findings from two surveys, one with CBRNe practitioner organisations (May–June 2020 and May–July 2021) and one with Civil Society organisations (October–December 2020), which revealed differences between the current CBRNe related communication management of CBRNe practitioners and the special needs of vulnerable people in crisis communication. | Academic Journal Paper | International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction | DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103187 |
| Zamorano, M. M., Trevisan, F., Bertelli, V, Marsh, I. Petersen, L. | 2022 | Stakeholders’ acceptability in CBRNe preparedness and response: assessing differential impact through PROACTIVE project | This poster analyses how acceptability of end-users and vulnerable groups is considered in CBRNe guidance documents and integrated into relevant technologies. | Poster | CBRNE Research and Innovation 2022 | DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.20009.88162 |
| Petersen, L., Havârneanu, G.M., McCrone, N., Markarian, G., & Kolev G. | 2021 | Universal Design & the PROACTIVE Project CBRNe App | This article lays out the methodology PROACTIVE is currently employing in order to create and validate the disaster app for the public and states some core requirements already co-developed. | Conference Proceedings (with blind peer review) | 17th annual conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM 2020) | ISCRAM Digital Library: 2388 |
| Anson, S., Bertel, D., Havârneanu G., & Petersen, L. | 2021 | Inclusive communication in times of crisis: lessons learned and recommendations from COVID-19 and other CBRNe incidents based on recent COVINFORM & PROACTIVE findings | Researchers participating in two EU funded projects, COVINFORM and PROACTIVE, published this white paper providing five recommendations for inclusive communication. These recommendations are based on research undertaken on crises such as CBRNe incidents, the COVID-19 outbreak and others. | Whitepaper | PROACTIVE & COVINFORM | DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27104.97286/1 |
| Arnold, A., Carbon, D., & Görgen, T. | 2021 | Besonders vulnerable Personengruppen im CBRNe-Einsatzmanagement | Conference Proceedings | 26th German Prevention Congress (2021) | DPT Online: 6595 | |
| Petersen, L., Havârneanu, G.M., Markarian, G., & McCrone, N. | 2019 | CBRNe and vulnerable citizens: co-creating an app for that | This article lays out the methodology PROACTIVE will employ in order to create and validate the PROACTIVE CBRNe disaster app. | Conference Proceedings (with blind peer review) | 2019 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Disaster Management (ICT-DM) | DOI: 10.1109/ICT-DM47966.2019.9032967 |
The PROACTIVE CBRNe Crisis Communication System is an innovative response tool which improves two-way communication between civil society and first responders. It also increases preparedness through its CBRNe Library. It is composed of three tools: the Web Collaborative Platform for LEAs, the Modular App for Practitioners, and the Mobile App for the public. The Mobile App for Practitioners and the Mobile App for Vulnerable Citizens are available as one single app, with the target end-user (practitioner or vulnerable citizen) being differentiated by access rights, available on Google Play and App store. All three tools are powered by the dedicated PROACTIVE CBRNe backend.
These public information materials are part of the toolkit for civil society developed in PROACTIVE. Co-created together between PROACTIVE consortium researchers, the public at large and CBRNe practitioners (full process is reported in Deliverables D5.1 & D5.2), the final results demonstrated that the materials are positively viewed by the public and that they can effectively influence knowledge, understanding and confidence in undertaking recommended behaviours over the long term (for at least six months).
This handy checklist Aide Memoire aims to assist exercise planners in organising training exercises where the public, including vulnerable groups, participate as volunteer victims. By incorporating the Aide Memoire into their exercise planning process, organisers will be in a better position to include in their emergency exercises individuals who made need support to meet their functional needs.
Key reasons to include the public at large in exercises:
We have come up with two handy formats for our Aide Memoire: one that is easy to carry around, in a 3-fold format, and another one designed for desk use, which is the A4 size.
More details available in Deliverable D3.2.
Our latest deliverable, titled “Report on the third field exercise and evaluation workshop (D6.5)” is now available. In this deliverable, we present the findings, lessons learned, and key takeaways from our third PROACTIVE field exercise. Read more…
Our Ranst CBRNe Training Exercise full length (3:30 min) video is out now! Get ready to dive into an educational experience as we take you through a gripping scenario at a university reception. Imagine the Read more…
A new flyer in Norwegian is available about the PROACTIVE project from our partner, the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI). The flyer is titled “Do vulnerable groups receive the assistance they need during CBRN incidents?” Read more…
On 13 May 2023, we conducted the third PROACTIVE field exercise in Ranst, Belgium, organised by Campus Vesta, in conjunction with the eNOTICE project. The scenario chosen for the exercise was an incident whereby around Read more…
We recently had an incredible experience at the Joint Final Conference held in Brussels, Belgium. This event brought together three EU-funded projects: eNOTICE, PROACTIVE, and PANDEM-2, with the aim of enhancing crisis management strategies in Read more…
In a recent episode of the Norwegian podcast Upgadert entitled “How can we take care of vulnerable groups in a crisis?”, Fatima Ibsen and Arne Joakim Bunkan from the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) discuss Read more…
Our third policy brief titled “Improving Interaction between First Responders and Civil Society in CBRNe Incidents: Guidelines for Policymakers” is available now! This document provides eleven critical recommendations for Policy Makers on how to enhance Read more…
Our latest report, titled “Policy-making Toolkit to Improve CBRNe Preparedness in the European Security Model (D4.4),” is now available! In this Deliverable, we introduce a comprehensive policy-making toolkit designed to enhance the secure, coordinated, and Read more…
We are pleased to announce the release of the PROACTIVE Pre-Incident Public Information Materials for CBRNe Incidents. This practical guidance document provides valuable information on how you can safeguard yourself during the initial stages of Read more…
European Union: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/area/security
Related project: https://www.h2020-enotice.eu/
