Continuing the work started last year to inform residents about civil protection, this year the local government of Riga plans to hold a series of seven seminars in various neighbourhoods, in which practically every Riga resident will be able to participate. The first seminar will take place this Thursday, 20 March, in the vicinity of the Teika Support Point of the Centre for Residents of Riga Neighbourhoods, and the next one will take place on 24 April in the vicinity of the Āgenskalns Support Point. Afterwards, seminars are planned in the vicinity of the Centre and Bolderāja Support Points, as announced by Linda Ozola, the Riga Deputy Mayor, at a press conference on Tuesday, 18 March.
“Riga is the first local government in Latvia to offer its residents this type of civil protection seminar for a specific neighbourhood of the city. Initially, registration for this seminar was slow, but this week we were forced to suspend registration because it significantly exceeds the number of available places. For all interested parties who will not be able to attend this event in person, we will offer a recording of this seminar. "Depending on the situation, we will also consider holding a repeat seminar in this area," says L. Ozola.
At the seminars, residents will have the opportunity to learn civil defence information specific to their neighbourhood, learn skills on how to adapt their basement to a safe haven, how to put together a 72-hour bag, and how to promote their mental resilience in an emergency situation. Residents will also receive information about opportunities to engage in national defence and other forms of civil resistance.
Seminars will be held throughout the year in seven different locations in the neighbourhoods of Riga. You can find the neighbourhood breakdown here: https://apkaimes.lv/aic/apkaimju-koordinatori/
At the seminars, Vitālijs Riekstiņš, RSU researcher and security and resilience expert, will inform about the "Resistance Handbook" and the recommendations it provides for residents.
Experts from the Riga City Council Civil Protection and Operational Information Department (CAOIP) will analyse the current situation in the neighbourhood and adjacent territories - where high-risk objects, evacuation routes, shelters, assembly points are located, and what the possible risks are.
Residents will also be able to learn about adapting basements for shelter needs, actions during the "X" hour, 72-hour bags, notification and communication options, and representatives of the Latvian Red Cross will talk about psychological self-help in emergency situations.
Last year, eight seminars on various civil protection topics were held at the Riga City Council. The local government of Riga invites every Riga resident to familiarise themselves with the information and video recordings compiled during the seminars on the local government's website www.riga.lv in the "Civil Defence" section. The section also includes the Civil Protection Plan of the Local Government of Riga and various other useful information materials on how to act in emergency situations.
Riga residents are invited to be active, familiarise themselves with the information available on the website www.riga.lv, follow the information on the local government's social networks, and participate in seminars organised by the local government, as being informed promotes a sense of security and allows you to avoid misunderstandings and mistakes.
Information was prepared by Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, email: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv.
