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The Protezione Civile (Civil Protection), officially Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (Civil Protection Department), is the national body in Italy that deals with the prediction, prevention and management of emergency events. It was established in 1992 by legge 24 febbraio 1992, n. 225, which was updated in 2012, and it is supervised by the office of the Prime Minister. The duties of the Protezione Civile are to predict, prevent and manage at national level disasters and catastrophes, both natural and human-made. The main goal is to protect the sake of life, the properties, the settlements and the environment from damage and dangers.
The current chief is Fabrizio Curcio.
In order to cope with the risky and difficult situations, the Protezione Civile needs a great deal of volunteers and all the other existing forces. More than 5,000 local volunteering organizations participate to the Protezione Civile activities that represent the backbone of the department.