Russia, US to extend program of interaction in emergency management

The Russian and US governments will extend their bilateral program of interaction in the sphere of emergency management.

RIA Novosti was told in the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press service that the relevant agreement will be signed on Wednesday, October 22, in Washington.

The agreement will be the continuation of a memorandum on mutual understanding, concluded between the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), subordinate to the DHS, and the Russian Emergencies Ministry in July 1996.

In the framework of the memorandum, a joint program to fight the consequences of natural disasters and man-caused emergencies was launched for the first time. American rescuers participated in the Emergencies Ministry exercises in Pskov, while Russian experts worked on probation in the US and took part in drills to ensure secure work of nuclear power plants in Nebraska and Iowa.

Russia and the US also plan to exchange experience of 911 rescue service work and population evacuation technologies, development of a specialized aircraft to extinguish forest fires, protection of citizens from radiological leakages, use of electronic databases and the Internet in emergency situations.