civil defence

Organized activities by the civilian population of a state to defend against and reduce the effects of enemy attack.

Civil defence worldwide During World War II civil-defence efforts were centred on providing adequate warning of air raids to permit the civilian population to reach shelter; then firefighting, food, rescue, communications, and ambulance services were needed. Subsequently, the threat of nuclear weapons led to the building of fallout shelters in the USA, the USSR, and elsewhere. China has networks of tunnels in cities that are meant to enable the population to escape nuclear fallout and reach the countryside, but which do not protect against the actual blast. Sweden and Switzerland have highly-developed civil-defence systems.