The Advisory report on Guidelines for first responders on how to act in emergencies aims to support emergency services personnel in assisting persons with disabilities during emergencies in a dignified and effective way, according to each person’s requirements, needs and preferences. The advisory report includes a Toolkit of practical resources, also available separately on this page for ease of access.
An accessible, Plain English version of the Guidelines is available below.
This advisory report is complemented by the Advisory report on Guidelines for persons with disabilities on how to act in emergencies, which helps persons with disabilities, their support persons and communities to prepare, act and recover in an emergency.
Developed for first responders across Europe, the advisory report addresses six response roles: firefighters, mountain rescuers, 112 operators, police, medical assistance personnel and social assistance personnel. It covers community engagement and preparation before an intervention, action on the scene, and handover, safe care and learning afterwards, to support community resilience over time. It offers operational recommendations across eight functional requirements and support needs, rather than disability labels or clinical diagnoses, consistent with a human rights-based approach to disability. These recommendations can be adapted to everyday emergencies, natural and human-made disasters, and armed conflict, alongside existing national, local and institutional resources, procedures and protocols.
The Guidelines in the advisory report reflect the lived experiences and requirements of persons with disabilities and the operational realities of first responders. They are grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and draw on consultations with the European Disability Forum (EDF), other organizations of and for persons with disabilities, civil protection authorities and emergency response professionals, as well as research and good practices from Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) Member States and Participating States.
This advisory report on Guidelines for first responders supports the implementation of the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, in particular Action 33 under Population Preparedness, which calls for every citizen to have an active role in crisis preparedness and response. They form part of a set of three complementary documents that are intended to be read together. The European Union (EU) guidance on disability-inclusive preparedness provides the overarching framework, principles and practical direction. The two advisory reports, the one for first responders and the one for persons with disabilities, prepared by the World Bank Group serve as examples and offer detailed recommendations to support civil protection authorities, emergency services personnel, disability organizations, communities and persons with disabilities in applying the guidance in practice.
Version notice: The materials’ design is undergoing final revisions to improve accessibility. The final versions will become available on this page within November 2026.
This advisory report on the Guidelines for first responders on how to act in emergencies was prepared under Component 2 of the Technical Assistance Financing Facility for Disaster Prevention and Preparedness (TAFF), financed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), implemented by the World Bank Group and managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).
