Facing harsh weather: Safety and emergency preparedness in Norwegian municipalities
A report prepared by Menon Economics for NITO maps how Norwegian municipalities are equipped to ensure safety and emergency preparedness in the technical sector. In particular, it looks at how the municipalities work with critical infrastructure, climate change and the need for engineering and technology expertise.
Norwegian municipalities are responsible for key tasks within safety and emergency preparedness in the technical sector. This applies to water supply, sewerage, risk and vulnerability work and planning, among other things. The report "Against harsh weather" provides an overall knowledge base on how the municipalities meet these tasks, what differences exist between the municipalities, and what skills needs may await in the future.
Main findings
The survey shows that Norwegian municipalities as a whole face challenges in meeting the legal requirements for safety and emergency preparedness in the technical sector. The average compliance rate is about 77 per cent, and no municipality fully meets all requirements. There are large differences between the municipalities, especially between small and large. Planning and building is the area with the lowest compliance with the law.
The size of the municipality is the clearest explanatory factor for the differences. Large municipalities generally meet more requirements than small ones. At the same time, intermunicipal cooperation, especially in water and sewerage, is linked to higher compliance with the law in this area. The analyses also indicate a possible correlation between experience with natural events and higher compliance with the law.
Behind the differences lies a growing gap between requirements and capacity. Many municipalities lack either cutting-edge technical expertise or the capacity to use the expertise they have. At the same time, the municipalities are increasingly purchasing services from external parties, which places greater demands on internal ordering expertise.
A general finding is also that in many cases planning is not followed up with training and exercises.
Report: Towards harsh reality
About the report
The report "Against harsh reality" has been prepared by Menon Economics on behalf of NITO. It maps how Norwegian municipalities are equipped to ensure safety and emergency preparedness in the technical sector, with particular attention to climate change and the need for engineering and technology expertise.
The analysis is based on several data sources and methods. It combines literature review, indicator-based mapping of municipalities, interviews with relevant actors and scenario analysis of future competence needs.
The report covers key municipal areas of responsibility such as risk and vulnerability work, water supply, sewerage and planning and construction. It provides an overall knowledge base for understanding how the municipalities work with safety and emergency preparedness in the technical sector.
