Partners

About Provincie Zeeland 
Provincie Zeeland a region surrounded by the sea and particularly vulnerable to flooding and sea-level rise. It functions as a regional government layer with statutory tasks and responsibilities in areas such as spatial development, water, housing, regional economy, vital countryside, nature, climate, culture and mobility. By intergrading the principles of multilayer-safety within these areas, Provincie Zeeland wants to minimise the negative consequences of flooding as much as possible. 

Role within FIER 
Provincie Zeeland is the lead partner of FIER. 

Objective regarding FIER 
Provincie Zeeland aims to minimize the negative consequences of flooding as much as possible.

Email: fier@zeeland.nl 

About Veiligheidsregio Zeeland 
Veiligheidsregio Zeeland (VRZ) is dedicated to ensuring the safety of the residents of the Zeeland province. This includes coordinating emergency services in the event of major incidents. VRZ is responsible for the crisis organisation and serves as the advisory board for regional and local governmental bodies on disaster prevention, crisis management, and emergency response.

Role within FIER
Veiligheidsregio Zeeland analyses and develops policy measures, instruments and dissemination. The organisation is committed to the safety of the residents of the province of Zeeland by, for example, coordinating emergency services during major incidents.

Objective regarding FIER 
Veiligheidsregio Zeeland aims to improve their activities/responsibilities during flood threats or actual flooding and to reduce the impact for residents within their safety region.

About Jade Hochschule Wilhelmshaven/Oldenburg/Elsfleth 
The Jade Hochschule is a public university of applied sciences based in Wilhelmshaven, Oldenburg and Elsfleth, Germany. The organisation is a part of various Interreg projects, including research on emergency management in the Wesermarsch region, resulting in deficiencies in current evacuation management.

Role within FIER 
Activities conducted for FIER in the Wesermarsch region are coordinated by Jade Hochschule. The organisation also organises regular regional forums with stakeholders and focuses on the development of evacuation strategies in the event of floods, with special emphasis on vertical evacuation and vulnerable groups.

Objective regarding FIER 
Jade Hochschule aims to address key issues for the target region (e.g. flood resilience) in tight collaboration with regional stakeholders, learn from previous projects, such as the Interreg project FRAMES, and strengthen and expand the organisations’ transnational networks in the North Sea region.

About Federale Dienst Gouverneur Oost-Vlaanderen – Dienst Noodplanning
Federale Dienst Gouverneur Oost-Vlaanderen is a governmental organisation on a provincial level under the authority of the governor of East-Flanders, located in East-Flanders, Belgium. The organisation is responsible for the creation of provincial emergency plans for flood risks and organising emergency planning exercises with emergency services and local governments. 

Role within FIER 
Federale Dienst Gouverneur Oost-Vlaanderen provides support in developing guidelines for local governments and the general population to counter the effect of floods before, during and after crisis. Additionally, the organisations organises a transnational exercise for emergency services and local government regarding floods.

Objective regarding FIER 
Federale Dienst Gouverneur Oost-Vlaanderen aims to:

• Develop comprehensive guides to help governments, organisations, and civilians determine the best course of action before, during and after floods
• Enhance understanding of the various existing procedures in the North Sea Region regarding floodings, with room for improvement for all involved parties.
• Strengthen and organise a network of experts to support the project’s goals

About Torsby kommun 
Torsby kommun is a municipality in the northern most part of the county Värmland, Sweden. It is a low-populated area with 11,300 inhabitants spread over 4,350 square kilometres. As an organisation, Torsby kommun is responsible for a variety of matters including spatial and territorial planning and development, environmental supervision and building permits, infrastructure such as roads, business development, social welfare and childcare. 

Role within FIER 
Torsby Kommun informs and alarms residents and coordinates rescue operations in its project area. Within the project, the organisation examines roles and responsibilities in relation to flood crises.

Objective regarding FIER
Torsby Kommun aims to:

• Communicate the risks of floods and inform residents of what to do and what to expect in case of an emergency caused by flooding
• Enhance knowledge and be better prepared for future floodings and their consequences
• Develop evacuation plans for the valley of Klarälven in case of flooding

About Karlstad University 
Karlstad University, located in Karlstad, Sweden, aims to challenge the known and explore the unknown. The university is profiled by reputable top-level academic environments where research and teaching are closely interconnected. It systematically works towards socially, economically and ecologically sustainable societal development.

Role within FIER 
The university examines the adaptability, need and willingness to integrate existing and new disaster risk management tools. It also provides support in the assessment of heavy rainfall (cloudburst), river and lake flooding in the Värmland region and detects ideas for tools’ future development based on the users’ needs.

Objective regarding FIER 
Karlstad University aims to expand its network, skills and development and the visibility of the organisation.

About Gemeente Dordrecht
The City of Dordrecht, an island in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta in South Holland, has around 122,000 residents. The municipality includes the entire island. Its Green Blue City team, a research and development group, focuses on biodiversity, climate adaptation (including water safety), and a healthy living environment. Comprising members from various clusters, it works on politically prioritised topics, generating relevant knowledge and integrating it into the municipal organisation.

Role within FIER 
Gemeente Dordrecht leverages knowledge from other projects and partners in FIER, applying insights from partners to its initiatives. Using experience from its pilot project and expertise in citizen engagement, Dordrecht expands efforts to raise awareness and enhance emergency response during climate-induced flood crises.

Objective regarding FIER 
Gemeente Dordrecht aims to:

• Broaden its network of partners and build sustainable relationships.
• Gain insights from the challenges and successes of other participating partners.
• Using these insights to develop the water safety approach in Dordrecht.

About Syndicat Mixte pour le Schéma d’Aménagement et de Gestion des Eaux du Boulonnais (SYMSAGEB)
SYMSAGEB is a waterboard composed of 6 intercommunalities, covering 81 municipalities with a population of 172.000 inhabitants. The territory includes three main rivers -Liane, Wimereux and Slack- each flowing into the sea. SYMSAGEB is a local public authority with 2 governance bodies : the Bureau composed of 5 elected officials (the President and the 4 Vice Presidents), and the Comité Syndical, composed of 56 elected officials (28 permanent post holders / 28 deputies).  SYMSAGEB its main missions are flood prevention, management of natural aquatic environments, Water Policy Local Scheme, and management of wetlands.

Role within FIER 
SYMSAGEB is active throughout the project. It works on raising awareness on risks through events & other activities such animations in schools, improving crisis management through support on municipalities & inter-municipalities emergency plans, and strengthening collective resilience to facilitate the post-crisis period.

Objective regarding FIER 
SYMSAGEB aims to:

• Raise awareness and promote self-efficacy for floods
• Enhance municipalities emergency response plans (support on emergency plans, real-life exercises)
• Reduce citizens & companies vulnerability to foster resilience
• Share knowledge on floods and insight on recovery from flood event
• Strengthen connections with other French and international institutions working on similar issues
• Gain insights from the challenges and successes of other participating partners

About BUILDERS Ecole d’ingénieurs 
BUILDERS Ecole d’Ingénieurs, an engineering school in Normandy, France, specialises in construction, including maritime works. The school excels in designing and developing eco-materials for marine applications and coastal protection against rising waters and flooding. BUILDERS also explores wave energy recovery and has led numerous projects analysing marine biodiversity, focusing on sustainable, environmentally friendly materials.

Role within FIER
BUILDERS implements drone-based measurement and surveillance of dikes during floods to anticipate local issues and take preventive measures. The organisation will develop a reproducible acquisition and processing protocol for use in monitoring and crisis management by various professionals during floods.

Objective regarding FIER 
BUILDERS aims to improve its drone technology and to support its use by crisis management organisations against floods