When societal development overtakes emergency preparedness – a call from the front line
The development of Danish society is moving at a speed that was unthinkable a few years ago.
The green transition, digitalisation and new construction methods create a society where energy, technological development, transport and infrastructure are linked across sectors. This is a development that benefits society as a whole – but which at the same time challenges one of our most fundamental safety nets: the municipal rescue service.
Because as society becomes greener, smarter and more complex, rescue tasks also become more demanding, more dangerous and technically complicated. Danish Emergency Management's new report "The Development of Society" points to an unpleasant imbalance: While the risks grow, the operational prerequisites available to the emergency services are reduced.
The complexity is growing – but the skills are not keeping up
The level of training of the rescue services is currently far from adapted to the challenges faced by firefighters. The basic training for a firefighter lasts a few weeks, and the maintenance of competencies is primarily based on a few annual exercises in known scenarios. But how do you handle a fire in a solar cell system on the roof of a high-rise building, where electrical risks, roof construction and energy storage interact in a dangerous system? Or an incident at a PtX plant where hydrogen, methanol and ammonia can react explosively and require chemical expertise, gas measurement and the use of special suits? These incidents are not future scenarios – they are potentially contemporary events in a Denmark that – sensibly – has chosen to invest in green energy and sustainable construction.
Therefore, the need for a more systematic, national education boost is acute. We can no longer expect local emergency services alone to adapt to a technological revolution that increasingly requires interdisciplinary knowledge and technical understanding at a high level.
New equipment – but outdated structures
Many municipal emergency services still operate with equipment and vehicles that are designed for a world with traditional house fires and fewer risks. Today, firefighters encounter electric vehicles, battery storage facilities (BESS), solar parks and high-rise buildings, where access, water supply and electrical voltages create entirely new challenges. In the event of a fire in a photovoltaic system on the roof of an industrial building, the fire can spread invisibly under the panels, where heat and flames accelerate in the semi-closed cavities. It has been documented in research that such constructions can lead to rapid roof collapses – and in practice, the fire brigade often has to extinguish from the ground, without access to the roof surface.
When an electric car catches fire in a parking facility, the battery can continue its thermal runaway for hours. Extinguishing requires large amounts of water and special equipment, while toxic gases are developed under extreme heat. In these cases, the safety, technical understanding and material capacity of the crew become crucial. But more equipment also requires more resources and specially trained personnel. Several emergency services and their owner municipalities are therefore faced with a dilemma: Either they procure special equipment and face financial and logistical challenges – or they refrain and risk insufficient efforts.
Tactics and organisation in imbalance
In Denmark, there is no nationwide framework for the development of tactical response methods. Each emergency response must develop solutions for itself when reality changes locally. This means that the tactics for dealing with fires in facades, parking garages or PtX facilities often vary from emergency preparedness to emergency preparedness. This local adaptation is increasingly inadequate. Society's new risks require that knowledge, equipment and experience are shared across the emergency services.
The working environment as a strategic challenge
The technological and structural complexity is directly reflected in the firefighters' working environment. The efforts are becoming longer, more dangerous and more physically demanding. Fires in large scrap or wood pellet warehouses can last for weeks and draw on personnel from several emergency services. At the same time, the mental strain increases: High-risk situations, failing technical installations and unpredictable events require a mental robustness that cannot be taken for granted. Occupational health and safety must therefore be regarded as a strategic management task – not just an employer's responsibility.
A question of capacity – and political prioritization
When a fire in a silo with 55,000 tonnes of wood pellets in Studstrup lasts for 29 days and requires nationwide support, the challenge becomes clear: Our current level of capacity does not match the requirements of reality. Municipal emergency services must increasingly be able to solve incidents that are both local and national in their consequences. This requires a new look at the role of emergency preparedness as part of the critical national infrastructure.
Therefore, now is the time to get to grips before the structural backlog of the emergency response system becomes a security policy weakness. There is a need for national investments in education, research and equipment – and a political recognition that the balance between green transition and societal security must be better aligned.
A shared responsibility for the futureThe Danish Emergency Management Agency's analysis should not be seen as a pessimistic call – but a realistic signal from the front line. The rescue service is one of society's most reliable safety nets, but it cannot solve the tasks of the future alone and without the right resources. The green transition is necessary. But it requires that we at the same time modernise our ability to protect people, the environment and values. Without a strong and competent rescue response team, the sustainable future will be vulnerable.
The preparedness of the future should therefore be seen as a national investment in security close to the individual citizen – not a random municipal expense item. Because when firefighters are faced with smoke, heat and chemistry, or for that matter in larger and more frequent climate incidents, facing the consequences of hybrid attacks, or at the forefront of the response to a security incident, they represent not only a local emergency response, but society's collective ability to withstand the risks of change.
See the report here