safety and security, continuous training revisions are mandatory. The SETOFF project deals with this need,

enhancing the preparedness of the targeted personnel through this particular e-training program. The SETOFF

project employs a comprehensive needs analysis, and focuses on the treatment of specific skill gaps so as to create

an e-training procedure, transversally designed, and specially oriented to all safety and security personnel involved

in natural disaster management. The present study reveals critical aspects of personnel’s skills inadequacies and

false assessment of the triggering primary causes. Training expectations usually diverge from the actual needs due

to inappropriate/misleading analysis of natural and man-made disasters, inefficient assessment of the evolving

Received: August 15, 2023. Revised: May 24, 2024. Accepted: June 26, 2024. Published: July 26, 2024.

The responsibilities of those involved in Safety and

Security within Civil Protection and the private

our greatest strength and innovative tools For risk

analyses across partner countries. Various

cases/findings stress the need for such initiatives.

They point out deficiencies and limitations in

understanding the nature and mechanisms of natural

and man-made disasters, inefficient assessment of the

evolving dynamics, deficit with respect to training

tactics, and limited access to actual disaster

management drills. Therefore, an in-depth training

needs analysis was conducted across partner

countries during the project’s initial phase. The goal

policymakers, first responders, end-users, etc., on the

unique demanding conditions, and «grey» areas

within Safety and Security resilience (flexibility).

Focusing firmly on Greece’s demands and case

studies offers a vital component, forming the

structure of the SETOFF e-training program. By

inspecting the specific differences either of minor or

major importance within Greece’s civil protection

landscape, the present paper aims to stress the

importance of fitting the e-training content within the

time an adaptive training for various categories of

personnel involved in Safety and Security operations

according to their profile and demands.

The insights derived from the analysis pertained

to Greece’s case provide a detailed canvas of the

country’s distinct challenges and also serve as a

guiding compass in developing an e-training program

that includes and addresses specialized needs. The

transversal approach seeks to provide adaptive and

comprehensive training content that effectively

Man-made or natural disasters can cause severe

damage to individuals, communities, economies,

The overarching goals of the SETOFF Project

specifically address the identified knowledge and

relevant performance gaps. The curriculum is

accessible via an e-platform so as to be rendered

available on portable devices encouraging a

community of learners to enhance skills in Safety and

Security management. In addition, the project

imposed a significant emphasis (emphasized) on

collaboration and resource optimization.

To facilitate trainees’ needs, the SETOFF project

aims to flexible training in a familiar and reliable

various countries. It does not aim to exchange critical

information in real-time in remote or disaster-prone

areas. Therefore, its resources were focused on

identifying the training needs and developing

competent material, rather than on high-end

technologies in telecommunications.

Therefore, the mainstream platform (Google’s

Moodle) was used. Issues of bandwidth and

reliability were tested in the pilot application without

any important findings. Regarding the security

the project and the responsibility lies with the

institutions applying the training. Being security-

critical organizations, they are all aware of these

issues and have certain policies.

The knowledge base (fundamental knowledge) is

enriched through the creation and improvement of

simulation scenarios developed by professionals from

different countries. Moreover, resource availability

problems and challenges were compensated by

sharing existing installations, and on-site and

endeavors. In alignment with these overarching

objectives, an in-depth assessment and analysis of

training needs were meticulously conducted.

This assessment was used as a fundamental

Priority was given to the study of research

Scientific databases such as Scopus were

information for training programs in the field of civil

protection.

Natural and man-made disasters can have very

serious effects on the lives and health of citizens, the

economy, and the environment. Today’s hazards such

as biological, environmental, geological, hydro-

meteorological, and technological processes and

phenomena (as mentioned in the Sendai Framework

for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030) pose a major

threat to humans and the environment, [1]. New risks

take into account the interactions between risk factors

has been emphasized by introducing the concept of

“multi-hazard”.

In relation to strengthening resilience against

natural and technological disasters and other threats,

the need to invest in systems and infrastructures

clearly emerges.

The importance of training for civil protection

personnel and first responders for disaster risk

reduction in relation to natural or man-made origin

Civil Protection Mechanism was established in 2001

to aid in the mobilization of emergency assistance

from Participating States, [9]. In order to improve

disaster response, preparedness, and prevention by

enhancing the expertise of the experts involved and

ensuring compatibility and complementarity between

intervention teams and other intervention support, a

training program has been established for civil

protection and emergency management personnel.

A key aspect that emerged from the qualitative field

issue as those involved in civil protection face serious

risks to their health and safety leading to accidents

and occupational diseases.

For the integrated construction of the training

Especially in Greece, due to past disasters,

In order to conduct a field study investigating the

protection, such as Civil protection organizations

(municipality, regional unity, central government),

Fire service, Police, Emergency medical service,

Coast guard, Security service, as well as individuals

with Safety Engineer duties, trainers in training

programs, civil protection experts, volunteers, etc.

The instrument was distributed to more than 100

recipients per participating country using a snowball

sampling method [21] due to convenience. Thus, the

data collected constitute a quasi-sample mainly

"sample". The confidence level was a=0.05.

The quantitative training needs study was carried

out based on the following pivotal axes:

Firstly, the survey seeks insights on the thematic

modules vital for inclusion in the training program

and the specific content necessary within each

module to adequately fulfill fundamental training

needs. Additionally, it explores the optimal duration

for each training module, aiming to strike a balance

between depth of learning and practicality.

educational methodologies, the survey pursues the

identification of the most suitable methods, tools, and

best practices for distance learning. Simultaneously,

the survey examines the primary challenges

pertaining to distance learning implementation and

strategies to overcome these obstacles effectively.

Lastly, the survey deals with the crucial issue of

certification. It examines various methods to ensure

validation and certification of the obtained

knowledge providing evidence about the skills gained

in the 4 countries. Particularly, in each country, 2

Focus Groups were created, based on the division

between private sector and public sector employees.

A tailored Focus Groupe Guide was created to

The high educational qualifications that emerge

of manmade or natural disasters and consequently

reflect the main areas that training should address in

order to provide continuous skill development that

will strengthen preparedness and resilience. Meeting

and responding to the constantly changing needs in

the field of disaster management training is one of the

core goals of the SETOFF Project. The

interdisciplinary approach adopted while creating the

e-training resulted in the creation of adaptable,

inclusive, personalized training paths that aspire to

The survey also reveals low percentages of

ECVET credits acquisition across various training

areas, despite the extended offer in training

initiatives. This deficit reflects the lack of

implementing VET policy within civil protection

training initiatives (Table 2). The SETOFF training

recognizes this need and aims to provide a horizontal,

customized training experience tailored to various

trainee needs and profiles. Accrediting recognition of

their efforts to keep pace with the everchanging needs

The survey participants reported the degree of

The preferences regarding the ideal duration of

Fig. 3: Optimal duration of an online training

program

while there's a preference for longer courses, a

significant proportion also indicates the suitability of

shorter-duration training sessions. The variation

might reflect the diverse nature of these topics and

differing levels of prior training experiences among

respondents. As a matter of fact, there is a negative

correlation among duration and attendance (r=-0.557,

p<0.001 as well as among duration and prior skills

These data present a dual focus: the importance

training programs to accommodate varying

preferences while ensuring comprehensive coverage

of critical topics within civil protection.

In the course of the focus group interviews

conducted, several crucial areas were investigated,

shedding light on crucial issues relevant to disaster

management and resilience training. The Focus

Group Interviews provided a structured framework of

five key area questions that allowed us to collect

insights from the participants and thus facilitate

Key Area Question 2 - Experiences: Participants

Key Area Question 3 - Curriculum Content

Key Area Question 5 - Platform Contents:

Table 3. Focus Groups interviews insights

Providing a structured approach to the Focus

Table 3 presents the key insights that were

Overall, the focus Group Interviews highlighted