The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Health will have a single regulation for the elimination of the consequences of an accident

The Ministry of Internal Affairs posted on regulation.gov.ru a draft joint regulation with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport for “interaction of services in the aftermath of an accident.” The document distributes functions between departments. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, for example, registers an accident, provides first aid, organizes unhindered travel to the scene of an accident, regulates traffic, and ensures the preservation of material evidence related to an accident. The Ministry of Health engages the disaster medicine service, evacuates the victims and provides them with care in hospitals. The Ministry of Transport is responsible for moving damaged cars from the roadway, from ditches, as well as for restoring damaged road signs and traffic lights. The Ministry of Emergency Situations will deal with extinguishing fires in case of accidents and preventing the “spread of secondary damaging factors” as a result, for example, of a fuel spill.

The elimination of the consequences of a particular accident will be led by a senior police officer working at the scene. The decision to “immediately remove” the injured person from the damaged car will be made by the paramedics. In certain cases, specialists from the psychological service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations or the Ministry of Health will be involved in the participation – they will be able to advise the victims both in person and remotely using telemedicine or by phone. Such services will be involved, including in the event of emergencies that have a “broad public resonance”.

The regions, on the basis of the regulations, will develop and approve their own instructions “taking into account climatic and geographical features and resource endowment.” At the regional level, there should also be a “road cover plan”, which will detail the areas of responsibility of the police and ambulance crews for specific areas.

Ivan Tyazhlov