The first signatures: During Arendalsuka, the "Romerike Declaration" was signed by, among others, Rælingen Municipality, Lillestrøm Municipality, Romerike Sparebank, Aurskog Sparebank, OsloMet, Akershus Energi, and Aurskog-Høland Municipality. Photo: Anette Gangnæs
A number of municipalities, businesses, and research and knowledge institutions are joining forces to strengthen total emergency preparedness in Romerike – and to make the region a national hub for testing, exercises, and learning.
The starting signal for the signing of the "Romerike Declaration for Total Preparedness" was given during the Kunnskapsbyen City's event "Can we trust the business sector in times of crisis and war?" at Arendalsuka on August 12. The declaration brings together public and private actors around a shared ambition to develop Romerike as a practical development arena for cooperation on security and preparedness in NODE60 and the Norway Defence and Security Centre (NODESEC).
The following actors were ready to sign at the outset:
• Lillestrøm Municipality
• Aurskog-Høland Municipality
• Rælingen Municipality
• Romerike Sparebank
• Aurskog Sparebank
• Kvikkere Hoder Rekruttering
• Institute for Energy Technology
• OsloMet
• Akershus Energi
• NORSAR
• NILU
Must practice before the crisis hits
The declaration states that preparedness must be built before a crisis occurs. The stakeholders will therefore collaborate to understand risks, prevent incidents, test coordination, and learn from exercises.
The goal is, among other things, to identify the resources available in the region, determine who to contact in a crisis, and understand how communication lines function when society is under pressure.
Romerike hosts several vital societal functions, including critical infrastructure, logistics hubs, research and technology environments, municipalities, businesses, and emergency response actors. This gives the region a strong foundation for developing a national test arena.
– Preparedness is built together
Lillestrøm Mayor Kjartan Berland believes the declaration shows that Romerike is taking responsibility for Norway's total preparedness.
– The declaration unites municipalities, the business sector, research environments, and other emergency actors around a common ambition, he says.
Berland points out that the collaboration builds upon the expertise and resources already present in the region, including those within the NODE60 partnership.
Romerike Sparebank also supports the initiative. CEO Siri Berggreen believes that a more complex risk and threat landscape makes collaboration more important than ever.
– When the public sector, the business community, and organizations pull in the same direction, we will be better equipped to meet both current and future challenges, she says.
Strengthening existing preparedness
The partnership will not establish parallel emergency structures. The purpose of the collaboration is to strengthen existing responsibilities, plans, roles, and coordination arenas:
• Total preparedness is intended to prevent incidents and strengthen society's ability to withstand stress.
• Romerike will conduct exercises for difficult scenarios.
• Preparedness begins with risk awareness, which must be built before a crisis occurs.
• Business resources are a central part of preparedness.
• Roles and communication lines must be known in advance.
• Communication must be clear – alert channels and points of contact must be clarified and practiced.
• Total preparedness is not a solo effort, but an interaction between public and private actors.
• All lessons learned must be shared.
Inviting more to join
The Romerike Declaration primarily expresses a shared commitment to collaborate on risk assessment, prevention, exercises, and learning. The declaration itself does not entail any financial or legal obligations. Such obligations would need to be included in any potential future agreements.
– This is a great start. We have brought together a broad pool of expertise from pioneering public and private actors across various industries. Although we are well-positioned to create a national learning arena, we hope to bring even more partners on board, says Inger-Lise M. Nøstvik, CEO of Kunnskapsbyen.
Kunnskapsbyen invites interested organizations to join the partnership. Please contact us for more information.
.avif)
.avif)
