Protect Yourself - Right On Time !

Dangers and emergencies can occur without sufficient time for preparation.
Past experience proved that people who had been well prepared and were knowledgeable about coping with emergencies, were able to take correct action and saved themselves and their families. Simple actions you take today can save your family in an emergency.
You must take several actions as early as today: first, select your protected space, based on the specific warning time in your area. Information about warning times can be found on the internet website or through the information center. If you have an apartment protected space, or a shelter you can reach within this time frame, prepare it and make sure it has been cleared. If you do not have an apartment protected space or an available shelter, you must select an internal space with minimum windows and openings. You should not select the bathroom, toilet or kitchen as a protected room, due to the risk of tiles shattering into small pieces. Upper floor tenants who do not have an apartment protected space must go down one floor and select the stair room as the protected space. Additionally, you should prepare the equipment for the protected space, as per the information sent on the magnet map.

In a state of war, three central components will have an impact. First, the offensive military operations intended to ensure the state’s continued existence and sovereignty and remove the threat over the home front; second, the defensive activities of the Israeli air force and the anti missile protection systems such as the Hetz and the Patriot missiles; third, the civilian’s actions at the home front during the preparation phase and is actual war, as well as the actions taken by security and rescue organizations, government ministries and the various authorities.
However, only you can prepare yourself and your family for emergencies.
Past experience proved that people who were well prepared and knowledgeable about coping with emergencies, were able to take correct action and saved themselves and their families.

If a war takes place, there may be a threat of explosive (conventional) missiles and a threat of chemical warhead (unconventional) missiles.
When explosive (conventional) missiles hit the ground, they will cause an explosion damaging structures and infrastructures, and may even cause death of human beings.
It is important to know that the internal protected space provides good protection against a missile, as demonstrated during the Second Lebanese War when thousands of missiles were fired towards northern Israel, and during the Oferet Yetzuka military mission. In both cases, those who followed the rear-area headquarters instructions saved their lives.

Anyone whose home is equipped with an apartment protected space, even if living on the top floor, must get into the apartment protected space upon hearing the siren. The apartment protected space is surrounded by durable concrete walls with maximum resistant to the risks which might arise as a result of a nearby explosion.

A missile will probably penetrate the roof and be able to penetrate one floor down. Therefore, we instruct the public not to stay on a building’s top floor at all. If you can reach the shelter in your building within the time frame available to you in your area, the shelter would serve as your protected space. In any case, it is recommended to examine and drill, even today, the entrance to the protected space that you have chosen.
If you are not able to reach the shelter within the time frame available in your area, you must choose one of two options: the first option is the stair room. If the stair room is an internal one, you should go down one floor and stay in the stair room. The surrounding apartments form an excellent buffer. The second option is a neighbor’s apartment. It is recommended to discuss the matter with your neighbor in advance.

Toilet rooms, bath rooms and kitchens are not recommended because of the ceramic tiles and mirrors that may shatter as a result of the blast.

The rear-area headquarters, in collaboration with various other countries around the world, conducts annual tests in order to examine the protection’s effectiveness. In these tests, missile and rocket hits are simulated in the proximity of various types of structure . Additionally, the rear-area headquarters investigates the impact of the attacks on civilian areas in Israel and abroad, and analyzes where did the civilians, who were victims to these attacks, stayed.
These tests and investigation have resulted in a clear conclusion: correct selection of the internal protected space for the structure where one is living and staying during an attack can save one’s life!
During the Second Lebanese War and the Oferet Yetzuka military campaign, it was demonstrated that those staying inside a structure and within an internal space were hardly ever hurt!

The responsibility for public shelter maintenance legally lies with the local authority.
Maintenance of shelters in private buildings is the responsibility of all of the building’s tenants. The local authority may clear any equipment not intended for use in the shelter within 15 days of notifying the tenants or building committee in writing. Alternatively, it can instruct them to carry out the required maintenance work within the established time period.
The shelter is a protected space constructed above or below ground level, and is intended to be utilized by all tenants. The responsibility for maintaining and caring for these shelters lies with all tenants of that building.
The rear-area headquarters is the professional authority as far as shelters and protected spaces around the country. This means that the rear-area headquarters establishes and supervises construction standards.

The responsibility for public shelter maintenance legally lies with the local authority.
Maintaining the shelters that are located within private buildings is the responsibility of all of the tenants living in that building. The local authority may clear any equipment not intended for use in the shelter within 15 days of notifying the tenants or building committee in writing. Alternatively, it can instruct them to carry out the required maintenance work within the established time period.
The public shelter is a protected space constructed above or below ground level, and is intended to be utilized by anyone living in that area.

It is essential to maintaining the apartment / floor protected area during routine. The protected area must be vacant and ready for use at any time.
The apartment / floor protected area’s fitness for use must be inspected once every three months. The following points must be examined:
A. Inspect whether the door is sealed.
B. Inspect the internal window.
C. Ensure that it is possible to lock the door, internal sealed window and steel window (blast)
D. Inspect that all fixtures are in proper working condition, reinforcing as needed: lighting and other fixtures in the room (electrical outlets, covers, etc.).
E. Inspect ventilation pipes.
Ensure walls are intact.

It is essential to maintaining the building’s shelter during routine. The shelter must be vacant and ready for use at any time.
You must ensure the shelter is properly sealed, inspect its cleanliness and ready access, as well as inspect the water and sewage systems are in proper working condition.

The Civil Defense Law requires tenants to clear out any equipment not intended for use inside the shelter, to maintain the shelter’s cleanliness and keep it in a condition that would allow its use at any time as protection against an attack. The local authority may clear any equipment not intended for use in the shelter within 15 days of notifying the tenants or building committee in writing. Alternatively, it can instruct them to carry out the required maintenance work within the established time period.

The responsibility for maintaining the public shelter lies with the local authority.

Several identification systems exist for warning the population against a rocket or missile attack.
For security reasons, further details about these systems cannot be provided.
It is important to stress that the warning system will identify the estimated location of the missile hit and will operate the sirens in that area.

In Israel, there is a siren system that warns civilians before a missile attack on the home front.
In recent years, the rear-area headquarters has made the siren system more sophisticated, so now sirens can be sounded only in those areas where a missile may hit. A fluctuating siren is a signal for every civilian to go through the established defense actions, because a missile may hit in that area. However, one should listen to instructions transmitted through the media and act accordingly.

If you are indoors:
You must go into the apartment / floor protected area, shelter or internal protected areas within the established time frame for your area and shut all doors and windows.
If you are outdoors:
You must go into a nearby building within the established time frame for your area. If there is no nearby building, or if you are in an open area, you should lie down and protect your head with the hands.
If you are driving a vehicle:
In an urban area: pull over and go into a nearby building.
In an interurban area: continue driving until you reach a constructed area. Pull over and go into a nearby building.
After 10 minutes, you can go out of the selected protected area, unless otherwise instructed.