Avalanche Commission
The Avalanche Commission is a body that provides advice on the current weather, snow cover and avalanche situation. It consists of experts with local knowledge and experience in the mountains and provides recommendations for protection against avalanches (for example: blocking a certain area or streets, artificial triggering of avalanches ).
The avalanche commission is a facility for temporary avalanche protection , as opposed to permanent (permanently effective technical, forestry and spatial planning measures).
Risk assessment of the avalanche situation
Risk assessment of the avalanche situation is one of the main tasks of the avalanche commissions and includes the determination of the local situation and the necessary measures (e.g. risk assessment for the controlled release of avalanches , road blocks, evacuations, etc.). The risk assessment of the avalanche situation is based on permanent and temporary surveys of the avalanche danger in a certain area.
Permanent factors for risk assessment of the avalanche situation
Factors for the permanent and fundamental risk assessment of the avalanche situation in a certain area are, for example:
- whether, when and where avalanches of what size and under what weather conditions have already occurred (historical perspective),
- How great is the regionally based on the terrain situation and the measures taken (e.g. avalanche barriers ) the probability of a renewed departure, where exposed and hazardous areas exist or can arise,
- slow changes in topography , development , vegetation , traffic , leisure activities, etc.,
Temporary factors for risk assessment of the avalanche situation
Important factors for the temporary risk assessment of the avalanche situation are, for example:
- current regional snow depth,
- Snowpack structure,
- Weather situation and the change etc.
Result of the risk assessment of the avalanche situation
Together, the permanent and temporary factors for risk assessment of the avalanche situation result in a forecast of the probability of an avalanche release on a certain day in a certain area in order to bring about preventive measures and measures to reduce the avalanche danger for people or property. The necessary measures for intervention (e.g. controlled avalanche release, barriers, evacuations, etc.) result from the risk assessment.
The risk of an uncontrolled avalanche triggering at a certain place at a certain time is then uniformly classified throughout the European Union on the basis of the European danger scale for avalanches .
Avalanche service in Liechtenstein
The members of the avalanche service are appointed by the Liechtenstein government for a period of four years. The government also appoints the chairman and his deputy.
The avalanche service consists of:
- the chief avalanche service and his deputy as chairman;
- a representative of the measuring team of the Malbun measuring field (observation service);
- a representative of the Office for Forests, Nature and Landscape;
- a representative of the Office for Civil Protection;
- a representative of mountain rescue ;
- a representative of the Press and Information Office;
- a representative of the national police .
The chief avalanche service and his deputy as chairman, the representative of the measuring team of the Malbun measuring field and another member form the permanent core group, which is responsible for managing day-to-day business.
Legal bases
The avalanche service is a commission within the meaning of Art. 78, Paragraph 2 of the State Constitution (LV) and is authorized to carry out the tasks assigned to it independently.
The regulation of November 13, 2007 on the avalanche service regulates the organization, tasks and compensation of the avalanche service.
tasks
The avalanche service is responsible for:
- the protection of the inhabited settlements and the public transport routes through constant observation of the avalanche situation from the first snowfall to the felling as well as the associated data collection,
- securing the organized ski area, including the cross-country ski runs and the marked winter hiking trails, if the facility operator does not fulfill his security obligation,
- keeping an event register,
- the maintenance of constant operational readiness,
- the information of the population, the municipalities, the security organs and the competent authorities as well as the media;
- cooperation with search and rescue services;
- the maintenance of the Malbun measuring field and the transmission of the data to the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF (formerly Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF).
Decision-making authority
The Liechtenstein Avalanche Service has the authority to make decisions and issue instructions necessary to carry out its tasks:
In the case of imminent danger, every member of the avalanche service is authorized to make the necessary decisions and to order the necessary measures on their own.
In the event of an avalanche danger, the avalanche service has the authority to order the following safety measures in particular in the area of the organized snow sports area:
- Recommendation or implementation of suitable security measures (blocking, evacuations) and their documentation;
- Arrangement for the artificial triggering of avalanches;
- Monitoring and blocking traffic routes and endangered areas;
- Evacuation as well as temporary housing and supply of residents of endangered areas.
A complaint can be lodged with the government against orders from the avalanche service within 14 days of delivery .
liability
According to Art. 7 LawDV, the members of the avalanche service do not assume any personal liability for any damage to people or property that may result from avalanche events. This provision does not limit the liability of the avalanche service as a decision-making body itself.
Avalanche Commissions in Austria
Avalanche commissions are working groups in Austria . These are deployed regionally and are responsible for avalanche protection in the respective areas of responsibility (winter sports facilities, road safety, etc.). In many cases, the chair is chaired by the local mayor .
Avalanche commissions are set up in the communities in whose area there is a risk of avalanche disasters. An avalanche commission usually consists of three people who are appointed by the mayor for a period of 5 years.
Legal bases
The legal basis for the activities of the avalanche commissions is formed by the respective municipal ordinances and, if available, by disaster relief service laws. Such Disaster Relief Acts will empower mayors to appoint specific individuals or a support and advisory body for specific tasks. Only in Tyrol has its own Lawin Commission Act (LKG) been in place since 1992.
Austrian Federal Railways
The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has its own avalanche warning service and eleven in-house avalanche commissions (56 members, all full-time ÖBB employees). The members of the avalanche commission are responsible for certain sections of the route and are not subject to instructions and advise the respective route manager.
tasks
The dangers to be assessed by the avalanche commission relate to avalanche disasters. These are avalanche events that endanger the life or health of people or property to a large extent, especially in residential areas, on roads and paths with public transport, at lifts and cable cars or at sports facilities, ski slopes, cross-country trails, toboggan runs and the like.
The dangers to be assessed are assessed by the avalanche commission on the basis of local observations of the relevant weather , temperature and snow cover development, the local terrain , avalanche events that have already occurred, the avalanche reports from the avalanche warning services and other factors, and a risk assessment is given.
On the basis of this expert assessment of the avalanche danger, there is an important prerequisite for the responsible persons (mayor, police, etc.) to be able to take temporary avalanche protection measures (for example: avalanche warning, spatial closures, evacuations , ordering the artificial triggering of avalanches) .
liability
The members of the avalanche commission are knowledgeable persons within the meaning of §§ 1299 ff ABGB and can therefore be held responsible for their work.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Art 3 Ordinance of November 13, 2007 on the Avalanche Service (LawDV), LGBl 287/2007.
- ↑ This ordinance was issued by the Liechtenstein government on the basis of Art. 78 Para. 2 LV in conjunction with Art. 28, 29, 40 and 48 of the Act of April 26, 2007 on the Protection of the Population (Civil Protection Act; BSchG, LGBl 139 / 2007).
- ↑ Art 29 BSchG in conjunction with Art 4 LawDV.
- ↑ These costs are to be borne by the entrepreneur in accordance with Art. 40 Para. 2 BSchG.
- ↑ Art 29 BSchG in conjunction with Art 5 LawDV.
- ↑ See also ordinance of 15 July 2008 on alerting the population and rescue and emergency services (alerting ordinance; AV), LGBl 181/2008.
- ↑ Art. 44 Paragraph 1 BSchG.
- ↑ See for example the Tyrolean Disaster Relief Service Act, LGBl. No. 5/1974; Upper Austrian Law on Disaster Relief Service, LGBl. No. 88/1955; Vorarlberg Disaster Relief Act, LGBl. No. 47/1979.
- ^ Law on the Avalanche Commissions, Tyrolean LGBl. No. 104/1991.
- ↑ Anja Brucker: Artificial release of avalanches to secure traffic routes in Austria - status quo and assessment from the perspective of experts, p. 61.
- ↑ Analogously to § 1, Paragraph 2 of the Tyrolean Law on Avalanche Commissions.
