On Civil Safety

Law of Georgia

On Civil Safety

Article 1. Scope of regulation of the Law and legal grounds🔗

1. This Law determines the organization of the national civil safety system in Georgia, civil safety measures, the powers of the executive authority of Georgia, bodies of autonomous republics and municipalities, the State Representative in the field of civil safety, the rights and duties of legal entities of public law and legal entities of private law, as well as citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia.

2. This Law applies in the event of an emergency situation or incident that has arisen/is expected during a state of emergency and martial law, unless otherwise provided by the Law of Georgia “On State of Emergency” and the Defence Code.

3. The legal grounds for ensuring civil safety in Georgia are: the Constitution of Georgia, international treaties of Georgia in force in the field of civil safety, this Law and other legal acts of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 21 September 2023 No. 3516 – website, 12.10.2023.

Article 2. General principles of the Law🔗

The activity of state bodies in the field of civil safety is based on the following principles:

a) giving priority to actions aimed at saving human life and preserving health;

b) voluntariness of participation of natural and legal persons in measures responding to emergency situations;

c) ensuring publicity, transparency, free access to and dissemination of information existing in the field of civil safety, taking into account the restrictions established by the legislation of Georgia;

d) an integrated approach to solving civil safety tasks.

Article 3. Definition of terms🔗

For the purposes of this Law, the terms used therein have the following meaning:

a) civil safety – ensuring, as a result of comprehensive measures implemented on the territory of the country by state, autonomous republic and municipal bodies, as well as organizations determined by this Law, protection of human life/health, the environment and property from an emergency situation and the normal functioning of state institutions;

a¹) Emergency Situations Management Service − a state sub-agency institution within the governance sphere of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia (hereinafter − the Ministry) − the Emergency Situations Management Service;

b) emergency situation − such a situation/a combination of situations created on a certain territory/territories or object/objects, in which the normal conditions of human life are disrupted and which poses a clear threat or which may pose a clear threat to human life and/or health and/or which may cause significant damage to the environment, property of a natural/legal person, state and/or municipal property;

c) incident – an occurrence that does not pose a clear threat to human life and/or health and which may cause damage to the environment, property of a natural/legal person, state and/or municipal property;

d) emergency situation zone – a defined object, territory, water area or airspace where an emergency situation has arisen and/or developed;

e) emergency situation risk – the expected consequence of a possible or occurring emergency situation in a certain period, which is manifested in a negative impact on the life and/or health of a person at risk, the environment or property of a natural/legal person, state, municipal property;

f) readiness – the ability of the subjects of the National Civil Safety System and citizens of Georgia to respond effectively to an emergency situation, reduce vulnerability and the consequences of an emergency situation;

g) response to emergency situations − measures implemented for the purpose of protecting human life and health, the environment and property, including fire extinguishing, localization and elimination, rescue work, emergency rescue work and other urgent works;

h) fire − an uncontrolled combustion process that poses a threat to human life and/or health, causes damage to the environment, property of a natural/legal person, state and/or municipal property;

i) rescue work − an action the purpose of which is to search for and rescue persons injured and/or missing as a result of an emergency situation, as well as to remove a person from a dangerous place;

j) emergency rescue work − an action the purpose of which is to save human life and property from an incident/emergency situation, as well as to minimize the consequences of dangerous factors characteristic of an accident, catastrophe, incident/emergency situation;

k) other urgent works − provision of emergency medical assistance, implementation of sanitary-epidemiological measures, sanitary cleaning and decontamination of the territory, protection of public order in the emergency situation zone and implementation of other urgent measures;

l) restoration works − a first-priority urgent measure/complex of measures carried out by emergency response forces in the emergency situation zone for the purpose of ensuring the restoration of vital processes and social life;

m) object − property of a natural or legal person, state or municipal property (including territory, building-structure, vehicle, technological installation, unit, device, article, other material-technical means) for which fire safety requirements or emergency prevention and response requirements are established;

n) potentially hazardous object − an object subject to supervision, the production-technological process of which includes the use, manufacture, processing, storage or transportation of radioactive, fire-hazardous, explosion-fire-hazardous, hazardous chemical and biological substances and on which, as a result of an accident or improper conduct of its production-technological process, an emergency situation may arise (including the threat of fire, destruction, explosion, emission or intoxication);

o) object of vital importance − a hydrotechnical structure, water supply, heat supply, energy or other object which is of particular importance for civil safety interests;

p) explosion-fire-hazardous object − a production or warehouse building-structure or premises, regardless of its functional purpose, the production-technological process of which is characterized by the possibility of explosion and development of fire or of the outbreak of fire and subsequent explosion;

q) fire-hazardous object – a production or warehouse building-structure or premises of fire-hazardous category, regardless of its functional purpose, the production-technological process of which is characterized by the possibility of the outbreak and development of fire, as well as the impact of fire-hazardous factors on humans and material values;

r) organization – an educational, upbringing or medical institution, an industrial enterprise, as well as a legal entity of private law, whose activity may give rise to the threat of an emergency situation;

s) accident – an explosion, fire or leakage of hazardous substance(s) caused by the uncontrolled development of the production-technological process of a potentially hazardous object and which creates a sudden, serious threat to human life, health and/or the environment;

t) response forces – response units at the disposal of the subjects of the national civil safety system for the purpose of responding to an incident/emergency situation and carrying out restoration works;

u) notification about an emergency situation − transmission of signals and provision of urgent information by the emergency response management body to the subjects of the national civil safety system and to the public about the threat of an emergency situation and/or the occurrence of an emergency situation;

v) fire safety measures − actions to be carried out in order to prevent the outbreak of fire, to localize and extinguish fire in the event of the outbreak of fire, and to reduce the consequences of fire;

w) fire safety requirements − special conditions of a social and/or technical nature established by the legislation of Georgia in order to ensure fire safety measures;

x) special fire-prevention regime − a temporary regime established by the Emergency Management Service on a certain territory/territories on the basis of information received about an increased threat of the occurrence of an emergency situation and its analysis, which provides for special rules of conduct for the subjects of the national civil safety system and natural/legal persons in order to ensure fire safety measures;

y) mandatory operations – during the threat of the occurrence of an emergency situation or the occurrence of an emergency situation, when responding to an emergency situation, if necessary, imposition by the emergency response management body on natural and legal persons of an obligation to perform the relevant action or to refrain from performing an action;

z) emergency prevention and response requirements − special rules of a social and/or technical nature established by the legislation of Georgia for the purpose of preventing and responding to an emergency situation;

aa) fire-rescue unit – a unit created for the purpose of fire prevention and extinguishing, conducting emergency-rescue works, preventing and responding to an emergency situation, as well as searching for people and conducting other rescue works in the relevant territory or organization;

bb) supervision − inspection of the fulfilment of fire safety requirements and emergency prevention and response requirements at facilities and implementation of appropriate response measures;

cc) shelter – a building or structure which, during an emergency situation or military operations, for a certain period may be used to protect a person from various damaging factors. A shelter may be a dual-purpose, civil or industrial building and/or a special hermetic protective structure designed taking into account damaging factors;

dd) family hotel − for the purposes of exercising supervision at an object of state fire supervision, a building/buildings intended or used for rent, consisting of not less than 3 mutually isolated dwelling units arranged for living and sleeping, where catering may be provided;

ee) municipal safety passport − a document pre-developed for assessing the degree of emergency risk in a municipality, the expected consequences, the activities carried out by the municipal body for the prevention of an emergency, and for planning the development and implementation of measures by it for the reduction of emergency risk;

ff) safety passport of a potentially hazardous facility − a document pre-developed for the personnel serving a potentially hazardous facility and for the population of its adjacent territory, for determining the degree of emergency risk, the possibility of an emergency occurring, the consequences of an emergency, the impact of the consequences of an emergency on a neighbouring facility, for assessing preparedness for the prevention of and response to an emergency, as well as for planning the development and implementation of measures for the reduction of emergency risk at a potentially hazardous facility;

gg) national situation room − a point equipped with appropriate technical and technological means, which is activated during an emergency of national importance, where data (including video and audio signals) are promptly received/processed from the incident site and from other possible sources of information, and from which the management of the emergency at the strategic (political) level is carried out for the purpose of coordinated work of the agencies involved in the liquidation of the consequences of the emergency;

gg¹) employee of the Emergency Management Service (hereinafter − employee) − an employee appointed to a position provided for by the staffing list of the Emergency Management Service and of a legal entity of public law operating in its area of governance, as well as a person employed under an employment contract in the system of the Emergency Management Service;

gg²) firefighter-rescuer − a person who directly carries out fire prevention and extinguishing, conducts rescue/emergency-rescue works, carries out the prevention of and response to an emergency, manages and organises these measures, has appropriate special, physical and psychological training, theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 2 April 2019 No. 4407 – website, 08.04.2019.

Article 4. National Civil Safety System🔗

1. The National Civil Safety System (hereinafter – the National System) is a unified network of institutions of the executive authority of Georgia, legal entities of public law and state sub-agency institutions, authorities of the autonomous republics, municipal bodies and state representatives (subjects of the National System), which, at the strategic (political), operational and tactical levels, using appropriate resources and instruments, carries out the relevant comprehensive measures for the purpose of protecting human life and health, the environment and/or property from an incident/emergency situation caused by a state of war, a natural and/or human factor.

2. The National System ensures, during the main phases of the continuous process of emergency management (emergency prevention, emergency preparedness, emergency response, conduct of recovery works), the implementation of the relevant measures, the organisation of the activities of the response forces, their management and the creation of material resources.

3. The leading body of the National System in peacetime is the Emergency Management Service, whose Fire and Rescue Forces Department constitutes the main operational forces of the National System.

4. The list of subjects of the National System, their competence in the field of civil safety, the measures to be implemented for the purpose of emergency prevention, emergency preparedness, emergency response and conduct of recovery works, as well as those issues related to emergency management that are not regulated by this Law, shall be determined by the Resolution of the Government of Georgia "On Approval of the National Civil Safety Plan", which is developed in coordination with the subjects of the National System and which the Ministry submits to the Government of Georgia for approval.

5. Depending on the nature of an expected or actual emergency situation, the National System shall function under the leadership of the relevant emergency response management body determined by Articles 16–18 of this Law and the National Civil Safety Plan. In the event of an incident transforming into an emergency situation, by decision of the relevant emergency response management body, the relevant subjects of the National System shall switch to a special operating regime.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 5. Obligations of the subjects of the national system🔗

1. The subjects of the national system, except for organizations and municipal bodies, in the spheres assigned to their governance, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, shall ensure:

a) management of emergency situation risk − identification of threat, analysis of emergency situation risk and its impact, and, on that basis, development of an emergency situation risk management plan;

b) planning and implementation of emergency situation prevention measures, including planning and implementation of emergency situation risk reduction measures;

c) readiness for an emergency situation;

d) response to an incident/emergency situation;

e) protection of human beings, the environment and property from an incident/emergency situation;

f) development of a notification system about an incident/emergency situation, including an early notification system;

g) timely transmission of notification about an incident/emergency situation and informing about the rules of conduct during an incident/emergency situation;

h) carrying out recovery works;

i) promotion of the safe and stable functioning of a vital object;

j) during an emergency situation, if necessary, creation of shelter for people, supply of primary use items, food products and water, mobilization of individual/collective protection means and other material resources;

k) organization of humanitarian aid measures;

l) collection, processing and exchange of information in the field of civil safety;

m) development of an emergency management plan;

n) preparation of citizens of Georgia in the field of civil safety and raising their awareness about an emergency situation;

o) taking measures necessary to save people and property before the fire-rescue unit arrives at the place of an incident/emergency situation;

p) provision of assistance in organizing the evacuation of people and, if necessary, their placement in shelter;

q) maintenance of the qualitative characteristics of the shelter at their disposal;

r) fulfilment of other obligations determined by the legislation of Georgia.

2. Municipal bodies shall exercise the powers determined by paragraph 1 of this article on the basis of delegation. The decision on the delegation to a municipality of the power determined by paragraph 1 of this article shall be taken by the Government of Georgia, while the contract on the delegation of the said power shall be concluded by the Ministry.

3. Organizations, in the spheres of their activity, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, shall ensure:

a) planning and implementation of emergency situation prevention measures;

b) development of an emergency management plan;

c) readiness of response forces and mobilization of material resources necessary for response to an incident/emergency situation;

d) sending a notification about an expected or occurring incident/emergency situation to the emergency response management body;

e) taking the measures necessary to save people, property and/or the environment before the fire-rescue unit arrives at the scene of the incident/emergency situation;

f) training their employees and other persons located in the zone of an expected emergency situation;

g) keeping in constant readiness the elements of the emergency notification system, including the early warning system, that are in their use/ownership;

h) maintaining the quality characteristics of the shelter in their use;

i) raising awareness about emergency situations, including, for this purpose, developing and implementing communication plans;

j) performing other obligations determined by the legislation of Georgia.

4. The subjects of the national system shall provide the Emergency Situations Management Service with information about an incident/an expected or occurring emergency situation.

5. The procedure for developing the emergency management plan and the emergency situation risk management plan shall be established by the Government of Georgia.

6. For the purpose of responding to emergency situations caused by natural and human factors, the subjects of the national system shall, within the scope of their competence, ensure the creation of material resources. The procedure for the creation and use of material resources for the purpose of responding to emergency situations caused by natural and human factors shall be approved by the Government of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 6. Obligations of citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia🔗

In the field of civil security, a citizen of Georgia and another person located on the territory of Georgia shall:

a) immediately notify the relevant state body about an incident/emergency situation in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 19 of this Law;

b) before the response forces arrive at the scene of the incident, take, as far as possible, appropriate measures to save human life, health, the environment and/or property;

c) perform the obligation imposed within the framework of mandatory operations and other requirements established by the legislation of Georgia;

d) not participate in such actions related to the environment as endanger his or another person's life and/or which increase the risk of an emergency situation, or not himself initiate such actions.

Article 7. Volunteering🔗

1. The State shall promote volunteering in the field of civil security.

2. A volunteer in the field of civil security may be a capable citizen of Georgia who has reached the age of 18, whose state of health does not prevent him/her from carrying out volunteer activity, and who is ready, by using his/her knowledge and skills, to voluntarily carry out activity useful to society.

3. A person registered in the national list of volunteers shall be considered a volunteer in the field of civil security. When registering a person in the national list of volunteers, the Emergency Management Service shall conclude a contract on volunteering with the volunteer. A person who is not registered in the national list of volunteers shall, during response to an emergency situation or implementation of emergency situation elimination measures, be admitted only to perform auxiliary functions.

4. The Emergency Management Service shall ensure the preparation of persons registered in the national list of volunteers (volunteers) for the purpose of developing basic skills for them, shall promote the self-organisation of volunteers on a territorial basis, based on their qualification and/or special skills or on another attribute, and their joining international volunteer organisations. The Emergency Management Service shall be entitled to give volunteers and their family members the opportunity to benefit from the infrastructure on the balance sheet of the Emergency Management Service for the purpose of self-development (including for training, for educational purposes), to plan and implement, together with other state agencies, municipalities, private law legal entities, non-governmental organisations, simulation exercises, field trainings, training camps, other measures and incentive projects. The Emergency Management Service shall be entitled, for the purpose of performing the functions assigned to them, to transfer the relevant equipment to volunteers for temporary use.

5. The social protection guarantees established for the firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service by Article 62, paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 65 and paragraphs 1–3 of Article 66 of this Law shall apply to a person registered in the national list of volunteers (volunteer). The Emergency Management Service shall be entitled, upon submission of the relevant document, to reimburse a person registered in the national list of volunteers (volunteer) for travel expenses to the place of the emergency situation, and also, based on the specifics of the emergency situation and the duration of the response measure, to take care of his/her food and accommodation.

6. Damage caused by an act of a volunteer during response to an emergency situation shall be compensated by the State, except where the volunteer committed the said act intentionally or with gross negligence. A volunteer shall be obliged to compensate damage caused intentionally or with gross negligence.

7. The procedure for registering a person in the national list of volunteers in the field of civil security and for removing a person from the national list of volunteers, as well as other issues related to the organisation of volunteer activity, shall be determined by the Charter of Volunteers in the field of civil security, which shall be approved by the Government of Georgia upon the submission of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia (hereinafter – the Minister).

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 8. Expert-Consultative Council🔗

1. For the purpose of developing a unified policy in the field of civil security, developing the national system, assessing the relevant risks and planning preventive measures, an expert-consultative council shall be established under the Emergency Management Service from representatives of the scientific-research field and/or sectoral expert circles.

2. Membership in the expert-consultative council shall not be remunerated. Organisational and material-technical support for the activities of the expert-consultative council shall be ensured by the Emergency Management Service.

3. The procedure for staffing and functioning of the expert-consultative council shall be approved by order of the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 9. Financing of civil security measures🔗

1. Civil security measures provided for by this Law, by the National Civil Security Plan and by other legal acts in force in the field of civil security shall be financed accordingly from the budgets of the state, autonomous republics and municipal bodies of Georgia and from other funds permitted by the legislation of Georgia.

2. Civil security measures shall be financed by organisations from their own funds within the scope of the rights granted to them and the obligations imposed on them by this Law, and by educational, upbringing and medical institutions on budgetary financing – on the basis of the respective targeted programmes.

Article 10. Prevention of an Emergency Situation🔗

1. Prevention of an emergency situation is a set of legal, organizational, economic, educational, engineering-technical, sanitary-hygienic, sanitary-epidemiological, scientific-research and other measures implemented for the purpose of protecting people, the environment and property, identifying and assessing emergency situation risks, and reducing (mitigating) or avoiding the risk of an emergency situation and/or the negative impact related thereto, which includes:

a) measures for determining, monitoring and avoiding the probability of the occurrence of an emergency situation;

b) measures taken for the systematic reduction of the damaging potential of hazardous natural events and processes and the corresponding engineering-technical measures;

c) measures taken for the purpose of avoiding an industrial accident, ensuring the safety of the production-technological process and increasing the reliability of the operation of equipment;

d) preparation of an emergency situation risk map, division of the territory of Georgia and cities into groups and division of organizations into categories;

e) drawing up of a safety passport of a potentially hazardous facility and a safety passport of a municipality;

f) implementation of educational projects for the purpose of raising people's awareness;

g) other preventive measures.

2. Prevention of an emergency situation shall be carried out by the subjects of the national system in accordance with the National Civil Safety Plan, the Resolution of the Government of Georgia "on approval of the rules for developing measures for the prevention of natural emergency situations", the emergency management plan and other legal acts established by the legislation of Georgia.

3. The rules for the protection of human life on water and ensuring safety thereof shall be approved by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

4. The rules for developing a municipality safety passport shall be determined by the Government of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 11. Classification of Facilities🔗

1. For the purpose of assessing the damaging factors of an expected emergency situation and responding to an emergency situation, facilities of vital importance, based on their defensive, economic, potential hazard and/or vital importance, shall be divided into categories, which shall be determined by the Government of Georgia.

2. A potentially hazardous facility shall develop a safety passport and declaration of the potentially hazardous facility and shall submit them to the relevant unit of the Emergency Management Service. The rules for developing the safety passport and declaration of a potentially hazardous facility shall be determined by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

Article 12. Informing citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia in the field of civil security🔗

1. In the field of civil security, the subjects of the national system shall ensure the informing of citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia within the scope of their competence. The informing of persons with disabilities (persons with impaired vision and persons with impaired hearing) shall be carried out in a form understandable to them.

2. In the field of civil security, the informing of citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia shall be carried out through mass media, special literature and other forms of informing the public.

3. During an emergency situation, when a threat is posed/may be posed to human life and/or health, an electronic communications company that carries out the provision and/or servicing through mobile communication networks and means, and the public broadcaster, at the request of the Emergency Situations Management Service, shall ensure the transmission of a notification and other information about the emergency situation to citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia.

4. The notification and other information to be transmitted to citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia about an emergency situation shall include:

a) data on the expected or occurred emergency situation and the boundaries of its spread;

b) data on the fields of activity of organizations and data on the impact on humans and the environment of an emergency situation expected from this activity;

c) data on the consequences of the expected or occurred emergency situation;

d) rules of conduct in an emergency situation;

e) data on the measures taken to protect citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia.

5. In the field of civil security, the transmission of a notification to citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia shall be carried out through the notification system about an incident/expected or occurred emergency situation, the regulation of which is approved by the Government of Georgia.

Article 13. Training and readiness of response forces and citizens of Georgia🔗

1. The subjects of the national system, within the scope of their competence, in the field of civil safety, shall ensure the training and readiness of response forces and citizens of Georgia under programmes agreed with the Emergency Management Service, for the purpose of acquiring knowledge and skills for the prevention of and response to an emergency situation.

2. The readiness of response forces and citizens of Georgia is carried out through the planning of comprehensive measures which ensure the acquisition of knowledge and skills for the purpose of the advance identification of an expected or actual emergency situation and immediate response to it.

3. The teaching of fire safety rules and rules of conduct in an emergency situation, as well as of fire safety requirements and requirements for the prevention of and response to an emergency situation in educational institutions shall be ensured by the said institutions under programmes agreed with the Emergency Management Service.

4. The Emergency Management Service is entitled, for the purpose of ensuring the prevention of an emergency situation, the raising of awareness in the field of civil safety and the development of practical skills, to plan and implement targeted projects, including in cooperation with other state agencies and/or non-governmental/international organisations.

5. For the purpose of ensuring the readiness of response forces and citizens of Georgia in the field of civil safety, a civil safety exercise is also conducted (hereinafter – exercise).

6. The types of exercise are:

a) command-staff exercise;

b) tactical-special exercise;

c) comprehensive exercise.

7. The procedure for organising the training of citizens of Georgia in the field of civil safety shall be determined by the legislation of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 14. Classification of an incident and an emergency situation🔗

1. For the purpose of managing an incident/emergency situation, an incident/emergency situation, depending on the nature of its occurrence, is divided into the following types:

a) natural;

b) caused by a human factor (technogenic).

2. The rules for the classification of an incident and an emergency situation shall be approved by the Government of Georgia.

Article 15. Categories of emergency situation🔗

1. An emergency situation, taking into account its consequences, the number of response forces and material resources necessary for its liquidation, its nature, place and scale of spread on the territory of Georgia, may be of local significance or of national significance.

2. An emergency situation is of local significance if, on the territory of a municipality/municipalities, an emergency situation is expected, has arisen and/or has developed, for the management of which, based on its nature, the response forces and means of one entity of the national system are sufficient, or the different response forces and means located on the territory of one or several adjacent municipalities.

3. An emergency situation is of national significance if, on the territory of a municipality/municipalities, an emergency situation is expected, has arisen and/or has developed:

a) the management of which, based on its nature, is impossible with the response forces and means of one entity of the national system or with the different response forces and means located on the territory of one or several adjacent municipalities;

b) the impact of which may spread over most of the territory of Georgia and endanger human life and/or health;

c) which may endanger the preservation of the national treasure, a monument of cultural heritage, the rare and endangered species of animals and plants included in the "Red Book" or the "Red List" of Georgia;

d) which may cause significant damage to the economy or the environment of Georgia;

e) the localization/liquidation of which continues for a long time;

f) the localization/liquidation of which requires international assistance.

4. The decision on assigning to an emergency situation the category of an emergency situation of national significance shall be taken by the Government of Georgia on the basis of a submission of the Minister.

5. The Government of Georgia is entitled, in a special case, proceeding from the interests of civil safety or taking into account the risk of an emergency situation, on the basis of a submission of the Minister, to assign to an emergency situation of local significance the category of an emergency situation of national significance.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 16. Management of Response to Emergency Situations🔗

1. Management of response to an emergency situation, except for the cases provided for by Articles 17 and 18 of this Law, shall be carried out at the strategic (political), operational and tactical levels, in accordance with the procedure established by this Law.

2. Management of response to an emergency situation of national significance shall be carried out by:

a) at the strategic (political) level − the Prime Minister of Georgia or a person authorized by him for that purpose, to whom the relevant agency/agencies submits/submit appropriate recommendations and proposals for making political decisions and provides/provide organizational and information-analytical assistance, in accordance with the procedure established by the Law of Georgia "On the Rules for Planning and Coordination of National Security Policy";

b) at the operational level − a Ministry or an interagency operational center created by a decision of the Prime Minister of Georgia on the basis of a submission by the Minister.

3. Management of response to an emergency situation of local significance shall be carried out by:

a) the relevant entity of the national system − in the case of an emergency situation for the management of which, based on its nature, the response forces and means of one entity of the national system are sufficient;

b) a local emergency headquarters – in the case of an emergency situation for the management of which, based on its nature, different response forces and means located in the territory of one or several adjacent municipalities are necessary.

4. In the case provided for by subparagraph "a" of paragraph 3 of this article, the relevant entity of the national system, within its competence, in accordance with this Law, the National Civil Security Plan and the Emergency Management Plan, with its own resources, shall organize at the operational and tactical levels the response to an expected, emerging or developing emergency situation. The relevant entity of the national system shall immediately provide the Emergency Management Service with information about the emergency situation.

5. In the case provided for by subparagraph "b" of paragraph 3 of this article, a local emergency headquarters shall be created on the basis of a submission by the Head of the Emergency Management Service, by an individual administrative-legal act of the Minister. The local emergency headquarters shall include representatives of the territorial unit of the Emergency Management Service and other relevant entities of the national system. The local emergency headquarters shall organize and coordinate, at the operational and tactical levels, the response to an expected, emerging or developing emergency situation. The local emergency headquarters shall be headed by an authorized representative of the Emergency Management Service.

6. The body that manages emergency response at the operational level is entitled, taking into account the situation, to establish one or several field operations headquarters in the emergency zone or in the adjacent territory and to appoint the head/heads of this headquarters/these headquarters. The field operations headquarters shall carry out emergency response on the ground and manage the response forces at the tactical level.

7. Before the establishment of the field operations headquarters, the primary response at the tactical level shall be carried out by the territorial unit of the Fire and Rescue Forces Department of the Emergency Management Service.

8. If a field operations headquarters has been established, the response forces, regardless of their subordination, shall, upon arrival in the emergency zone, pass under the subordination of the head of the field operations headquarters.

9. In the event of a declaration of an emergency of national significance, the ministries of Georgia (except the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia) and special-purpose state institutions shall establish intra-agency emergency headquarters, which maintain continuous communication with the Emergency Management Service and, in the event of the establishment of an inter-agency operational centre at the operational level, shall nominate for inclusion in its composition a deputy with powers no less than the corresponding powers of the head of the agency and/or an official heading a structural subunit.

10. The Prime Minister of Georgia shall manage the response to an emergency of national significance at the strategic (political) level using the national situation room.

11. During emergency response, for the purpose of ensuring human safety, by decision of the body that manages emergency response at the operational level, movement/traffic in the emergency zone may be restricted or prohibited.

12. Depending on the significance of the emergency, emergency response shall be carried out in accordance with the National Civil Safety Plan.

13. If necessary, for the purpose of emergency response, the Emergency Management Service is entitled to mobilise veterans with the relevant skills who are pre-registered in its database and to involve them in emergency response measures.

14. For the purpose of emergency response, the relevant subunits of the Defence Forces of Georgia, as well as persons enrolled in the reserve of the Defence Forces of Georgia and in the reserve of the non-military alternative labour service, may be used in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

15. (Deleted – 06.09.2022, No. 1715).

16. The emergency response management body shall, during emergency response, monitor the quality of the response, and after the liquidation of the consequences of the emergency – shall assess the deficiencies identified during the emergency response and the response.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 2 April 2019 No. 4407 – website, 08.04.2019.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Law of Georgia of 21 September 2023 No. 3516 – website, 12.10.2023.

Law of Georgia of 26 June 2025 No. 802 – website, 30.06.2025.

Law of Georgia of 26 June 2025 No. 816 – website, 01.07.2025.

Article 17. Management of response to terrorist activity or another emergency situation caused by a human factor🔗

1. The management of response to an extreme situation arising as a result of terrorist activity and to the emergency situation caused thereby shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the Law of Georgia on Combating Terrorism.

2. During an emergency situation caused by a human factor, which poses a threat to public safety and legal order and response to which is associated with the use of force, weapons or special means provided for by the Law of Georgia on Police, the Ministry shall, within the scope of its competence and in accordance with the legislation of Georgia, carry out the response.

3. A crisis situation in a penitentiary institution shall be managed in accordance with the procedure established by the Penitentiary Code.

4. The right to use the National Situation Room may, if necessary, be granted to the relevant responsible agencies on the basis of a decision of the Prime Minister of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 2 April 2019 No. 4407 – website, 08.04.2019.

Law of Georgia of 15 December 2023 No. 4006 – website, 26.12.2023.

Article 18. Management of an incident/emergency situation during martial law and civil-military cooperation in peacetime🔗

1. During martial law, the management of an incident/emergency situation shall be carried out in accordance with the National Defence Plan.

2. In peacetime, the issues of interaction between the Emergency Management Service and the Defence Forces of Georgia shall be determined by the civil-military cooperation plan approved by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 21 September 2023 No. 3516 – website, 12.10.2023.

Article 19. Procedures for responding to an incident/emergency situation🔗

1. A natural or legal person, upon receiving information about the occurrence of an incident/emergency situation, shall be obliged to immediately send a notification via the single telephone number – "112" – and, where possible, to carry out primary response to the incident/emergency situation with its own forces.

2. A notification received on the single telephone number – "112" – shall be provided to the relevant responding body of the national system. When providing information about a notification received on the single telephone number – "112" – to the relevant responding body of the national system and when carrying out primary response to an incident/emergency situation, the rule of coordination between the Ministry and the relevant responding body of the national system shall be determined by order of the Minister.

3. Upon receipt of information about an incident/emergency situation, the response forces of the relevant entity of the national system shall carry out the appropriate response. In the process of responding to an incident, the relevant entity of the national system shall assess the type and degree of the incident and, in the event of the incident transforming into an emergency situation, shall manage it within the scope of its competence. If there is an obvious risk that, due to the nature of the emergency situation, the response forces of the relevant entity of the national system will not be sufficient to manage the emergency situation and/or the management of this emergency situation exceeds the competence of the relevant entity of the national system, the relevant entity of the national system shall apply to the Emergency Management Service regarding the need to create a local emergency headquarters.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 20. Recording of an incident/emergency situation and its consequences🔗

1. For the purposes of prevention of an emergency situation, preparedness for an emergency situation and response to an emergency situation, the Emergency Management Service shall create and maintain a unified information bank, which shall reflect information on expected and occurring emergency situations and the response forces of the entities of the national system, as well as the safety passport data of potentially dangerous objects and other data available to the entities of the national system necessary for preparing an analysis of the situation existing in the field of civil safety.

2. Official statistical recording, analysis and state statistical reporting of an incident/emergency situation and its consequences shall be carried out by the Emergency Management Service.

3. The rule for recording and data processing of an incident/expected or occurring emergency situation and its consequences shall be determined by the Government of Georgia.

4. Compliance with the rule for recording and data processing of an incident/expected or occurring emergency situation and its consequences shall be mandatory for state authorities, bodies of autonomous republics and municipalities, as well as for those natural and legal persons who carry out entrepreneurial activity.

Article 21. Main measures for the protection of citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia from an emergency situation🔗

1. The main measures for the protection of citizens of Georgia and other persons located on the territory of Georgia from an emergency situation are: their evacuation and/or placement in shelters, measures for their fire, engineering, chemical, radiation, medical and biological protection, and other civil safety measures to be implemented for the purpose of their psychological assistance.

2. The personnel of a vital facility shall be protected from an emergency situation in a shelter.

3. The underground structure of the metro, a cave, a bunker and a tunnel, as well as the underground floor and premises of a building-structure suitable as a shelter (including dual-purpose ones) may be used as a shelter.

4. The maintenance and use for the intended purpose of a shelter shall be ensured by persons holding the authority of ownership, disposal and/or use of the property.

5. Shelters and buildings-structures and premises suitable as shelters shall be registered in the established manner by the relevant territorial units of the Emergency Management Service.

6. Changing the intended purpose of a shelter and of a building-structure and premises suitable as a shelter is possible on the basis of the prior written consent of the Ministry and the Ministry of Defence of Georgia. Alienation of a shelter in state ownership shall be inadmissible without the prior written consent of the Ministry and the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

7. A decision on the evacuation of natural persons, material valuables and animals from the emergency situation zone and/or its adjacent territory shall, in accordance with the procedure established by the Government of Georgia, during an emergency situation of national importance be taken by the Prime Minister of Georgia or a person authorized by him for that purpose, and during an emergency situation of local importance — by the Minister, upon the submission of the Head of the Emergency Management Service. The decision on evacuation shall be executed in accordance with the National Civil Safety Plan.

8. Measures for the fire, engineering, chemical, radiation, medical and biological protection of people and the organization of their implementation shall be determined by the legislation of Georgia.

9. The characteristics of shelters and the procedure for their registration shall be determined by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 22. Mandatory operations🔗

1. During response to an emergency situation, natural and legal persons shall fulfil the obligations imposed within the framework of mandatory operations in the manner determined by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

2. Mandatory operations shall be carried out only if the response forces and material resources of the subjects of the national system are insufficient for responding to the emergency situation.

3. Expenses incurred and damage caused in the course of fulfilling an obligation imposed within the framework of mandatory operations shall be reimbursed to natural and legal persons in the manner established by the legislation of Georgia.

Article 23. Host nation support🔗

1. For the purposes of this Law, host nation support means the organisation of sending a request for international assistance and of receiving the request. A request for international assistance includes a request for the personnel, material means, special equipment, use of the country's territory for transit and other essential needs necessary for responding to an emergency situation.

2. During the development of an emergency situation or before the onset of an imminent emergency situation, when, according to a preliminary assessment, response to the emergency situation is impossible or requires a long time, the Emergency Management Service, on the basis of an assessment of needs, losses and internal, national capabilities, in coordination with other institutions of the executive authority of Georgia, determines the need for a request for international assistance and submits to the Minister a proposal on the request for international assistance. The decision on the request for international assistance shall be taken, on the basis of the Minister's submission, by the Prime Minister of Georgia or a person authorised by him for that purpose, if such a person is determined in accordance with subparagraph „a“ of paragraph 2 of Article 16 of this Law.

3. The proposal on the request for international assistance submitted by the Emergency Management Service shall reflect the list of material resources and international personnel necessary for responding to the emergency situation. The said list shall be systematically updated depending on the situation created during the emergency situation.

4. After the Prime Minister of Georgia or a person authorised by him for that purpose takes a decision on the request for international assistance, the Emergency Management Service, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, sends the request for international assistance to the relevant countries and international organisations.

5. The procedure for organising host nation support measures in the field of civil security shall be determined by the Government of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 24. Types of fire-rescue unit🔗

1. The types of fire-rescue unit are:

a) state − a fire-rescue unit subordinate to the Emergency Management Service;

b) departmental − a fire-rescue unit created by an institution of state authority, a Legal Entity of Public Law, an autonomous republic or a municipality body;

c) private − a fire-rescue unit created by an entrepreneurial entity or a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity.

2. The rule for the creation and operation of a departmental fire protection unit shall be determined by a legal act of the head of the respective body.

3. The rule for the operation and inspection of private fire-rescue units shall be determined by the technical regulation approved by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

4. The rule for organising the operation of the fire-rescue unit of the Emergency Management Service shall be approved by the Minister.

5. The Emergency Management Service shall provide methodological assistance to departmental and private fire-rescue units, and shall also inspect private fire-rescue units.

6. The list of those particularly important, potentially dangerous, national treasure and cultural heritage objects in which the creation of a fire-rescue unit is necessary shall be determined by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 25. Legal regulation of fire safety requirements🔗

1. A draft normative act to be adopted by the Government of Georgia, as well as a draft normative act to be issued by the head of an institution of the executive authority of Georgia, which establishes fire safety requirements, shall be agreed with the Ministry. Legal supervision over a normative act to be adopted by a representative body of a municipality within the scope of delegated authority shall be exercised in accordance with the Organic Law of Georgia "Local Self-Government Code".

2. The basic fire safety requirements, including matters of the arrangement and operation of fire hydrants, shall be determined by the Resolution of the Government of Georgia "On the Approval of the Technical Regulation − Rules and Conditions of Fire Safety".

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 26. Development and Adoption of Fire Safety Measures🔗

1. Fire safety measures are developed on the basis of firefighting experience and assessment of the fire hazard of substances, materials, technological processes, products, constructions, buildings, and structures.

2. The manufacturer (supplier) of a substance, material, product, and equipment shall, in cases determined by the legislation of Georgia, indicate in the technical documentation their fire hazard indicators, as well as the fire safety requirements necessary for working with them.

3. When developing and adopting fire safety measures for a building, structure, or other facility of an entrepreneurial entity and a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity, as well as when designing this facility, measures to ensure the evacuation of people in the event of a fire shall be taken into account.

4. An explosion- and fire-hazardous facility shall, taking into account measures to ensure human safety, develop a fire extinguishing plan.

Article 27. Organization of fire extinguishing and emergency-rescue works🔗

1. During an emergency situation of local significance, the organization of fire extinguishing and emergency-rescue works and the management of the respective measures shall be ensured by the Emergency Situations Management Service.

2. For extinguishing a fire and conducting emergency-rescue works, fire-rescue units shall respond, extinguish the fire and/or conduct emergency-rescue works on an unconditional basis.

3. During an emergency situation of local significance, the Emergency Situations Management Service, in agreement with the Minister, while during an emergency situation of national significance — the Prime Minister of Georgia or a person authorized by him for that purpose, shall be entitled, for the purpose of extinguishing a fire, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, to engage the response forces of the subjects of the national system, including departmental fire-rescue units, in fire extinguishing measures. In this case, the coordination of fire extinguishing shall be ensured by the Emergency Situations Management Service.

4. During an emergency situation of national significance, fire management shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by Article 16 of this Law.

5. Unless otherwise provided by the legislation of Georgia, fire extinguishing at the tactical level shall be directly supervised by the senior official of the fire-rescue unit of the Emergency Situations Management Service who arrived at the scene, who manages the personnel of the fire-rescue units participating in fire extinguishing and other forces/persons engaged in fire extinguishing.

6. The fire extinguishing supervisor shall determine the boundaries of the territory where fire extinguishing measures are carried out, and shall take decisions on fire extinguishing, as well as on the implementation of measures for the purpose of saving people, the environment and property.

7. The fire extinguishing supervisor shall be responsible for the safety of the personnel of the fire protection participating in fire extinguishing and other forces/persons engaged in fire extinguishing.

8. Compliance with the instruction of the fire extinguishing supervisor shall be mandatory for all persons located in the territory where fire extinguishing measures are carried out. Interference in the actions of the fire extinguishing supervisor or changing his ordinance shall be inadmissible.

9. The personnel of the fire-rescue unit and other persons participating in the liquidation of the consequences of the emergency situation, who acted in conditions of extreme necessity and/or reasonable risk during fire extinguishing and the conduct of emergency-rescue works, shall be released from the obligation to compensate for the damage caused.

10. The procedure for fire extinguishing and the conduct of emergency-rescue works/rescue works shall be approved by order of the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 28. Special fire-prevention regime🔗

During the operation of the special fire-prevention regime, in a certain territory there may be established additional fire safety requirements defined by normative acts operative in the field of civil safety, as well as those requirements which envisage the involvement of the population in the localization of a fire outside the boundaries of the territory of a settlement, restriction of the entry of natural persons into the forest, or the adoption of additional measures (increase of fire-prevention distances between the boundaries of the territory of a settlement, creation of fire-prevention mineralized strips), which will restrict the spread of a forest fire and other fire outside the boundaries of the territory of a settlement, to the adjacent territory.

Article 29. Conduct of restoration works🔗

1. In the emergency situation zone, restoration works shall be conducted, in accordance with sectoral competence, by state authority institutions, bodies of autonomous republics and municipalities, with the participation of citizens of Georgia, other persons located on the territory of Georgia and organizations.

2. Restoration works shall be conducted in the phase of completion of response to the emergency situation and liquidation of its consequences, or immediately upon its completion.

3. Restoration works include:

a) restoration of damaged or disrupted transport provision;

b) elimination of damage on communication networks and lines;

c) organization of works for the restoration of energy supply;

d) restoration of elements of essential infrastructure;

e) creation of the minimum conditions necessary for the vital support of the population;

f) conduct of works for the purpose of sanitary cleaning and disinsection of the territory;

g) protection of public order;

h) implementation of measures to ensure the stable functioning of objects of vital importance;

i) implementation of other measures envisaged by the National Civil Safety Plan.

4. Restoration works shall be conducted in accordance with the National Civil Safety Plan.

Article 30. Organization of restoration works🔗

The conduct of restoration works in the emergency situation zone shall be coordinated by the Emergency Situations Management Service.

Article 31. State Fire Supervision and Supervision over Objects of Vital Importance🔗

1. For the purpose of state fire supervision and supervision over objects of vital importance, as well as of checking the compliance by a natural person with fire safety requirements and with the requirements for emergency prevention and response thereto, and of taking measures according to the results thereof, supervision shall be exercised by the state supervision body − the Emergency Situations Management Service.

2. The procedure for the exercise of supervision by the Emergency Situations Management Service shall be determined by the Resolution of the Government of Georgia “On the Procedure for the Exercise of State Fire Supervision and Supervision over Objects of Vital Importance”.

Article 32. State fire supervision and objects of vital importance🔗

1. Objects of state fire supervision are:

a) buildings and structures owned by state authorities and municipal bodies;

b) buildings and structures of educational, upbringing, sports, medical and entertainment purposes;

c) objects included in the list of cultural heritage monuments;

d) public-purpose buildings and structures higher than 28 metres;

e) public-purpose buildings and structures having 2 and more underground floors;

f) multifunctional buildings and complexes, shopping centres and complexes, hypermarkets, club and entertainment-recreational centres, buildings and structures of hotels (including family hotels), tourist bases, sanatoriums, rest homes, camping sites and public catering facilities (restaurants);

g) buildings and structures/territory of retail and wholesale trade purpose having a total area of 2000 m2 and more than 2000 m2;

h) stations of railway transport and motor transport, as well as buildings and structures of the metropolitan, air and sea ports (harbours);

i) oil bases and terminals having tanks of total volume of 500 m3 and more than 500 m3, buildings and structures of filling stations and complexes (fuel filling, gas filling and gas filling stations), thermal power plants and hydroelectric power plants;

j) warehouse buildings, structures and premises for flammable substances, materials, products and raw materials having an area of 1000 m2 and more than 1000 m2;

k) enterprises for storing and/or processing grain (milling complexes), explosive-fire-hazardous objects, as well as fire-hazardous objects which have an explosive-fire-hazardous premises and/or area;

l) fire hydrants (regardless of their form of ownership).

2. The list of objects of vital importance shall be determined by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

3. It shall be prohibited to exercise supervision over an object which does not belong to the state fire supervision and objects of vital importance provided for by paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article.

4. Fire-hazardous and explosive-fire-hazardous categories of a building, structure and premises shall be determined in accordance with the legislation of Georgia.

5. In order to reduce the damage caused to the life, health and property of the population as a result of an emergency situation, the Government of Georgia shall, from among the state fire supervision and objects of vital importance, determine mass gathering objects and establish the rule of compulsory insurance of civil liability of their owners towards a third person.

Article 33. Powers of the supervisory body🔗

1. The supervisory body shall be entitled, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, within the scope of its competence, to:

a) enter the territory and buildings and structures of the State Fire Supervision and objects of vital importance, conduct their inspection, carry out testing of fire protection and local notification systems and other supervisory measures established by the legislation of Georgia;

a¹) in the course of the inspection, use video recording equipment attached to the uniform. The procedure for the use of the said equipment shall be approved by order of the Minister;

b) on the basis of a substantiated request, demand and receive from the State Fire Supervision and objects of vital importance the information and documentation necessary for the exercise of supervision;

c) in the event of detection of a violation of fire safety requirements and of the requirements for the prevention of and response to emergency situations, issue an appropriate instruction on the elimination of the detected violation or on compliance with these requirements, and in the cases determined by the legislation of Georgia − draw up a protocol on an administrative offence, consider the case of the administrative offence and impose an administrative penalty on the offender;

d) submit to the bodies of state authority, the autonomous republics and the municipality, as well as to the State Representative, proposals and recommendations on the implementation of measures to ensure compliance with fire safety requirements and the requirements for the prevention of and response to emergency situations;

e) (removed - 06.09.2022, No. 1715);

f) in order to comply with fire safety requirements, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, participate in the process of issuing a construction permit for a State Fire Supervision object (at the relevant stage of administrative proceedings) and in the process of commissioning a completed State Fire Supervision object; if necessary, carry out testing of fire protection devices and systems and draw up an appropriate act;

g) apply to the court for the complete or partial suspension of the operation of a building or structure, production area, unit and/or premises of a State Fire Supervision object or of the carrying out of individual works, if a violation and/or non-compliance with fire safety requirements is detected which creates a danger of fire and/or poses a threat to human life and/or health.

2. With respect to the objects of the Ministry, of the Special Penitentiary Service − a state sub-agency institution within the system of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia −, of the State Security Service of Georgia and of the Intelligence Agency, the powers of the Emergency Situations Management Service shall be determined by the legislation of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Law of Georgia of 26 June 2025 No. 770 – website, 27.06.2025.

Article 34. Obligations of state fire supervision and vital importance objects🔗

State fire supervision and vital importance objects shall be obliged to:

a) comply with fire safety requirements, emergency prevention and response requirements;

b) develop and adopt fire safety measures;

c) comply with the instruction and other lawful requirements of the authorized official of the supervisory body;

d) upon the request of the authorized official of the supervisory body, submit to him information/relevant documentation on the fire safety condition of the building-structure, the fire hazard of the products produced by these objects, as well as on the emergency situation arising on their territory, including fire, and its consequences;

e) ensure the entry of the authorized officials of the supervisory body to the territory and building-structure of the object for the performance of official duty, as well as create for them appropriate working conditions for the exercise of supervision and not obstruct the exercise of official powers;

f) notify the Emergency Management Service about changes in fire-prevention roads and exits;

g) comply with other requirements established by the legislation of Georgia.

Article 35. Liability for violation of fire safety requirements and emergency prevention and response requirements🔗

1. For violation of fire safety requirements, emergency prevention and response requirements, the liability determined by the legislation of Georgia shall be borne by:

a) in the case of a natural person − by the natural person;

b) in the case of an entrepreneurial entity or a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity − by the entrepreneurial entity or the non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity;

c) in the case of state authority, autonomous republic or municipality bodies or a legal entity of public law − by the respective institution.

2. (Removed - 06.09.2022, No. 1715).

3. Emergency prevention and response requirements shall be determined by the legislation of Georgia.

4. Liability for violation of other requirements provided for by this Law and the subordinate normative acts issued on its basis shall be determined by the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 36. Status of the Emergency Management Service🔗

1. The Emergency Management Service coordinates the functioning of the national system and is responsible for the planning and implementation of policy in the field of civil safety.

2. The Emergency Management Service consists of structural units in which persons with special state rank and other public servants work. The structure, powers, rules of activity and other organisational issues of the Emergency Management Service shall be determined by the Regulation of the Emergency Management Service, which shall be approved by the Minister.

3. In the field of governance of the Emergency Management Service operates a Legal Entity of Public Law − the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency (hereinafter − the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency). The Regulation of the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency shall be approved by the Minister. Persons with special state rank and other public servants are employed in the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency.

4. The Emergency Management Service and its officials are entitled to use the State Coat of Arms of Georgia in full form on the Service's legal acts, letterheads, seals and stamps.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 37. Legal bases of the activity of the Emergency Management Service🔗

1. The legal bases of the activity of the Emergency Management Service are: the Constitution of Georgia, international treaties of Georgia, this Law and other legislative and subordinate normative acts of Georgia.

2. The Law of Georgia "On Public Service" shall apply to a servant only if otherwise is not provided by this Law and special subordinate normative acts.

Article 38. Basic principles of the activity of the Emergency Management Service🔗

The basic principles of the activity of the Emergency Management Service are:

a) the rule of law;

b) protection of and respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms;

c) transparency;

d) political neutrality;

e) protection of human honour and dignity;

f) proportionality;

g) social justice and equality;

h) humanism;

i) involvement and cooperation;

j) exercise of discretionary powers;

k) accountability.

Article 39. Functions of the Emergency Management Service🔗

The functions of the Emergency Management Service are:

a) within the scope of competence, in coordination with the subjects of the national system, development of draft respective legal acts in the field of civil safety;

b) development of proposals for the purpose of improving state policy in the field of civil safety and developing the national system, and their submission to the Minister and other subjects of the national system;

c) direct implementation of the national civil safety plan within the scope of competence;

d) within the scope of competence, coordination of the development and implementation by state agencies participating in the national system of departmental conceptual documents and departmental action plans arising from national conceptual documents in the field of civil safety;

e) (removed - 02.04.2019, No. 4407);

f) organisation, development and ensuring of constant readiness of fire-rescue units for the purpose of immediate response to an incident/emergency situation;

g) within the scope of competence, coordination of the management of an emergency situation of local significance, except for the cases provided for by Articles 17 and 18 of this Law; organisation of the management of response forces and implementation of civil safety measures;

h) within the scope of competence, coordination of emergency management at the national level, except for the cases provided for by Articles 17 and 18 of this Law; organisational and technical support of the Prime Minister of Georgia or of a person authorised by him for that purpose;

i) during a state of war, within the scope of competence, performance of the tasks defined by the national defence plan and the civil-military cooperation plan;

j) for the purpose of reducing the risk of an emergency situation, constant identification, analysis and assessment of risk, planning and implementation of preventive measures and projects in cooperation with state authorities, bodies of the autonomous republics and municipalities, and legal entities of public law and private law;

k) organisation of the creation and development of an early warning system about an expected or actual emergency situation, collection and processing of necessary data within the framework of this system;

l) ensuring publicity, transparency, free accessibility and dissemination of information in the field of civil safety, except for the restrictions provided for by the legislation of Georgia;

n) organisation of the voluntary involvement of citizens of Georgia and other persons present on the territory of Georgia in emergency response measures, promotion of the development of the volunteer system in the field of civil safety;

n) exercise of state fire supervision and supervision over objects of vital importance, and, in the case of detection of violations, appropriate response thereto;

o) management of state material reserves, monitoring and analysis of the situation existing in the country with respect to products of strategic designation, development of policy in the field of state material reserves and submission to the Minister of relevant proposals and drafts of legal acts;

p) constant analysis of the situation existing in the field of civil safety and informing the Minister about the situation, as well as provision of relevant analytical information to the Ministry of Defence of Georgia and the State Security Service of Georgia;

q) cooperation with international organisations and the relevant services of other countries, participation in international missions;

r) organisation of the completion of non-military, alternative labour service in a fire-rescue unit;

s) development and submission to the Minister of standards and norms regulating the activity of a private fire-rescue unit; inspection of the equipment and level of readiness of a private fire-rescue unit; organisation of a private fire-rescue unit on the basis of a service contract concluded with an entrepreneurial entity; training or retraining of the employees of a private fire-rescue unit on the basis of a contract concluded with an entrepreneurial entity;

t) development and submission to the Minister of standards and norms regulating the activity of a private underground search-and-rescue unit (mine rescuer); inspection of the equipment and level of readiness of a private underground search-and-rescue unit (mine rescuer); organisation of a private underground search-and-rescue unit (mine rescuer) on the basis of a service contract concluded with an entrepreneurial entity; training or retraining of the employees of a private underground search-and-rescue unit (mine rescuer) on the basis of a contract concluded with an entrepreneurial entity;

u) ensuring that firefighters-rescuers complete a special vocational education programme through the Agency of State Reserves and Civil Safety Services or the relevant educational institution, as well as training, retraining and professional development of the relevant servants;

v) (removed – 06.09.2022, No. 1715);

w) ensuring strategic communication in the field of civil safety;

x) within the scope of competence, in coordination with other state bodies, organisation of the host nation support system;

y) development and implementation of educational programmes, communication plans and other relevant measures for the purpose of raising public awareness about emergency situations;

z) exercise of other rights and performance of duties determined by the legislation of Georgia.

Law of Georgia No. 4067 of 22 December 2018 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia No. 4407 of 2 April 2019 – website, 08.04.2019.

Law of Georgia No. 1715 of 6 September 2022 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 40. Powers of the Emergency Situations Management Service🔗

For the purpose of performing the functions defined by Article 39 of this Law, the Emergency Situations Management Service is authorized to:

a) within the scope of its competence, in coordination with the subjects of the national system, for the purpose of developing relevant draft legal acts in the field of civil safety, request from the subjects of the national system and other administrative bodies the information available in these agencies, as well as create working groups with the participation of their representatives and invited experts;

b) conduct official statistical accounting and state statistical reporting of emergency situations and their consequences, for the purpose of establishing the causes of the emergency situation, request from the subjects of the national system and other administrative bodies the available information;

c) create, receive and store any document in material and/or electronic form, as well as use the electronic document management system, unified automated management tools and electronic signature. An electronic signature has the same legal force as a personal signature on a material document;

d) for the purpose of promoting the creation and development of a national system of volunteers responding to emergency situations, plan and implement specific projects together with the subjects of the national system or independently;

e) exercise the powers conferred on the supervisory body by this Law and other normative acts of Georgia;

f) submit to the Minister proposals on the creation, management, storage and use of state material reserve stocks;

g) within the scope of its competence, ensure the implementation of fire extinguishing measures, the conduct of emergency rescue works and rescue works;

h) for the purpose of analyzing the situation in the field of civil safety, request from the subjects of the national system and other administrative bodies the information available in the agency;

i) check the level of readiness of a private underground search and rescue unit (mine rescuer) based on the respective regulatory standards for the purpose of its readiness for an emergency situation and submit an inspection report to the owner of this private underground search and rescue unit (mine rescuer);

j) check the level of readiness of a private fire and rescue unit based on the respective regulatory standards for the purpose of its readiness for an emergency situation and submit an inspection report to the owner of this private fire and rescue unit;

k) ensure the full mobilization readiness of the Emergency Situations Management Service;

l) conclude, on behalf of the Ministry, an international treaty of an interagency nature;

m) ensure well-functioning departmental communication with the units of the Emergency Situations Management Service;

n) ensure organizational and material-technical support for the activities of the expert advisory council;

o) organize measures to ensure internal control and compliance with discipline;

p) ensure the provision of psychosocial assistance to persons during emergency response;

q) taking into account public interest, ensure publicity of the results of supervision at state fire supervision objects, except for cases determined by the legislation of Georgia;

r) within the scope of competence, in coordination with other state agencies, ensure the organization of the host country support system;

s) for the purpose of raising citizens' awareness about an emergency, ensure the development and implementation of educational programs, communication plans and other relevant measures;

t) if necessary, for the purpose of emergency response, in accordance with a plan approved in agreement with a legal entity of public law − the State Service of Veterans' Affairs, carry out the mobilization and involvement in emergency response measures of veterans with relevant skills pre-registered in the database of the Emergency Management Service;

u) exercise other powers provided by the legislation of Georgia.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 41. State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency🔗

1. The Emergency Management Service performs certain functions through the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency, the purpose of whose activity is the provision of public services in the field of civil safety, the implementation of operational procedures related to the creation, management, storage and use of state material reserves, the training, retraining and professional development of servants, ensuring that firefighters-rescuers complete a special professional educational programme, as well as the promotion of the development of the Emergency Management Service and the performance of other functions determined by the legislation of Georgia.

1¹. The State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency ensures the issuance to a natural/legal person in Georgia of a permit for the import/export of pyrotechnic products and a licence for the production/sale of pyrotechnic products, and control over compliance with permit/licence conditions.

1². The fee for the issuance of a permit for the import/export of pyrotechnic products and a licence for the production/sale of pyrotechnic products provided for by the Law of Georgia on Licences and Permits is:

a) in the case of issuance within 20 working days − GEL 500;

b) in the case of issuance within 10 working days − GEL 1,000.

2. The types of and fee for public services to be provided by the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency in the field of civil safety shall be determined by a Resolution of the Government of Georgia.

3. The statute of the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency shall be approved by the Minister, and state control over the same Agency shall be exercised by the Emergency Management Service.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Law of Georgia of 13 December 2024 No. 172 – website, 29.12.2024.

Article 42. Leadership of the Emergency Management Service🔗

1. The Emergency Management Service is headed by the Head, who is appointed to and dismissed from office by the Prime Minister of Georgia upon the submission of the Minister.

2. The Head of the Emergency Management Service:

a) regulates matters assigned to the sphere of competence of the Emergency Management Service;

b) within the scope of his/her competence, issues individual administrative-legal acts for the implementation of this Law;

c) within the scope of his/her competence, appoints to and dismisses from office a public servant, and determines his/her powers;

d) submits to the Minister the candidacies of the First Deputy Head and the Deputy Head of the Emergency Management Service for appointment to and dismissal from office;

e) within the scope of his/her competence, confers a special state rank on a public servant;

f) in accordance with the legislation of Georgia, within the scope of his/her competence, encourages and imposes disciplinary liability on a public servant; in accordance with the legislation of Georgia, submits to the Minister a proposal on the awarding of a public servant;

g) establishes commissions and working groups;

h) represents the Emergency Management Service in relations with international and other organizations;

i) (removed - 22 December 2018, No. 4067);

j) exercises other powers provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

2¹. The Minister approves the Code of Ethics for public servants.

2². The Minister issues subordinate normative acts for the implementation of this Law.

3. The Head of the Emergency Management Service has a First Deputy Head and a Deputy Head, who are appointed to and dismissed from office by the Minister upon the submission of the Head of the Emergency Management Service.

4. The powers of the First Deputy Head and the Deputy Head of the Emergency Management Service are determined by the Statute of the Emergency Management Service, by legal acts of the Head of the Emergency Management Service, and by other legal acts.

Law of Georgia No. 4067 of 22 December 2018 – website, 28 December 2018.

Article 43. Financing and material-technical provision of the Emergency Management Service🔗

1. The financing and material-technical provision of the Emergency Management Service shall be carried out from the assignments allocated to it from the state budget of Georgia, and of the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Emergency Management Service — also from other income permitted by the legislation of Georgia.

1¹. The payables of the Emergency Management Service shall be envisaged in the state budget of Georgia under a separate program code, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

2. The Emergency Management Service, within the scope of the powers conferred by this Law and other normative acts of Georgia, creates and uses technical means and ensures their protection.

3. The Emergency Management Service is entitled, for the purpose of developing the volunteer system, within the limits of the assignments allocated to it from the state budget of Georgia, to create sports and training spaces on the territory of the fire-rescue unit and to give volunteers the opportunity to use these spaces (infrastructure).

4. If a servant uses a transport vehicle in state or private ownership for the performance of a service duty, the Emergency Management Service shall provide this transport vehicle with fuel in accordance with the procedure established by an individual administrative-legal act of the Head of the Service.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 44. Accountability of the Emergency Management Service🔗

The Emergency Management Service is accountable to the Prime Minister of Georgia and the Ministry.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 44¹. Development of regulatory legal acts governing the planning and implementation of policy in the field of civil security🔗

1. The Ministry shall develop and submit to the Government of Georgia for approval draft resolutions of the Government of Georgia in the field of civil security, which determine:

a) the characteristics of shelters and the rules for their registration;

b) the statute of the notification system on an incident/expected or emerging emergency situation;

c) the civil-military cooperation plan in the field of civil security;

d) the rules for the creation and use of material resources for the purpose of responding to emergency situations caused by natural and human factors.

1¹. For the purpose of elaborating the draft resolutions of the Government of Georgia determined by paragraph 1 of this Article, an inter-agency commission and/or a working group may be established on the initiative of the Ministry.

2. On the submission of the Ministry, the Government of Georgia shall establish:

a) the requirements for dividing the territory and cities of Georgia into groups in the field of civil security, the list of objects of vital importance and the requirements for the prevention of and response to emergency situations at these objects;

b) the rules for developing measures for the prevention of natural emergency situations;

c) the rules for the performance of an obligation imposed within the framework of mandatory operations during an emergency situation;

d) the list of those particularly important, potentially dangerous, national treasure and cultural heritage objects in which it is necessary to establish a fire-rescue unit;

e) the rules for the protection of human life on water and ensuring his/her safety;

f) the rules for developing the safety passport and declaration of a potentially dangerous object;

g) the technical regulation − the rules for the activity and inspection of a private fire-rescue unit and a private underground search-and-rescue unit (mine rescuer);

h) the rules for the registration and data processing of an incident/expected or emerging emergency situation and its consequences.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022

Law of Georgia of 26 June 2025 No. 802 – website, 30.06.2025

Article 45. General requirements for admission to the Emergency Management Service🔗

1. A citizen of Georgia/a foreigner who has attained the age of 18, knows the state language of Georgia, has at least complete general education, is able, taking into account his/her personal and professional qualities, state of health and level of physical fitness, to perform the assigned functions and meets other requirements established by the legislation of Georgia shall be admitted (appointed to a position) as a servant of the Emergency Management Service. For the purposes of this Article, a foreigner is a person defined by subparagraph „a“ of Article 2 of the Law of Georgia “On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons”.

[ 1¹. In order to determine whether the state of health of a person (candidate) to be admitted to the Emergency Management Service complies with the requirements necessary for the performance of official activity, his/her state of health may also be checked by means of the unified information database of persons with mental health problems and persons suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction and/or substance abuse (hereinafter – the unified information database). (shall enter into force from 1 May 2026)]

2. A foreigner may be admitted as a servant of the Emergency Management Service only as a person employed under an employment contract.

3. Upon admission to the Emergency Management Service, a person (except for a person employed under an employment contract, a civilian person, another public servant) shall, at the time of appointment to a position provided for by the staffing list of the Service, be conferred the state special rank of civil security.

4. The procedure for the admission of a servant to the Service and for his/her service therein, including matters not regulated by this Law, shall be determined by an Order of the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Law of Georgia of 9 December 2025 No. 1151 – website, 15.12.2025.

Article 46. Special competition🔗

1. Upon admission to the service, a person shall be appointed to a position provided for by the staffing list of the Emergency Management Service which entails the conferral of a special state rank, as a result of passing a special competition.

2. The procedure for conducting a special competition in the system of the Emergency Management Service shall be determined by order of the Minister.

3. Upon admission to the Emergency Management Service, a person (candidate) shall undergo a screening. The screening implies verification/search of the person's personal data. Before the commencement of the screening, the person shall give written consent to the accessibility of his/her personal data.

4. The procedure for conducting screening in the system of the Emergency Management Service shall be determined by order of the Minister.

5. If, upon admission to the service, at the time of appointment to a position provided for by the staffing list of the Emergency Management Service which entails the conferral of a special state rank, candidates have equal results, preference over other candidates shall be given to the candidate who has completed non-military, alternative labour service in the Emergency Management Service.

6. Upon admission to the service, immediately upon appointment to a position provided for by the staffing list of the Emergency Management Service which entails the conferral of a special state rank, the servant shall take an oath. The text of the servant's oath shall be approved by the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 47. Restrictions established for recruitment and for the performance of service by a servant🔗

1. The following shall not be recruited to the Emergency Situations Management Service:

a) a person convicted of an intentional crime;

b) a person against whom criminal prosecution is pending;

c) a person who has been recognised by a court as having limited legal capacity or declared a recipient of support, unless otherwise determined by a court judgment;

d) a person who has been deprived by a court of the right to hold the relevant position;

e) a person whose state of health, according to a medical opinion, does not meet the requirements necessary for holding the relevant position;

f) a person suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse or/and mental illness, whose state of health, according to a medical opinion, does not meet the requirements established for holding the relevant position;

g) a person who has received a negative assessment as a result of undergoing a verification;

h) a person who, as a result of holding the position, will be placed under direct official supervision in relation to a parent, spouse, child, stepchild, sister, brother, spouse's sister, brother or parent;

i) a citizen of another country or an applicant for the citizenship of another country (except a person employed under an employment contract), except for an exception provided by a law of Georgia or an international treaty of Georgia;

j) a person who, upon recruitment, deliberately concealed information relating thereto or submitted incorrect data;

k) a person who has reached 60 years of age (except a person employed under an employment contract);

l) a person who fails to meet other requirements established by the legislation of Georgia.

2. A servant (except a person employed under an employment contract) shall not be entitled to perform other remunerated work (except scientific, pedagogical or creative activity) or to hold another position in another public institution/private institution. The performance of other remunerated work by a servant or the holding of another position concurrently shall be permissible only within the system of the Emergency Situations Management Service.

3. A person employed under an employment contract shall be entitled, with the consent of the Head of the Emergency Situations Management Service, to perform other remunerated work or to hold another position in another public institution/private institution. This shall not impede the performance by the person employed under an employment contract of the tasks assigned to him/her.

4. A servant shall be prohibited from striking, from participating in assemblies and manifestations, and from membership of a political party.

Law of Georgia No. 4067 of 22 December 2018 – website, 28.12.2018

Law of Georgia No. 1715 of 6 September 2022 – website, 16.09.2022

[Article 47¹. Verification of the compliance of a servant's state of health with the requirements determined by the legislation of Georgia

1. In order to verify the compliance of a public servant's health condition with the requirements determined by the legislation of Georgia, the Ministry is entitled to verify the data on the public servant's health condition through the unified information database.

2. In accordance with paragraph 1 of this article, on the basis of the data verified through the unified information database, the procedure and conditions for the suspension of service relations with a public servant due to health condition and for his/her dismissal from service shall be determined by order of the Minister. (shall enter into force on 1 May 2026)]

Law of Georgia of 9 December 2025 No. 1151 – website, 15.12.2025.

Article 48. Transfer of a public servant to another position/transfer to a position🔗

The issue of transfer of a public servant to another position/transfer to a position shall be regulated by the procedure established by order of the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 49. Working time of a public servant🔗

1. The working time of a public servant shall be determined by the internal regulations of the Emergency Situations Management Service, which shall be approved by the Head of the Emergency Situations Management Service.

2. An irregular working day shall be established for a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Situations Management Service.

3. During a state of war or a state of emergency, an emergency situation or another extreme situation, the Service shall switch to a special working regime.

Article 50. Leave of a servant🔗

1. The following types of leave are established for a servant:

a) annual paid;

b) short-term additional;

c) unpaid;

d) study;

e) due to pregnancy, childbirth and child care;

f) due to health condition.

2. Leave is granted to a servant by order of the person having the authority to appoint to the position of servant.

3. A servant is granted annual paid leave of 30 calendar days.

4. A servant, due to urgent need, marriage, family circumstances and/or another valid reason, with the consent of the immediate supervisor, may be granted short-term additional leave of 10 calendar days per year. The short-term additional leave of a servant is paid and is not counted towards the annual paid leave.

5. A servant may, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, be granted unpaid leave of not more than 1 year.

6. A servant, for the purpose of improving qualifications, may be granted study leave of not more than 3 months once in 5 years. During the study leave period, the servant retains the position salary. If study leave is granted to a servant on the initiative of the Emergency Management Service, the corresponding expenses related to the study leave shall be fully reimbursed to him/her.

7. A servant is granted leave, corresponding assistance and compensation due to pregnancy, childbirth and child care in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

8. A servant is granted leave due to health condition in the case provided for by Article 65¹ of this Law.

Law of Georgia of 17 December 2025 No. 1273 – website, 22.12.2025.

Article 51. Temporary suspension of a servant from position🔗

1. A servant may, on the basis of a court ruling or a reasoned written request of an investigative body, due to his/her being recognised as an accused in a criminal case, before the adoption of a final judgment, be temporarily suspended from position by order of the Head of the Emergency Management Service.

2. A servant temporarily suspended from position shall, in the event of acquittal, be reinstated in the Emergency Management Service to the same position, and if this is impossible – to an equivalent position.

Article 52. Grounds for release from a position/dismissal from the service of a servant🔗

1. A servant (except a person employed under an employment contract) may be released from a position:

a) on the basis of a personal application/report (with or without placement at the disposal of the service's personnel);

b) in the event of a reduction of staff positions or during reorganisation accompanied by a reduction of staff positions;

c) due to the liquidation of the relevant structural/territorial subdivision of the service;

d) due to the commission of a disciplinary misconduct or due to the entry into legal force of a court's conviction judgment in respect of him/her;

e) due to the pursuit of an activity incompatible with the position;

f) due to the commencement of service in another institution;

g) due to the state of health and/or long-term incapacity for work, on the basis of the relevant medical conclusion/certificate;

h) due to recognition by a court as missing or as a person with limited legal capacity, recognition as a recipient of support, or declaration as deceased, unless otherwise determined by the court's judgment;

i) due to death;

j) due to the expiry of the probation period and unsatisfactory results;

k) due to receiving a negative assessment as a result of passing an inspection;

l) due to the termination of Georgian citizenship;

m) due to the expiry of the term of service;

n) on other grounds directly provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

2. A servant holding a special state rank may, in addition to the grounds provided for by paragraph 1 of this Article, also be released from a position and/or dismissed from the service:

a) due to reaching the maximum age for being in the service;

b) due to the expiry of the term of years of service, at his/her request;

c) due to the unsuccessful completion of the relevant special professional educational programme and/or a special training/retraining course.

3. A servant placed at the disposal of the service's personnel shall be dismissed from the system of the Emergency Situations Management Service:

a) due to the expiry of the term of being at the disposal of the service's personnel;

b) in the case of employment in the system of the service under an employment contract;

c) due to the commencement of service in another institution.

4. The decision on the release/dismissal of a servant shall be taken by the Head of the Emergency Situations Management Service or a person authorised to appoint a servant to a position.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16 September 2022.

Law of Georgia of 13 December 2024 No. 172 – website, 29 December 2024.

Article 53. Placing a Servant at the Disposal of the Service's Personnel🔗

1. A servant may, by order of the person having the authority to appoint to the position, be released from the position and placed at the disposal of the personnel of the Emergency Situations Management Service for a period of not more than 4 months:

a) on the basis of a personal application;

b) in the event of a reduction in staff or during reorganisation accompanied by a reduction in staff;

c) during the liquidation of the relevant structural subdivision of the Service or of its structural unit.

2. A servant placed at the disposal of the personnel of the Emergency Situations Management Service may be assigned the temporary performance of official duties.

3. A servant placed at the disposal of the personnel of the Emergency Situations Management Service shall, from the day of being placed at the disposal of the personnel, be considered to have been warned of possible dismissal from the Service.

Article 54. Age limit for a servant holding a state special rank🔗

1. The maximum age for remaining in the Service of a servant holding a state special rank shall be:

a) for a servant holding a junior special rank or a medium special rank – 55 years;

b) for a servant holding a senior special rank – 60 years;

c) for a servant holding a supreme special rank – 65 years.

2. Proceeding from official interests, where the relevant medical certificate/conclusion exists, the term of remaining in the Service of a servant holding a state special rank may, at his or her own request and with the consent of the Head of the Emergency Situations Management Service, be extended beyond the maximum age by not more than 5 years.

3. The adoption of a decision on the extension of the term of remaining in the Service does not preclude the possibility of dismissing the servant from the Service on other relevant grounds provided for by this Law.

Article 55. Incentives for a servant and forms of incentives🔗

1. For exemplary performance of official duties, for long and conscientious service, for performance of a particularly difficult or important task, the following forms of incentives shall be applied to a servant:

a) declaration of gratitude;

b) award of a monetary prize;

c) awarding with a valuable gift;

d) awarding with a certificate of the Emergency Management Service;

e) early conferral of the next special state rank;

f) early removal of a disciplinary penalty;

g) nomination for a state award;

h) awarding with a badge of the Emergency Management Service;

i) awarding with a medallion of the Emergency Management Service;

j) awarding with a medal of the Emergency Management Service.

2. In respect of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service, in addition to the forms of incentives provided for by paragraph 1 of this Article, the following forms of incentives may also be applied:

a) (removed - 06.09.2022, No. 1715);

b) (removed - 06.09.2022, No. 1715);

c) (removed - 06.09.2022, No. 1715);

d) inclusion in the Honorary List of firefighter-rescuers of the Emergency Management Service;

e) awarding with a token of the Emergency Management Service.

3. Several forms of incentives may be applied to a servant simultaneously.

4. The rules for incentivising a servant and the rules for inclusion of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service in the Honorary List of firefighter-rescuers of the Emergency Management Service shall be approved by the Minister.

5. The Honorary List of firefighter-rescuers of the Emergency Management Service shall be approved by an individual administrative-legal act of the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 56. Types of disciplinary misconduct and disciplinary penalties of an employee🔗

1. The types of disciplinary misconduct of an employee are:

a) failure to perform official duties;

b) improper performance of official duties;

c) negligent attitude towards official duties;

d) commission of dishonourable conduct contrary to ethical norms, aimed at discrediting an employee or the Emergency Management Service, regardless of whether it was committed in the service or outside the service;

e) carrying out activities incompatible with the respective position;

f) an act inappropriate for an employee that damages the authority of the Emergency Management Service;

g) violation of the rules for maintaining labour discipline;

h) violation of the rules for wearing uniform clothing.

2. The Minister shall approve the procedure for imposing disciplinary liability on an employee.

3. For the commission of a disciplinary misconduct, the following types of disciplinary penalties shall be applied to an employee:

a) remark;

b) reprimand;

c) severe reprimand;

d) demotion;

e) dismissal from position/discharge from service.

4. In respect of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service, in addition to the types of disciplinary penalties provided for by paragraph 3 of this Article, removal from the honour list of firefighter-rescuers of the Emergency Management Service may also be applied as a type of disciplinary penalty.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 57. Training, retraining and professional development of servants🔗

1. The Emergency Management Service shall ensure that firefighter-rescuers receive basic special professional education, and shall also carry out the training, retraining and professional development of servants through the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency and the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the area of governance of the Ministry — the Public Safety and Police Academy. The Emergency Management Service is also entitled to carry out the training and/or retraining of servants on the basis of a contract concluded with another legal entity of public law or a legal entity of private law.

2. A firefighter-rescuer, upon recruitment into the service, shall undergo the basic special professional educational programme before appointment to a position or after appointment to a position, except for a person who has completed any special training course or professional programme in the fire and/or rescue field and/or who has worked in a fire-rescue unit and no more than 5 years have passed since the completion of that course or programme or since the termination of the service relationship. In this case, the issue of the firefighter-rescuer's completion of the basic special professional educational programme shall be decided by the Head of the Emergency Management Service on the basis of a reasoned petition of the structural subunit responsible for human resources management of the service.

3. The Emergency Management Service shall be obliged to carry out periodic retraining of firefighter-rescuers in accordance with a pre-drawn plan, in order to raise their qualification.

4. The Emergency Management Service is entitled to carry out the training and retraining of those servants whose functions and duties involve direct participation in emergency management.

5. In a special case, the Emergency Management Service is entitled to send a firefighter-rescuer, as well as a servant whose functions and duties involve direct participation in emergency management, to an educational institution of another country for study. In this case, an agreement shall be concluded between the Emergency Management Service and the firefighter-rescuer/servant.

6. The rules for completing a special professional educational programme, special training, retraining and/or a qualification development course/programme shall be approved by order of the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Law of Georgia of 10 December 2025 No. 1213 – website, 17.12.2025.

Article 58. Professional Day of the firefighter-rescuer🔗

The professional day of the firefighter-rescuer is celebrated on 12 June of each year.

Article 59. Legal protection of a servant🔗

1. In the performance of official duties, a servant is a representative of the authority and is protected by the State.

2. No one shall have the right to interfere in the official activity of a servant, except in cases provided by law.

3. In the performance of official duties, obstruction of a servant, infringement of his/her honour and dignity, threats against him/her, violence, resistance to him/her, or encroachment on his/her life, health or property entails liability provided by the legislation of Georgia.

4. A servant who refuses to execute a clearly unlawful order or ordinance shall not be held liable, while the person issuing a clearly unlawful order or ordinance shall be held liable in accordance with the procedure established by law.

5. A servant shall have the right to apply to a court for the protection of his/her rights and freedoms.

Article 60. Right of a servant to keep, carry and/or use a firearm🔗

1. In a special case, depending on the nature of the assignment, a servant of the Emergency Situations Management Service duly authorised for that purpose shall have the right to keep, carry and/or use a service and staff firearm.

2. A servant shall have the right to use a firearm as an extreme measure to protect the life and/or health of another person and/or his/her own life and/or health from an existing danger (including from the attack of a dangerous animal).

3. A servant shall be obliged to immediately notify his/her immediate supervisor of the use of a firearm.

4. The list of firearms and ammunition at the disposal of the Emergency Situations Management Service, as well as the rules for their storage, use and carrying, shall be determined by the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28 December 2018.

Article 61. Guarantees of social protection of a servant🔗

1. Insurance of the life and health of a servant is mandatory and shall be carried out with funds from the State Budget of Georgia. At the same time, it is possible to insure the spouse and minor children of the servant with funds from the State Budget of Georgia.

2. Damage caused in the performance of official duties shall be fully compensated to a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service, with funds from the State Budget of Georgia, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

3. During the period of being at the disposal of the service's staff, a servant shall retain, for 2 months, the monetary remuneration provided for the last position held.

4. To a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service, by an individual administrative-legal act of the Head of the Emergency Management Service, immovable property on the balance sheet of the Emergency Management Service may be transferred for use as housing.

5. Guarantees of social protection of a servant shall be determined by order of the Minister.

6. To a servant, in accordance with the procedure provided for by paragraph 5 of this Article, by order of the Head of the Emergency Management Service, within the limits of the assignments allocated from the State Budget of Georgia to the Emergency Management Service, may be determined a one-time monetary and/or material assistance measure, other social protection measures and benefits.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 62. Creation of safe and necessary working conditions for a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service🔗

1. A firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service has the right to have safe and necessary working conditions, as well as the organisational-technical means and fire-rescue equipment necessary for the performance of official duties. The list of fire-rescue equipment shall be approved by the Minister.

2. The Emergency Management Service shall be obliged to provide a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service with the conditions and means provided for by paragraph 1 of this Article, as well as to ensure equal and fair treatment of the firefighters-rescuers of the service in matters related to human resource management, remuneration and legal protection.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 63. Remuneration of a servant's labour🔗

1. The monetary remuneration of a servant consists of the official salary, and the monetary remuneration of a servant holding a special state rank — also of the salary established for the rank (rank salary).

2. A servant holding a special state rank shall be given a supplement to the monetary remuneration for the years of service in the rank. He/she may also be given another supplement.

3. The amounts of the monetary remunerations (official salary and rank salary) and supplements of a servant, as well as the procedure for granting the supplement to the monetary remuneration, shall be approved by the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 64. Supplement for years of service of a servant holding a special state rank🔗

A servant who has been conferred a special state rank shall be given monthly, according to the calendar years of service in the military or special state rank, a supplement to the monetary remuneration (official salary and rank salary) (supplement for years of service) in the following percentage amounts:

a) for 1 to 2 years of service – 5 per cent;

b) for 2 to 5 years of service – 10 per cent;

c) for 5 to 10 years of service – 15 per cent;

d) for 10 years or more of service – 20 per cent.

Article 65. Damage to the health of a servant in the performance of official duties🔗

1. In the event of damage to the health of a servant in the performance of official duties, according to the degree of the damage, he/she shall be given, by an individual administrative-legal act of the Minister, a one-time monetary assistance in the following amount:

a) in the case of severe damage to health – GEL 20,000 (twenty thousand);

b) in the case of less severe damage to health – GEL 15,000 (fifteen thousand);

c) in the case of minor damage to health – GEL 10,000 (ten thousand).

2. In the event of damage to the health of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service in the performance of official duties, if this damage makes it impossible for him/her to properly perform official duties, the Emergency Management Service shall ensure the employment of this firefighter-rescuer in the Emergency Management Service in another position corresponding to his/her state of health, personal and professional qualities and education.

3. The degree of damage to the health of a servant shall be determined in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

4. The procedure for granting the one-time monetary assistance defined by this article shall be determined by an order of the Minister.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 17 December 2025 No. 1273 – website, 22.12.2025.

Article 65¹. Provision of medical services to a servant🔗

1. In the event of damage to the health of a servant in the performance of official duty, namely, directly while extinguishing a fire and/or carrying out rescue works/emergency rescue works, while saving human life, health and/or property, or in the event of an attack related to official activity, he/she may, on the basis of the conclusion of the relevant medical commission established within the Ministry, be granted leave due to health condition, during which the expenses related to the protection of the servant's health (including his/her rehabilitation), the medical services provided to him/her, if necessary − his/her transportation, ensuring his/her care and other needs shall be reimbursed in accordance with the procedure and conditions established by the Minister. The duration of leave due to health condition shall be determined taking into account the severity of the damage to the servant's health/body or the nature of the illness, and it shall not exceed 1 year. This period may be extended on the basis of the conclusion of the relevant medical commission established within the Ministry, in accordance with the procedure and conditions/period established by the Minister. During leave due to health condition, the servant shall be reimbursed monetary remuneration and supplement.

2. Apart from the cases provided for by paragraph 1 of this Article, a servant may be granted paid leave due to health condition for a period of 4 months, and it may, taking into account the nature of the illness, on the basis of a medical conclusion, be extended in accordance with the procedure and conditions established by the Minister. During leave due to health condition, the servant shall be reimbursed monetary remuneration and supplement.

3. The social guarantees provided for by this Law and the legislation of Georgia may, in the case determined by the Minister, extend to:

a) a member of the servant's family;

b) a person released/dismissed from the Emergency Situations Management Service due to incapacity for work.

4. By order of the Minister, the issues related to the protection of the health of a servant and/or a member of his/her family, a person released/dismissed from the Emergency Situations Management Service due to incapacity for work, leave due to health condition, the medical services provided to him/her and the procedure for reimbursement of the relevant expenses, the methodology of financing, the provision of material assistance and the determination of its maximum amount, the request for the provision of medical assistance by him/her and the procedure for considering this request shall be determined.

Law of Georgia of 17 December 2025 No. 1273 - website, 22.12.2025.

Article 66. Death/decease of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service in the performance of official duty🔗

1. In the performance of official duty, namely, directly while extinguishing a fire and/or conducting rescue operations/emergency rescue operations, while saving a person's life, health and/or property, in the event of the death of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service or his death as a result of an injury sustained, his family (heir) shall be given, from the assignments allocated to the Emergency Management Service from the State Budget of Georgia, on the basis of a legal act issued by the Head of the Emergency Management Service, one-time monetary assistance in the amount of 100,000 (one hundred thousand) GEL and an amount to reimburse funeral (grave arrangement) expenses in the amount of 2,000 (two thousand) GEL. The funeral expenses of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service shall be reimbursed by the State (Emergency Management Service).

2. In the performance of official duty (except for the cases provided for by paragraph 1 of this Article), in the event of the death of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service, his family (heir) shall be given, from the assignments allocated to the Emergency Management Service from the State Budget of Georgia, on the basis of a legal act issued by the Head of the Emergency Management Service, one-time monetary assistance of not more than 30,000 (thirty thousand) GEL and an amount to reimburse funeral (grave arrangement) expenses in the amount of 2,000 (two thousand) GEL. The funeral expenses of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service shall be reimbursed by the State.

3. Within the assignments allocated to the Emergency Management Service by the Law of Georgia on the State Budget of the respective year, in the event of savings, a family member (heir) of a deceased firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service or a person dependent on him may be given additional monetary and/or material assistance on the basis of a legal act issued by the Head of the Emergency Management Service.

4. In the case provided for by paragraph 1 of this Article, in the event of the death of a firefighter-rescuer of the Emergency Management Service in the performance of official duty or his death as a result of an injury sustained, state compensation shall be assigned to his family members in accordance with the Law of Georgia "On State Compensation and State Academic Scholarship".

Law of Georgia of 17 December 2025 No. 1273 – website, 22.12.2025.

Article 67. Types of services in the field of civil safety🔗

The types of services in the field of civil safety are:

a) ensuring protection of the property of natural and legal persons from fire and/or an emergency situation;

b) development of fire safety measures and/or requirements for the prevention of and response to an emergency situation, provision of technical consultations on fire safety issues and/or on issues of protection of the population and territory from an emergency situation;

c) development of draft organizational and/or technical solutions for the purpose of ensuring compliance with fire safety requirements and/or requirements for the prevention of and response to an emergency situation;

d) performance of design works;

e) conducting a campaign for ensuring civil safety, issuing special literature and advertising products;

f) installation, adjustment, repair and technical maintenance of a fire protection device and system;

g) fire safety testing of a substance, material, article and structure;

h) performance of fireproofing and furnace works;

i) training in fire safety rules and rules of conduct in an emergency situation, as well as in organizing emergency management;

j) production, purchase and importation into Georgia of fire-technical products;

k) construction, reconstruction and repair of a building, structure and premises of a fire-rescue unit;

l) conduct of water rescue works, except for the cases determined by the Law of Georgia "On the Maritime Rescue Service";

m) servicing with fire/rescue, emergency-rescue equipment and/or crew during fire-hazardous works, mass, entertainment and/or sports events (except for public, political, charitable events directly organized by the State, when the service shall be provided free of charge);

n) servicing with fire/rescue, emergency-rescue equipment and/or crew during the filming of a film, advertisement or clip, during the period of flight operations at an airport and/or during another event/work (except for public, political, charitable events directly organized by the State, when the service shall be provided free of charge);

o) other works and services aimed at ensuring civil safety.

Article 68. Provision of services in the field of civil safety🔗

1. The right to provide services in the field of civil safety shall be vested in the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency, as well as natural and legal persons.

2. The provision of the service provided for by subparagraph „m“ of Article 67 of this Law is the exclusive authority of the State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency, which shall be carried out on the basis of the relevant contract concluded between the parties.

3. The State Reserves and Civil Safety Services Agency shall be entitled, for the provision of the service provided for by subparagraph „m“ of Article 67 of this Law, on the basis of the relevant contract concluded between the parties, to receive material and technical means from the Emergency Situations Management Service for temporary use.

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 69. Temporary rule for the implementation of incident/emergency response management🔗

1. Management of response to an emergency that has arisen or is expected before 1 September 2018, taking into account the area of its spread, its scale, the volume of its consequences, and the number of response forces and material resources required for its liquidation, shall be carried out in accordance with the rule established by this Article and the National Civil Safety Plan, at the following levels:

a) at the national level − response to an emergency shall be ensured by the response forces and emergency-rescue means located within the territorial boundaries of the powers of two or more state representatives – governors of the unified system, taking into account the material resources disposed of by the subjects of the unified system;

b) at the level of the autonomous republic − response to an emergency shall be ensured by the fire-rescue units of the respective institutions of the executive authority of the autonomous republic, municipal bodies, organizations operating within its administrative boundaries, as well as the Emergency Management Service, using the material resources disposed of by the said institutions of the executive authority of the autonomous republic, the respective territorial bodies of the executive authority institutions, municipal bodies, organizations and the Emergency Management Service, and the emergency zone does not extend beyond the territory of the autonomous republic;

c) at the regional level – response to an emergency shall be ensured by the fire-rescue units of the territorial bodies of the respective executive authority institutions existing within the territorial boundaries of the powers of the state representative – governor, municipal bodies, organizations operating within its administrative boundaries, as well as the Emergency Management Service, using the material resources disposed of by the said territorial bodies of the executive authority institutions, municipal bodies, organizations and the Emergency Management Service, and the emergency zone does not extend beyond the territorial boundaries of the powers of one state representative – governor;

d) at the local level − response to an emergency shall be ensured by the fire-rescue units of municipal bodies, organizations operating within its administrative boundaries, as well as the Emergency Management Service, using the material resources disposed of by municipal bodies, organizations and the Emergency Management Service, and the emergency zone does not extend beyond the administrative boundaries of the municipality;

e) at the facility level − response to an emergency shall be ensured by the response forces and emergency-rescue means of the respective facility, using the material resources disposed of by the said facility, and the emergency zone does not extend beyond the territory of this facility.

2. The bodies for managing response to emergency situations are:

a) at the national level:

a.a) the Prime Minister of Georgia, to whom the Emergency Situations Management Service submits relevant recommendations and proposals for making a political decision for the purpose of emergency situation management;

a.b) the Interagency Operational Centre for Emergency Situations Management – a body created by the Prime Minister of Georgia from the authorized persons of the executive power institutions of the unified system, which at the operational level organizes and coordinates response to an expected or emerging emergency situation. The activities of the Interagency Operational Centre for Emergency Situations Management shall be headed by the Prime Minister of Georgia or a person authorized by him;

a.c) emergency headquarters of the executive power institutions – bodies managing the subjects of the unified system, whose authority is to organize, according to the level of management and sectoral subordination, the activities of the relevant subjects of the unified system in the field of civil safety. The activities of the emergency headquarters shall be headed by the head of the relevant executive power institution or a person authorized by him;

b) at the level of the Autonomous Republic – the Operational Centre of the Autonomous Republic for Emergency Situations Management – a body created by the Head of the Government of the Autonomous Republic from the authorized persons of the relevant institutions of the executive power of the Autonomous Republic, the response forces of municipal bodies and organizations, and the fire-rescue unit of the Emergency Situations Management Service, which at the level of the Autonomous Republic (at the operational level) organizes and coordinates response to an expected or actual emergency situation. The activities of the Operational Centre of the Autonomous Republic for Emergency Situations Management shall be headed by the Head of the Government of the Autonomous Republic or a person authorized by him;

c) at the regional level – the Regional Operational Centre for Emergency Situations Management – a body created by the State Representative – Governor from the authorized persons of the State Representative – Governor, the territorial bodies of the relevant executive power institutions, the response forces of municipal bodies and organizations, and the fire-rescue unit of the Emergency Situations Management Service, which at the regional level (at the operational level) organizes and coordinates response to an expected or actual emergency situation. The activities of the Regional Operational Centre for Emergency Situations Management shall be headed by the State Representative – Governor or a person authorized by him;

d) at the local level − the local operational centre for emergency management – a body created by the mayor, the executive body of the municipality, from the authorised persons of the territorial bodies of the respective executive authority institutions, the municipal bodies and organisations, and the fire-rescue/rescue unit of the Emergency Management Service, which at the local level (operational level) organises and coordinates response to an expected or actual emergency. The activity of the local operational centre for emergency management shall be managed by the executive body of the municipality − the mayor or a person authorised by him;

e) at the facility level − the facility emergency staff, whose activity shall be managed by the head of the respective facility or a person authorised by him.

3. The operational centre defined by paragraph 2 of this Article shall be created for a certain period, depending on the expected or actual emergency, taking into account its nature and scale.

4. The deputies of the heads of the autonomous republic, regional and local operational centres for emergency management shall be authorised persons of the fire-rescue unit of the Emergency Management Service.

5. For the purpose of responding to an emergency, the operational centre defined by paragraph 2 of this Article shall be entitled, taking into account the situation, to create one or several field operations centres in the emergency zone or in the territory adjacent thereto, which shall carry out response to the emergency on site and management of the response forces at the tactical level. The field operations centre shall be managed by an authorised person/persons appointed by the respective operational centre.

6. Before the creation of the operational centre defined by paragraph 2 of this Article, the primary response to an expected or actual emergency shall be carried out by the respective response forces of the unified system or shall be carried out by the Emergency Management Service, which is entitled to create a field operations centre at the tactical level.

7. If a field operations centre has been created, the response forces, regardless of their subordination, upon arrival in the emergency zone shall pass under the subordination of the head of the field operations centre.

8. For extinguishing a fire and conducting emergency-rescue works, fire-rescue units shall be dispatched on an unconditional basis.

9. During a fire, accident, catastrophe, natural disaster and other emergency, the involvement and management of the forces and means of fire-rescue units in emergency response measures shall be ensured by the Emergency Management Service in accordance with the legislation of Georgia.

10. Plans for the engagement of the forces and means of various types of fire-rescue units in fire extinguishing and emergency-rescue works at the national, autonomous republic, regional and local levels shall be developed and approved, in agreement with municipal bodies, by the relevant unit of the Emergency Situations Management Service.

11. The Emergency Situations Management Service shall coordinate the actions of fire-rescue units participating in the extinguishing of a particularly complex fire.

12. Unless otherwise provided by the legislation of Georgia, fire extinguishing shall be directly directed by the senior official of the fire-rescue unit of the Emergency Situations Management Service who has arrived at the fire scene — the fire extinguishing director, who manages, on the principle of one-man management, the forces participating in fire extinguishing.

13. In the emergency situation zone, the emergency response director shall be responsible for the safety of the response forces of the unified system and of other participants in the emergency response.

14. For the purpose of responding to an emergency situation, the relevant units of the Defence Forces of Georgia may be used in accordance with the legislation of Georgia.

Article 70. Liquidation of the Emergency Situations Management Agency, reorganization of the Emergency Situations Management Service and legal succession🔗

1. On 1 August 2018, the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the special-purpose state institution under the direct subordination of the Prime Minister of Georgia − the Emergency Situations Management Service − namely the Emergency Situations Management Agency, shall be liquidated and, accordingly, the Emergency Situations Management Service shall be reorganized.

2. The Emergency Situations Management Service shall be considered the legal successor of the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Emergency Situations Management Service − the Emergency Situations Management Agency, except in the case provided for by paragraph 3 of this Article.

3. The Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Emergency Situations Management Service − the State Reserves and Civil Security Services Agency − shall be considered the legal successor of the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Emergency Situations Management Service − the Emergency Situations Management Agency − in respect of its own revenues and the obligations assumed within the scope of these revenues.

4. The Emergency Situations Management Service shall, before 1 August 2018, ensure the issuance of the relevant legal acts for the liquidation and reorganization provided for by paragraph 1 of this Article and the implementation of the necessary organizational measures.

5. Legal acts adopted/issued in the field of civil security, regardless of whether these acts comply with this Law, retain legal force until the adoption/issuance of the relevant legal acts.

6. Before 1 January 2020, the Government of Georgia and the Ministry shall ensure the compliance of the relevant legal acts with this Law.

7. The Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Emergency Situations Management Service – the Emergency Situations Management Agency:

a) before 1 August 2018, shall create the relevant commission/commissions, which shall ensure the determination of the assets and liabilities to be transferred to the Emergency Situations Management Service according to the balance-sheet data, as well as of the service documentation (including the relevant archival material and other documentation);

b) before 1 August 2018, shall transfer to the Emergency Situations Management Service the assets and liabilities determined in accordance with subparagraph „a“ of this paragraph, as well as the service documentation (including the relevant archival material and other documentation).

8. The Emergency Management Service shall, by 1 August 2018, create the relevant commission/commissions, which shall ensure, in accordance with Georgian legislation, the accounting and inventory of the assets and liabilities transferred/received from the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Service — the Emergency Management Agency — as well as of official documentation (including the relevant archival material and other documentation).

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Article 71. Labour relations of the servants of the Emergency Management Service upon the reorganisation of the Emergency Management Service/upon the liquidation of the Emergency Management Agency🔗

1. In the case provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 70 of this Law, upon the reorganisation of the Emergency Management Service and upon the liquidation of the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of its governance — the Emergency Management Agency, the servants of the Emergency Management Service and of the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of its governance — the Emergency Management Agency (except persons employed under an employment contract) were placed at the disposal of the staff of the said Service.

2. A servant placed at the disposal of the staff of the Service in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article may, with his/her consent, be appointed to a position provided for by the staffing list of the Emergency Management Service or of the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Emergency Management Service.

3. If a servant of the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Emergency Management Service – the Emergency Management Agency, who as of 1 August 2018 works in this Agency and has been conferred the state special rank of civil security, continues to work in the system of the Emergency Management Service from 1 August 2018, he/she shall retain, during the period of work in this system, the state special rank conferred as of 1 August 2018, irrespective of his/her position, and shall be conferred the next state special rank in accordance with the procedure established by Georgian legislation.

Article 71¹. Exceptional rule for calculating the supplement to the monetary remuneration for years of service in rank for a servant of the Emergency Management Service holding a state special rank🔗

When calculating the supplement to the monetary remuneration for years of service in rank for a servant of the Emergency Management Service holding a state special rank, there shall be counted in the years of service the period of work without military rank or state special rank from 1 April 2005 to 10 January 2015 in the fire-fighting and/or rescue services/units for emergency management (regardless of their status and designation) subordinate to the Autonomous Republic of Ajara, state representatives − governors and local self-government bodies, and the period of work without rank from 10 January 2015 to 2 September 2016 in the Legal Entity of Public Law operating in the field of governance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia − the Emergency Management Agency.

Law of Georgia of 3 April 2024 No. 4100 – website, 18.04.2024.

Article 72. (repealed)🔗

Law of Georgia of 22 December 2018 No. 4067 – website, 28.12.2018.

Law of Georgia of 19 December 2019 No. 5630 – website, 26.12.2019.

Law of Georgia of 30 December 2020 No. 49 – website, 30.12.2020.

Law of Georgia of 14 December 2021 No. 1089 – website, 17.12.2021.

Law of Georgia of 6 September 2022 No. 1715 – website, 16.09.2022.

Article 73. Invalid normative act🔗

The Law of Georgia of 29 May 2014 "On Civil Safety" shall be declared invalid (Legislative Herald of Georgia (www.matsne.gov.ge), 12.06.2014, registration code: 140070000.05.001.017468).

Article 74. Entry into force of the Law🔗

1. This Law, except for Articles 1–68 and 73 of this Law, shall enter into force upon publication.

2. Articles 1–6, 8–13, 19–68 and 73 of this Law shall enter into force from 1 August 2018.

3. Articles 14–18 of this Law shall enter into force from 1 September 2018.

4. Article 7 of this Law shall enter into force from 1 October 2018.

President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili

Kutaisi,

27 June 2018

N2608-IIs