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Sustainability
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Innovative Techniques and Technologies in Crisis Management and Civil Protection
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Innovative Techniques and Technologies in Crisis Management and Civil Protection

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Hazards and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 2930

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jozef Kubás

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Crisis Management, Faculty of Security Engineering, University of Žilina, Univerzitná 8215/1, 010 26 Žilina, Slovakia
Interests: civil protection; crisis management; disaster, management; emergency management; information technology; safety
Prof. Dr. Jozef Ristvej

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Crisis Management, Faculty of Security Engineering, University of Žilina, Univerzitná 8215/1, 010 26 Žilina, Slovakia
Interests: civil protection; crisis management; disaster, management; emergency management; information technology; safety and security

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Severe events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the earthquake in Turkey, floods in Europe and the world, or other major disasters serve as a reminder of unexpected crises and the need to ensure security. In accordance with the disaster management cycle, crisis management tries to prepare the system as well as the population for possible crisis events. The issues with some crisis events are their irregularity and incoherence. Therefore, it is necessary to follow new trends, procedures, and experiences of good practices. At the same time, it is necessary to use new technologies and apply innovative procedures and techniques within the entire disaster management cycle. These will all make it possible to improve the resilience of the system and the preparedness of the population.

This Special Issue, “Innovative Techniques and Technologies in Crisis Management and Civil Protection”, seeks high-quality works focusing on the latest novel advances and processes concerning the submission of high-quality scientific papers focused on the latest advances in the field of crisis management and civil protection. The interest is in research that is devoted to the application of modern technologies and innovative techniques in risk assessment and in all phases of the disaster management cycle, from prevention, preparation, and response to recovery. These works should investigate how new solutions can improve the ability of systems and society to prevent threats, respond effectively to crisis situations, and provide timely recovery processes. Particular attention should be paid to interdisciplinary approaches linked to environmental, human, technological, and management aspects aimed at improving resilience and sustainability in the context of increasing human and environmental risks. The results of these studies should contribute to a better understanding of how to use technological progress to minimize the impact of a crisis and maximize the effectiveness of the response to it, thus creating a more robust and prepared system for the protection of society and the environment.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcomed. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Advanced data analysis and risk modeling.
  • Climate change adaptation.
  • Implementation of advanced technologies in the prevention and management of crisis situations.
  • Integration of digital solutions in the disaster management cycle.
  • Technological innovation in predictive crisis modeling.
  • Resilience and adaptation of critical infrastructure in the context of possible threats.
  • Use of technologies in improving international cooperation in managing difficult disasters.
  • Use of geographical information systems (GIS) in risk prediction and assessment and during all phases of crisis and disaster management.

We are looking forward to your contributions.

Dr. Jozef Kubás
Prof. Dr. Jozef Ristvej
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • crisis management
  • risk management
  • civil protection
  • crisis, disasters, emergency event
  • climate change adaptation
  • disaster management cycle, risk assessment, prevention, preparedness, response, recovery

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 28546 KiB  
Article
Ensuring Sustainable Preservation: Fire Protection of Timber Sacral Buildings in Eastern Slovakia
by Michal Huliak and Iveta Marková
Sustainability 2025, 17(6), 2429; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062429 - 10 Mar 2025
Viewed by 540
Abstract
Timber heritage buildings reflect the character and specifics of the region in which they are located and in which they were built. They form part of memory and history, preserving the traditions and culture of a community. The fact that their building material [...] Read more.
Timber heritage buildings reflect the character and specifics of the region in which they are located and in which they were built. They form part of memory and history, preserving the traditions and culture of a community. The fact that their building material is timber makes them more susceptible to fire. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the current state of fire protection of timber heritage buildings. Having established this status, we will analyze the results and list the main problems we have identified. We will propose measures to reduce the risk of fire occurrence and spread. For the purposes of our research, we followed the developed methodologies for fire protection assessment of heritage buildings. We developed a checklist which we used for data collection. We analyzed the results, and then used synthesis to look for areas of correlation between the different buildings. The most common shortcomings in the fire protection of sacral timber buildings are the absence of fire protection coatings, missing or non-functioning electric fire alarms, and the absence of a stable fire extinguishing system. The presence of combustible materials in the building or its immediate vicinity, water sources, access roads or the travel time of the fire brigade to the building were also problematic. The main challenge to increasing fire protection of heritage timber buildings in Slovakia is the lack of funding. Without funds, it will not be possible to equip the buildings with fire-fighting equipment and the sustainability of these objects for future generations will not be possible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques and Technologies in Crisis Management and Civil Protection)
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25 pages, 494 KiB  
Article
Educational Aspects Affecting Paramedic Preparedness and Sustainability of Crisis Management: Insights from V4 Countries and the Role of Innovative Technologies
by Michal Titko and Miroslav Slemenský
Sustainability 2025, 17(5), 1944; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17051944 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 660
Abstract
Recent major disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in Europe, highlight the unpredictability of crises and the necessity for systemic preparedness at all levels of crisis management, including pre-hospital emergency medical services. Paramedics observed, under these challenging conditions (but not exclusively during [...] Read more.
Recent major disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in Europe, highlight the unpredictability of crises and the necessity for systemic preparedness at all levels of crisis management, including pre-hospital emergency medical services. Paramedics observed, under these challenging conditions (but not exclusively during them), cases of insufficient knowledge and skills in providing pre-hospital medical care, which lead to inadequate or prolonged decision making in delivering assistance. For this reason, the authors aimed to determine the extent to which such situations occur and to examine their causes, focusing on potential gaps and shortcomings in the education of paramedics. This study examines the impact of educational systems on the professional preparedness of paramedics in V4 European countries (the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland) during pre-hospital care through a questionnaire survey. A survey involving over 1600 respondents revealed significant disparities in perceived knowledge and skill gaps, with Poland demonstrating the highest deficiencies (78%) and the Slovak Republic the lowest (57%). Key factors influencing these gaps included the frequency of external educational and training activities, years of experience, and expertise in managing critical conditions. The findings underscore the importance of innovative technologies, such as simulations and virtual reality, in enhancing paramedic training, along with integrating digital solutions across all phases of disaster management. Recommendations focus on strengthening system resilience, fostering interdisciplinary approaches, and improving system sustainability and adaptability. By using the results obtained and leveraging technological advances, the study aims to contribute to more effective crisis preparedness, population protection, and sustainable development goals (SDGs), namely (3, 4, 9, and 11), especially in the field of crisis management. This reinforces the broader role of SDGs in building more robust, future-ready disaster management frameworks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques and Technologies in Crisis Management and Civil Protection)
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37 pages, 5739 KiB  
Article
Coal Mine Accident Risk Analysis with Large Language Models and Bayesian Networks
by Gu Du and An Chen
Sustainability 2025, 17(5), 1896; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17051896 - 24 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1232
Abstract
Coal mining, characterized by its complex operational environment and significant management challenges, is a prototypical high-risk industry with frequent accidents. Accurate identification of the key risk factors influencing coal mine safety is critical for reducing accident rates and enhancing operational safety. Comprehensive analyses [...] Read more.
Coal mining, characterized by its complex operational environment and significant management challenges, is a prototypical high-risk industry with frequent accidents. Accurate identification of the key risk factors influencing coal mine safety is critical for reducing accident rates and enhancing operational safety. Comprehensive analyses of coal mine accident investigation reports provide invaluable insights into latent risk factors and the underlying mechanisms of accidents. In this study, we construct an integrated research framework that synthesizes large language models, association rule mining, and Bayesian networks to systematically analyze 700 coal mine accident investigation reports. First, a large language model is employed to extract risk factors, identifying multiple layers of risks, including 14 direct, 38 composite, and 75 specific factors. Next, the Apriori algorithm is applied to mine 281 strong association rules, which serve as the foundation for constructing a Bayesian network model comprising 127 nodes. Finally, sensitivity analysis and critical path analysis are conducted on the Bayesian network to reveal seven primary risk factors primarily related to on-site safety management, the execution of operational procedures, and insufficient safety supervision. The novelty of our framework lies in its efficient processing of unstructured text data via large language models, which significantly enhances the accuracy and comprehensiveness of risk factor identification compared to traditional methods. The findings provide robust theoretical and practical support for coal mine safety risk management and offer valuable insights for risk management practices in other high-risk industries. From a policy perspective, we recommend that the government strengthen legislation and supervision of coal mine safety with a particular focus on the enforcement of operational procedures and on-site safety management, promote comprehensive safety education and training to enhance frontline personnel’s awareness and emergency response capabilities, and leverage data-driven technologies to develop intelligent risk early-warning systems. These measures will improve the precision and efficiency of safety management and provide a scientific basis for accident prevention and control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques and Technologies in Crisis Management and Civil Protection)
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