The Syrian Civil Defence, known as the "White Helmets," was established on October 25, 2013, as local volunteer teams, which were then merged in June 2025 into the Syrian Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management to become an official national arm for confronting disasters.
In an interview with SANA on the occasion of the anniversary, Deputy Minister of Emergency Affairs Hussam Al-Halal confirmed that institutional flexibility and accumulated experience formed the pillars that transformed the initiative into a national model capable of facing risks and ensuring the sustainability of services.
From Volunteer Initiatives to a National Institution
Al-Halal clarified that the urgent need emerged in 2013 and 2014 in areas outside the control of the former regime, where residents faced massive needs for firefighting and rescue amid the absence of government services. He stated that defectors from the former regime took the initiative to form volunteer search and rescue teams following widespread bombing and destruction.
He added that on October 25, 2014, the founding charter of the Syrian Civil Defence was signed, as volunteer teams gathered to unify their efforts and resources, and the "Charter of Principles" was signed by representatives of the teams in all territories outside the control of the former regime.
Complex Response and Crime Documentation
The Deputy Minister of Emergency Affairs explained that Civil Defence teams faced complex responses due to double attacks, where volunteers were subjected to shelling while recovering victims. He pointed out the placement of "GoPro" cameras on volunteers' helmets to record response stages and the creation of an electronic system to date operations.
He noted that this evidence contributed to documenting crimes, despite the heavy price paid by the system, with more than 300 martyrs, representing about 10 percent of the total volunteers, falling while performing their humanitarian duty under extremely dangerous conditions.
International Partnerships and Transition to a Ministry
Al-Halal explained that the system initially relied on funding from international organizations, and the relationship later evolved into strategic partnerships in advocacy and legal partnerships to document violations. He affirmed that accumulated experience formed the core nucleus of the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management.
Finally, Al-Halal delivered two messages: the first to local communities, affirming their ability to achieve the impossible through volunteer initiatives, and the second to the ministry's staff, to remain true to their pledge in serving the people and to transition from the emergency response phase to the phase of preparedness and advance planning.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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