Vigipirate Emergency Attack was declared on March 22, 2024, following the Islamic State terrorist organization’s claim of responsibility for the attack near Moscow and threats to France. This state of vigilance and maximum protection is introduced for a limited period: the time of crisis management. It may be declared throughout the national territory or within a defined geographical area.

This alert level makes it possible in particular to ensure an exceptional mobilization of resources (soldiers of the Sentinel Force...), but also to disseminate information likely to protect citizens in a crisis situation.

Among the measures that may apply with the Emergency Attack level:

• access controls for persons and vehicles can be strengthened in public buildings;
• a visual check of the bags may be carried out at the entrance to schools, and in the event of refusal the school principal or school head may refuse the person in question access to the building;
• places of worship may be subject to enhanced surveillance.

What are the other two alert levels?

Vigilance

This level corresponds to the permanent security posture valid at any place and at any time and to a series of 100 permanent security measures such as the surveillance of transport and public places or the control of access to public sites.

Enhanced Security - Attack Risk

This level is triggered when there is a high level of terrorist threat. It affects the whole territory or targets a particular geographical area or sector of activity and does not have a defined time limit. It provides for the reinforcement of permanent security measures and the activation of additional measures according to the areas concerned by the threat (airports, stations, places of worship, etc.).

Prepare, Prevent, Respond, Manage

The implementation of the Vigipirate plan is based on 3 main principles:

• assess the terrorist threat in France and against French nationals and interests abroad;
• Understand the vulnerabilities of the main potential targets of terrorist attack to reduce them.
• determine a safety device that meets the level of risk.

The intelligence services assess the terrorist threat, and their analyzes enable the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN) to establish, among other things, the general security measures to be implemented.

The whole of Vigipirate device submitted by RDSN includes, inter alia, information for

• prepare (know the configuration of the places where people live and the sites usually frequented, identify the emergency exits, observe its environment especially in places of high affluence, know the emergency numbers, train for first aid gestures...);
• prevent (reporting cases of radicalization, prevention of violent acts and reporting of suspicious situations);
• Respond (what to do in the event of an armed attack, cyber attack or toxic attack).
• managing the post-terrorist attack (witness or victim of a terrorist attack).