International rescue operations

Finland participates in the development of the civil protection mechanism of the European Union as well as in other international cooperation related to rescue services. Finland aims to fulfil all of its commitments relating to international aid and crisis management.

The Ministry of the Interior may, at the request of another State or international organisation, decide to send rescue assistance abroad. Similarly, the Ministry of the Interior may request help from abroad. Such assistance may include damage assessment, evaluation of the need for assistance or coordination of international aid within the UNDAC team (the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team), or personal or material help provided by Finland’s international rescue force Finnrescueforce (FRF).

The aim is to provide help abroad in the event of crises or catastrophes where assistance is justified to safeguard life, the environment, or property. Rescue operations may include firefighting, searches, rescue, first aid, cleanup of oil and chemical spills, damage assessment, and water rescue missions. Help may also include helping the population on site or evacuating the population, in which case leadership, electricity and power generation, cleaning and supplying water, and arranging temporary accommodation may be involved.

The UNDAC team functions in connection with missions steered by the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. As part of this work, Finnish experts have been involved in various tasks around the world since 1994, providing expertise concerning earthquakes, floods, forest fires, storms, refugee situations, and civilian crisis management.

Finnrescueforce comprises personnel from the fire departments of the largest municipalities. Personal help consists of experts, special groups, and rescue groups. Moreover, rescue equipment can be sent to disaster areas for the use of local organisations working there. Finnrescueforce comprises a total of 196 rescuers. These are assembled into suitable groups properly equipped to carry out their mission.

Finnrescueforce has provided assistance since 1992 by, for example, extinguishing forest fires in Latvia and providing material assistance and expertise in connection with forest fires in Estonia and Indonesia. Furthermore, the Finnrescueforce crew provided help after the earthquake in Turkey in 1999 and that in Iran in 2003.

Page modified: 16.11.2005