Rescue operations

Rescue operations refer to emergency measures taken by a fire brigade when there is an accident or threat of an accident, in order to:

Rescue operations within rescue service regions must be planned so that fire brigades are able to operate efficiently and safely in the event of accidents that are considered likely on the basis of estimated accident potential. Furthermore, fire brigades are prepared for rescue missions involving explosions, oil and chemical spills, dam bursts, landslides, gas or liquid leaks, floods, other natural catastrophes, and radiation hazard situations, and for ensuring personal safety at large public events.

Finnish firefighters are multi-skilled rescuers. In addition to firefighting and rescue work, they take part in preventing fire and other accidents and participate in ambulance and medical services. First aid includes maintaining basic vital functions and stopping haemorrhaging.

Rescue operations include:

Emergency calls

Emergency calls should be made by ringing the emergency number 112. Emergency response centres (ERCs) alert fire, ambulance, police, social or maritime search and rescue service personnel in emergency situations, as appropriate. The ERCs provide emergency callers with advice until the relevant service unit arrives at the scene. The emergency number is 112 throughout Finland.

In Finland, four million emergency calls are made per year. Thus, the ERCs receive 0.8 emergency calls per citizen on an annual basis. Approximately half of these calls result in call-outs for emergency response units.

Emergency calls occur in the following proportions:

Warning the population

At national level, people are warned of an emergency over the radio and TV. An emergency announcement transmission system is utilised in the event of an immediate or manifest risk to human lives or considerable damage to property or the environment. Emergency announcements are simultaneously transmitted via all radio stations and free TV channels nationwide. An emergency announcement interrupts all programmes irrespective of channel.

In the event of an emergency, people are warned at local level by the sound of the public warning signal. The signal means that the population is in immediate danger. When you hear the public warning signal, you should go inside and turn on the radio for further instructions on, for example, protecting foodstuffs and moving outdoors.

The public warning signal is a continuous rising and falling siren sound provided via fixed outdoor alarms. These can be supplemented by mobile alarms in sparsely populated areas. Each person should know the public warning signal and know what to do in emergency situations. After hearing an alarm, the population should first seek shelter indoors and then, only after instruction from the authorities, seek refuge in civil defence shelters.

Page modified: 9.6.2010