New guide instructs people how to prepare for incidents and crises in Finland

The new Preparing for Incidents and Crises guide aimed at the entire population has been published on Suomi.fi. The Ministry of the Interior produced the online guide together with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and an extensive cooperation network. The guide collects preparedness instructions in one place.

The Preparing for Incidents and Crises guide published on Suomi.fi deals with situations that would have a broad impact on society and communities.

Situations that require preparedness include long power cuts, water outages, interruptions in telecommunications, extreme weather events, major accidents, and longer-term crises, such as a pandemic or military conflict. In addition to instructions, the guide contains information on hybrid and information influence activities, maintaining functional capacity, coping during crises, and helping others.

You can only prepare in advance

Preparedness means preparing for various incidents, crises and emergency conditions in advance. For that reason, users should familiarise themselves with the Suomi.fi preparedness guide when there are no ongoing incidents in society. Individual emergency planning and action affect individuals’ and communities’ ability to cope.

According to a population survey conducted by the Ministry of the Interior in September, 58 per cent of Finns have acquired home emergency supplies for crisis situations, i.e. food, money and supplies. Correspondingly, around 40 per cent of citizens have not acquired enough home emergency supplies and do not necessarily trust their skills in crisis situations.  

Around half of young people and urban residents have ensured that they are adequately prepared, while those living in rural areas are clearly better prepared (74%). Women have acquired better home emergency supplies than men. 

“Preparedness is a civic skill in the current global situation. Knowing what to do in case of an incident is a good foundation for society’s resilience. This prepares people better to help those close to them. The authorities can then focus on their tasks that involve resolving the situation and helping those who need it most,” says Kimmo Kohvakka, Director General for Rescue Services at the Ministry of the Interior.

Collecting instructions in one place makes it easier to find information

The Suomi.fi Web Service, which is maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, guides citizens in different life situations. Suomi.fi provides services and clear instructions that authorities, non-profit organisations and experts have produced in cooperation.

Compiling key information and instructions from different actors into a single online guide makes it easier for citizens to find information. The publication of the Suomi.fi preparedness guide does not make significant changes to the content of the instructions. The guide also contains links to other key online content on preparedness.

The guide is available online in Finnish, Swedish and English. The key points are available in Finnish and Finland-Swedish Sign Languages. The guide is also accompanied by a PDF summary providing basic information on preparedness in 15 languages. Users can print out the summaries for themselves, for their friends and family, or for access at service points. 

Everyone can prepare for incidents and crises to the best of their ability 

Everyone has different starting points for preparedness, which is why preparedness should be seen as a broad set of tools. While preparedness is based on home emergency supplies, it also involves knowledge and skills that people will need when something unusual happens. Everyone should be prepared in some way according to their needs, opportunities and abilities.

“The idea of preparing for crises may cause anxiety and fear. However, thinking about the risks and threats also strengthens the resources of the individual and the community. It is important to remember that unlikely things may happen. However, preparing for threats will not make them any more likely to take place. Good preparedness means that people in Finland can combat threats together,” says Eriikka Koistinen, Director of Communications at the Ministry of the Interior.

Read the Preparing for incidents and crises guide at Suomi.fi 

The guide is part of the wider communications package on individual emergency planning launched in 2022, which strengthens the population’s preparedness competence. One of the objectives of the current Government Programme is to strengthen the psychological resilience and individual emergency planning competence in all population groups.

The Ministry of the Interior funded the implementation of the guide and was responsible for producing the content. The following parties were involved in producing the guide: Digital and Population Data Services Agency, Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority, National Emergency Supply Agency, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finnish Association for Mental Health MIELI, Martha Association, Rescue Services, Police, Ministry of Defence, Finnish Defence Forces, Financial Supervisory Authority, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, Bank of Finland, Finnish National Rescue Association, Finnish Red Cross, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Secretariat of the Security Committee, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of the Environment.