Preparedness, security and situation awareness 

Preparedness means planning and preparing for incidents, emergencies and major accidents before they occur. The Security Strategy for Society defines an incident as a threat or event that endangers vital tasks or functions of society. Key aspects of preparedness include contingency planning, continuity management, preparations, training and preparedness exercises. Provisions on preparedness are laid down in the Emergency Powers Act and the State of Defence Act. 

Government's preparedness

The aim of the Government’s preparedness work is to ensure that the Government can carry out its duties in all situations. Ministries and agencies in their branch of government are responsible for their own preparedness. These emergency arrangements and plans form the basis for the Government’s joint preparedness, which in turn ensures smooth cooperation throughout the administration.

Annual exercises conducted jointly by the Government and by individual ministries are an important part of preparedness. The ministry has a Head of Preparedness who assists the Permanent Secretary in matters related to preparedness and security.  

Security

The ministry’s joint security models and services aim to prepare for disruptions and safeguard the activities of the Government. Security activities include risk management, training, premises and real estate security, personnel security, expert security services, monitoring and assessments. 

The Prime Minister’s Office is responsible for directing and coordinating security activities and for providing security services. The Preparedness Unit at the Prime Minister’s Office is responsible for security control rooms, surveillance and security technology in the ministry’s premises.  

Situation awareness

The Government’s decision-making, security activities and preparedness are based on real-time situational information and a cross-administrative analysis in line with the comprehensive security model. The Government Situation Centre at the Prime Minister’s Office maintains and analyses an up-to-date, cross-administrative situation picture that supports the decision-making of the country’s leaders under normal conditions but especially during incidents. The situation picture includes information on the circumstances at hand, the events that led to the situation and the level of preparedness of different actors, along with assessments of how the situation may develop.