A wise person prepares for disruptions

November saw the publication of a new guide entitled Preparing for incidents and crises in the national Suomi.fi web service aimed at providing Finnish people with advice on what to do during exceptional situations. Residents, housing companies, businesses and others alike should keep their know-how up-to-date in preparation for different situations.

"Various preparedness measures, which we work on in close cooperation with authorities and other partners, are also a part of the City's normal operations. The City is prepared to provide services as normally as possible even in exceptional situations, and we actively train our staff, as it is wise to stay prepared," says City Manager Jukka-Pekka Ujula.

Examples of the aforementioned exceptional situations that people should know how to act in include storms, which can cause power outages, flooding and mobility challenges; fires; and accidents involving hazardous waste. In addition to this, you should prepare for internet and banking services disruptions and keep your smart devices secure. All city residents should also maintain a home emergency supply kit, which includes water, food, medicines and hygiene supplies for at least 72 hours.

Housing companies must have an up-to-date rescue plan that residents are familiar with. If a housing company has a civil defence shelter, it is important for several residents to be able to deploy it and provide guidance to others. The parties responsible for the safety of a housing company are the board of the housing company, the property manager and the maintenance company, but the joint activities of residents are also of great importance.

There are approximately 5,500 civil defence shelters in Helsinki. Most of them consist of building shelters in private properties. In addition to them, Helsinki has large public shelters carved into the bedrock, the locations of which are shown on the City of Helsinki's service map:
City of Helsinki´s service map (Link leads to external service)

The metro stations in the city centre also serve as civil defence shelters. In the event of an emergency, you can go to the nearest shelter. The City's civil defence shelters can accommodate approximately 900,000 people.

"This means that Helsinki has enough civil defence shelters for all the people in the city. The City takes care of its civil defence shelters in many ways," Ujula says.

Several organisations also provide civil protection and preparedness training in preparation for crises.

• food and water for all the members of the household, including pets
• a radio and lamp that you can operate without mains electricity, e.g. with batteries
• a charged backup power supply
• essential medicines
• first aid supplies
• iodine tablets according to recommendations
• hygiene supplies, including hand sanitiser and wet wipes
  cash
• duct tape for sealing windows and vents