Household preparedness

Citizens’ and various communities’ preparedness is a great help to society and, above all, to the individual. Therefore everyone should prepare for disruptive situations.

A safe home, work and other operating environment is important to all of us. Do your part to ensure the safety of your environment. Alarms, initial firefighting equipment, escape routes and correct actions help in an accident.

In a safe operating environment accidents are also prevented in advance, people are looked after, the safety of buildings is ensured and safety equipment and tools are kept operational. In addition, preparations are made for disruptive situations such as storms, floods and long power outages, as the rescue services advise.

72 hours is the preparedness recommendation for households prepared by authorities and organisations. For example, a prolonged power outage may cause a situation in which services provided by society are disrupted or even suspended. Households should prepare to manage independently for at least three days in the event of a disruption.

In urgent emergencies always call the general emergency number 112. It is also recommended to download the 112 app to your phone.

Read more about preparedness and safety (in Finnish): 

Homes should prepare to manage independently for at least three days in the event of a disruption. It would be good if the home had at least three days’ worth of food and medicines. It is also important to know the basics of preparedness, for example where to get correct information during a disruptive situation and how to cope in a cooling apartment.

Home emergency kit:

  • Water for drinking and washing
  • Containers for storing water
  • Food, e.g. dry food and canned goods, and a can opener
  • Foods for special diets
  • Flashlight and spare batteries
  • Battery-powered radio and spare batteries
  • Hygiene products
  • Medication, first aid and initial fire-fighting supplies
  • Candles, matches and a camping stove
  • Warm blankets and sleeping bags
  • Cash
  • Pet supplies
  • If you live in a house with a fireplace, wood stove or sauna stove, obtain enough firewood for backup heating
  • Keep your car’s fuel tank as full as possible

Use your emergency supplies in daily rotation following “best before” recommendations and replace items as you use them. This way food and supplies remain usable.

Read more:

  1. Take the flashlight from its designated place.
  2. Turn off electric stoves, circular saws and other household machines or devices that could create dangerous situations.
  3. Call the emergency number 112 only in emergencies. For other matters, Citizens’ Advice (Kansalaisneuvonta) can help, tel. 0295 000 or kansalaisneuvonta.fi.
  4. Turn on a battery-powered radio and listen for possible official instructions (YLE Radio Suomi 94.8 MHz).

Read more:

  1. Download the app from your phone’s app store under the name “112 Suomi”
  2. When you first use it, enter your phone number into the app.
  3. In an emergency, call the emergency number through the app, whereby your location coordinates are automatically transmitted to the emergency response centre operator.
  4. Follow hazard and official bulletins delivered via the app.

Read more about the 112 app

  1. Test sound is a continuous steady alarm sound that lasts 7 seconds. The test signal does not require people to take action.
  2. The general alarm can be used to quickly warn and direct people in the danger area; it indicates an immediate threat to people. After the signal there will always be instructions and information on the reason for the alarm via a hazard bulletin on radio and TV. The general alarm is a one-minute rising and falling sound, with the rising and falling phases each lasting 7 seconds. Upon hearing the general alarm people should:
    • move indoors immediately,
    • close doors, windows, vents and ventilation,
    • listen to the radio and follow the instructions given,
    • avoid using the telephone so lines do not become congested,
    • in exceptional conditions move to shelters immediately.
  3. All-clear signal indicates the end of the warning state related to the general alarm when the threat or danger has passed. The all-clear signal is a continuous steady sound lasting one minute.

Read more about the population warning system (in Finnish)

In gas hazard and radiation situations the general alarm signal is given.

In a radiation hazard situation:

  1. Move indoors
  2. Be prepared to take an iodine tablet
  3. Protect water and food – including animals’
  4. Read, listen and seek further instructions and follow the media

If you are already indoors and smell gas:

  • press a wet cloth over your mouth and breathe through it
  • move to and stay on upper floors if possible
  • listen calmly to the radio and wait until the danger has passed

If you are outdoors and cannot get inside:

  • try to move out of the gas cloud to a crosswind
  • move to as high a location as possible, for example to the top of a hill
  • use a wet cloth, grass, peat or moss over your mouth and breathe through it

Read more:

In sparsely populated and detached housing areas residents generally do not have their own civil defence shelter; alternatives are sheltering in place (temporary shelters) or evacuations. In urban environments the nearest shelter is usually the housing company’s own shelter or the workplace shelter. In Ostrobothnia there are no public shelters.

Read more about shelters (in Finnish)

Radio:
The channels of the national public broadcaster (Yleisradio) and commercial radio channels holding a long-term licence.

TV:
YLE1, YLE2, YLE Teema, YLE Fem and commercial channels MTV3, Nelonen, Sub.

Other:
Yleisradio’s website, Teletext, Yleisradio’s news alert app, the 112 Suomi app and the Emergency Response Centre Agency’s website 112.fi

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