In January, Finland’s Ministry of the Interior will distribute around 3.5 million printed guides on preparing for emergencies and crisis situations. Households and businesses on the mainland will receive them. The guides will explain how to prepare for infrastructure disruptions and crisis situations. A separate section will address the threat posed by drones — an issue that has become particularly relevant.
The paper format was chosen specifically so that the advice remains available even if electricity or internet connections are cut off. As Ira Pasi, project manager at the Ministry of the Interior, noted: “It is not enough for guidance on preparing for disruptions and crises to be available to the public only through the Suomi.fi online service.”
The guide will be concise rather than a lengthy handbook. It will include the most important information from recommendations issued by various authorities and organisations, including material from Suomi.fi, the “72 hours” website, and rescue services’ guidance on drone threats. The aim is that people will be able to read it from cover to cover. The advice is recommendatory in nature: everyone will be able to adapt it to their own resources and circumstances.
Preparing and distributing the guides will cost approximately €2 million. In addition to Finnish and Swedish versions, the guides will also be produced in the Sámi languages.
The decision to carry out a mass mailing was prepared against the backdrop of statements by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who said as early as May that such a guide for households was being prepared. The Parliamentary Ombudsman had also previously indicated that the existing way of informing the public about emergency preparedness was insufficient.
