Action plan for incident prevention improves everyday safety

The action plan for incident prevention for the rescue services has been completed. The action plan defines the national targets for incident prevention and makes it into a stronger part of all rescue services activities.

The mission for the action plan for incident prevention is safe and incident-free daily life in 2025. The related sub-targets are strengthening the experience of safety, increasing people's skills and own initiative, ensuring availability of services and developing shared work.

"Finland is the safest country in the world, and we must also keep it that way. Together, society has to be able to prevent as many incidents as possible. Although the activity of our authorities is swift and of high quality, a prevented incident is always better than saving people in emergencies," says Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo.

The leading themes of the action plan are impact and phenomenon-based and people-oriented approaches. Particular emphasis has been placed on the safety education of children and young people, the development of cooperation and a stronger sense of caring.

"It is important that people's needs for the development and maintenance of security are heard. The action plan prepared with sensitivity is therefore one way in which the rescue sector will also strengthen the ability of people and communities to prevent incidents," Minister Ohisalo says.

The targets of the action plan will be achieved by making use of the entire range of means available for security work. In addition to education and communication, this includes supervision, research and social impact. During the project for drawing up the action plan, several hundred concrete actions were identified in order to achieve the targets.

Extensive cooperation in the preparation and implementation of the action plan

A national coordination group consisting of representatives of rescue services is set up for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the action plan. In addition to national priorities, each actor will specify the targets that are central to the work of their own area. The coordination group works together with different stakeholders at the national level.

The draft action plan was prepared from February to the end of July as a project together with rescue departments, organisations, sector stakeholders and experts by experience. During August–September, a consultation round was carried out, generating a total of 160 proposed amendments. Based on these, the action plan was specified as regards its implementation and impact targets.

The preparation of the action plan was a follow-up to the rescue services reform project, which identified a distinct need for defining the national targets for incident prevention. The now published action plan responds to a number of strategic challenges of internal security and rescue services.

Inquiries:

Jari Lepistö, Senior Officer for Rescue Services, tel. +358 295 488 218, jari.lepisto@intermin.fi