EU supports the development project of Uusimaa rescue services with 1,66 million euros

The Ministry of the Interior has granted EU funding from the Internal Security Fund (ISF) to the rescue services of Eastern Uusimaa, Central Uusimaa, Western Uusimaa and the City of Helsinki for a development project of urban search and rescue (USAR).

The Eastern Uusimaa Welfare Region is responsible for the project, which is being implemented as a joint project with the rescue services of Uusimaa. The aim of the project is to develop the performance of USAR to respond to the changed security environment and new threat scenarios.
The project, co-financed by the EU, will significantly improve the USAR capacity and capability of the Uusimaa region. The funding will be used to purchase equipment suitable for rubble rescue for the rescue services of Uusimaa. The equipment acquired during the project will significantly increase the USAR capacity throughout Uusimaa and will also speed up the provision of assistance outside Uusimaa.

“We are grateful for the funding we have received from the EU. The Uusimaa region is home to critical infrastructure and has a large population, says Peter Johansson, the director of the rescue services of the Eastern Uusimaa welfare region.”

“By improving our USAR capabilities, we will be able to rescue people from rubble quickly and restore critical infrastructure to function. With the equipment acquired in the project and the personnel trained to use it, we can support the operations of other authorities in rescue tasks”, Johansson continues.

The managing authority of the Internal Security Fund (Regulation EU 2021/1149) program in Finland is the Ministry of the Interior, which granted the Uusimaa rescue services project a project grant of 75 percent of the total eligible costs. The total budget of the project is 2,2 million euros, of which the granted project grant is 1,66 million euros.