Society around us is changing and the Rescue Department with it. We meet the needs of the growing, ageing and diversifying City of Helsinki. We are anticipating and preparing for the impacts of diverse drivers of change.
Responding to these challenges requires systematic evaluation of our operations, constant research and development and the application of best practices. We follow international and domestic research in the field, in addition to which we also study phenomena related to rescue services, safety, personnel and the operating environment.
The research activities are based on the rescue services’ research programme and research needs arising from practical work. Important focus areas include evaluating the effectiveness and productivity of operations. In addition to more extensive research and surveys, the research activities are responsible for the preparation of the area’s risk analysis, the development of methods and the collection and analysis of data to support the planning, development and decision-making of our operations.
In addition to independent research, the Rescue Department actively participates in the implementation of research projects with various rescue departments, research institutes and other partners. The results and outputs of the projects will be shared openly with citizens and experts for further use.
Research permits
Do you want to do a study or a thesis on the Helsinki City Rescue Department? We are happy to cooperate with researchers and thesis writers interested in the rescue services. You need a research permit to use the operations of the Rescue Department as research material. You can find the information you need to apply for a permit on this page.
When will a research permit be required?
As a rule, you must apply for a research permit for all research, theses and reports on the Rescue Department, which collect or process information on the Rescue Department's operations.
Applications for research permits concerning patient data in emergency medical care are processed by the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS).
When is a research permit not required?
You do not need a research permit if the research only processes information that is publicly available on the Rescue Department's website, for example.
No research permit is required if the research is carried out by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of the Interior or the Regional Administrative Agency.
Occupational wellbeing surveys carried out by the City of Helsinki, a trade union or another similar operator do not require research permits.
You do not need a research permit if a partner, such as the rescue departments' partnership network, submits a questionnaire to the Rescue Department that is part of the cooperation between the Rescue Department and the partner in question.
Rescue department employees do not necessarily need to apply for a research permit. Employees can find further information on research permits on the Rescue Department intranet page Tutkimus ja data-analytiikka (research and data analytics).
If you have any questions, please contact tutkimusluvat.pela@hel.fi for advice.
Instructions for permit applicants
Before applying for a permit:
Anyone planning to apply for a research permit must first find a contact person for their research at the Rescue Department.
The applicant must request the service manager, Director of Unit, Senior Executive Fire Officer or Helsinki Rescue School planning officer as a contact person, depending on the subject matter of the research. If you do not know who to contact, please contact tutkimusluvat.pela@hel.fi for a suitable contact person.
Before applying for a research permit, the applicant must ensure from the contact person that the proposed research topic is suitable for the Rescue Department.
Applying for a permit:
The applicant must complete, print and sign a research permit application (in Finnish). After signing, the applicant must scan the application and send it with its appendices to the City of Helsinki Registrar's office: helsinki.kirjaamo@hel.fi.
Depending on the scope and methods of the research, the research permit application must be accompanied by the following:
- research plan
- material to be distributed to the research subjects (press release and consent form templates)
- survey form
- interview outline
- draft of the register description, if necessary
Once the applicant has been informed of the granting of the research permit, the applicant may start the research.
After the research:
Once the research has been completed, the recipient of the research permit undertakes to submit the research to the Rescue Department at tutkimusluvat.pela@hel.fi and to present the research to the Rescue Department free of charge on request.
For more information on Rescue Department research permits, please contact tutkimusluvat.pela@hel.fi by email.
The Rescue Department’s research activities are the responsibility of Research Manager Kari Paasonen, kari.paasonen@hel.fi, +358 9 310 300 25.
You can contact the Research Manager in matters related to research cooperation or other research conducted by the Rescue Department.
