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There are a total of 21 wellbeing services counties responsible for organising health, social and rescue services.

In addition, the City of Helsinki is responsible for organising healthcare, social welfare and rescue services in its area.

The HUS Group is responsible for organising prehospital emergency medical services and other demanding specialised healthcare separately laid down by law or agreed on in the agreement on organising healthcare services in Helsinki and Uusimaa.
The wellbeing services counties are responsible for organising rescue services in their areas. The level and standard of rescue services in the wellbeing services counties must correspond to national, regional and local needs and the risk of incidents and accidents and other threats. Rescue services must be planned and carried out so that they can be performed in the most effective and appropriate way and so that the measures required in accidents and dangerous situations can be carried out effectively and without delay.

The wellbeing services counties monitor the availability, quality, effectiveness, costs and productivity of the rescue services for which they are responsible, and compare this information with corresponding information on other wellbeing services counties. The wellbeing services counties prepare an annual report on rescue services and the state of their finances for the Ministry of the Interior and the Regional State Administrative Agency in their area. Each Regional State Administrative Agency prepares an expert assessment of each wellbeing services county in its area to assess the level and standard of rescue services and the adequacy of funding. Based on the reports of the wellbeing services counties and the assessments of the Regional State Administrative Agencies, the Ministry of the Interior prepares annually a national report assessing whether rescue services meet the needs and are proportionate to threats and whether funding is sufficient. The report must include a proposal for measures needed for preparing the General Government Fiscal Plan, the Budget and national strategic objectives for rescue services well as for other national guidance.

The organisation of a wellbeing services county includes a rescue department that provides rescue services under the guidance and supervision of the wellbeing services county as decided by the wellbeing services county. The wellbeing services counties may also purchase rescue services from a contract fire brigade or other organisations operating in the field of rescue services based on an agreement.

It is the duty of Regional State Administrative Agencies to supervise that the level and standard of rescue services is adequate. 

The Ministry of the Interior holds annual negotiations separately with each wellbeing services county on the fulfilment of rescue services duties. The purpose of the negotiations is to monitor and assess how the counties have fulfilled their responsibility for organising services. The negotiations deal with the objectives of organising rescue services in the counties and the measures supporting them. The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance may, if necessary, issue wellbeing services counties with recommendations for measures concerning the organisation of services. Read more: Negotiations with wellbeing services counties

Wellbeing services counties

Etelä-Karjalan hyvinvointialue         

Etelä-Pohjanmaan hyvinvointialue

Etelä-Savon hyvinvointialue

Itä-Uudenmaan hyvinvointialue

Kainuun hyvinvointialue

Kanta-Hämeen hyvinvointialue

Keski-Pohjanmaan hyvinvointialue

Keski-Suomen hyvinvointialue

Keski-Uudenmaan hyvinvointialue

Kymenlaakson hyvinvointialue

Lapin hyvinvointialue

Länsi-Uudenmaan hyvinvointialue

Päijät-Hämeen hyvinvointialue

Pirkanmaan hyvinvointialue

Pohjanmaan hyvinvointialue

Pohjois-Karjalan hyvinvointialue

Pohjois-Pohjanmaan hyvinvointialue

Pohjois-Savon hyvinvointialue

Satakunnan hyvinvointialue

Vantaan ja Keravan hyvinvointialue

Varsinais-Suomen hyvinvointialue