The condition and readiness for use of the civil defence shelter in the building are the responsibility of the owner or holder of the building. The owner of the shelter ensures that the shelter and its equipment remain in good condition and it has the tools and equipment necessary for maintenance and sheltering situations.
If the civil defence shelter is used for other purposes, it must be possible to restore it for civil defence use within 72 hours. It must be possible to deploy civil defence equipment within the same period of time. The condition of the civil defence shelter must be inspected annually.
A sufficient number of trained personnel must be reserved for civil defence duties in the civil defence shelters. These include the civil defence shelter manager, civil defence shelter caretaker and civil defence shelter group. The shelter manager, caretaker and group can be trained in the shelter manager courses organised by Helsingin Pelastusliitto ry or Uudenmaan pelastusliitto UPL ry.
Adequate civil defence material must be reserved for the civil defence shelters. Iodine tablets for the workplace are purchased by the employer. In residential properties, iodine tablets are part of the home emergency supply, and each occupant of a flat acquires the necessary amount of them. Iodine tablets are purchased regardless of whether the property has a civil defence shelter. More information on iodine tablets can be found on the website of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority. The need for iodine tablets is communicated by the authorities, and they should not be used as a precautionary measure.
Instructions for the use of shelters, necessary materials and annual maintenance can be found on the website of the Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK). Due to the radiation monitoring resources already available in Helsinki, it is not necessary to purchase the radiation meter mentioned in the list.
