Guide on how to prepare for incidents and crises  

The Preparing for incidents and crises guide, which is aimed at the entire population, contains extensive instructions on how to prepare for exceptional situations and what to do during them. 

When something unusual happens, individual emergency planning and action affect everyone’s ability to cope. 

Preparedness means preparing for incidents, crises and emergency conditions in advance. Situations requiring preparedness include: 

  • long power cuts and water outages 
  • long disruptions in internet or banking services 
  • natural phenomena, such as storms and wildfires 
  • longer-term crises, such as a pandemic or a military conflict. 

The guide is available in Finnish, Swedish and English. Its main points are available in Finnish and Finland-Swedish Sign Languages. The website includes a PDF summary in 15 languages that users can print out for themselves or for their friends and family. 

Read the guide: Suomi.fi/preparedness 

Basic instructions on preparedness as a PDF summary in various languages 

Prepared people cope better, read the preparedness guide and you'll know what to do.

Objectives of the guide 

The online guide aims to 

  • promote interest among population groups in individual emergency planning and to strengthen their preparedness to act in an incident 
  • improve understanding of the role people’s own actions play, the role of the authorities, and the various types of preparedness 
  • make basic information on preparedness more widely available in different languages and ensure that the content is accessible. 

Compiling key information and instructions from different operators into a single online guide will make it easier for citizens to find information. 

The guide is part of a broader communication package on individual emergency planning launched in 2022–2024. The package aims to strengthen psychological resilience and individual emergency planning competence in all population groups. 

The Ministry of the Interior funded the implementation of the guide and was responsible for producing the content. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency and many authorities and organisations responsible for preparedness and readiness have participated in the production of the guide.