Regional administration and municipalities

The national Supervisory Authority is a national authority whose duties include licensing, guidance and supervision related to rescue services and preparedness, the environment, the healthcare and social welfare sector, early childhood education and care, education, culture and occupational safety and health. The agency has a regional presence in several offices across the country, and it is responsible for assembling cooperation between regional security actors. As part of its tasks, the agency supports regional preparedness, organizes preparedness exercises and coordinates the activities of preparedness committees.

The national Supervisory Authority also organizes regional national defence courses in cooperation with the Finnish Defence Forces. The courses will focus on e.g. comprehensive security, national security policy and preparedness development in different circumstances. Actors with a key role in crisis preparedness in public administration, business, media and civil society organizations will be invited to the courses.

Ten regional Economic Development Centers are responsible for the regional development of livelihoods, expertise, rural areas, transport, natural resources and environmental activities and the related preparedness. Their role includes, among other duties, participating in producing a shared situational awareness in normal, disturbances and emergencies, preparing for extreme natural phenomena and environmental accidents, and supporting citizens and business operators in continuity management.

Regions are responsible for statutory regional foresight measures and for coordinating regional preparedness. The social welfare, health care and regional government reform will change the structures of regional preparedness when the responsibilities of the Regional State Administrative Agencies and ELY Centres are transferred to the new regions. According to the plans, the regions will accept their organisational responsibility in 2020.

With the reform, many of the functions formerly belonging to the Regional State Administrative Agencies and ELY Centres will be transferred to regions. The regions will be responsible for preparedness and its coordination in their areas, and the Ministry of the Interior for coordination regional preparedness at the national level.

Municipalities are responsible for providing most of the citizens’ basic services, such as primary education and waste management. Even when the provision of the services has been outsourced to a private company or a municipal consortium, the responsibility for providing services primarily lies with municipalities.

Municipalities have the obligation to secure the availability of statutory services for their residents in normal conditions as well as in abnormal situations. According to the Emergency Powers Act (1552/2011), municipalities also have the obligation to draw up preparedness plans, launch preliminary preparations for measures to be taken in abnormal situations and take other steps to make sure that it can also accomplish its tasks as well as possible in abnormal situations.

Preparedness work is usually led by the municipal manager together with the municipal board. Where necessary, municipalities are supported in contingency planning by regional emergency service departments and government regional administration. In addition, voluntary organisations contribute to contingency planning, supporting the actions of the authorities in crises.

Tools for developing municipal preparedness are offered e.g. by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.