Officials need to prepare for new kinds of risks

Possible room for improvement in alarm systems, flow of information, and resources

print this

By Anna-Riitta Sippola
     
     
      The Asian disaster gave much food for thought for Finnish officials as well, says Pentti Partanen, the director of rescue services at the Ministry of the Interior.
      Partanen feels that it is necessary now to think whether or not changes are needed in alarm systems, visualising situations, the flow of information, and availability of resources.
      Partanen feels that there is need for improvement, even though Finnish officials have also faced unreasonable criticism.
      "But if someone says that he or she has not received help from Finnish officials, it is an objective fact."
      The problem is, where to set the level of readiness to help.
     
Partanen notes that in any case, in the planning of rescue activities it is necessary to recognise, and to better take into consideration the fact that a large number of Finns can fall victim to a terror attack, a natural disaster, a fire, or a plane crash.
      He points out that currently there is no folder on any shelf labelled "massive rescue of Finns in danger".
     
Room for improvement exists on many levels.
      "For instance, we officials are somewhat behind in the use of the Internet", Partanen says.
      "In a disastrous event, a web site kept up to date by officials offers plenty of options."
      Partanen points out that on September 11th, 2001, perhaps the best source of information for Finnish officials was the web site of the New York Fire Department.
     
Partanen feels that as a high-tech country, Finland could think about the development of the communications systems for disaster areas.
      He mentions as an example the mass text messages which were sent through certain base stations in Thailand to the mobile phones of Finns in the region.
      The messages were sent under authority of Finnish rescue legislation, and told the recipients the locations of assembly points for evacuation.
      Pentti Partanen also feels that different kinds of advance monitoring, warning systems, and understanding the nature of a situation, need to be developed.
      He points out that this is a matter for the whole international community.
     
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs came under heavy criticism for the way it responded to the situation.
      Partanen, Finland’s main emergency services official, notes that the Foreign Ministry was one actor among many, and "brought one particular network and information system into use".
      Partanen notes that it is quite clear that the Foreign Ministry’s telephone service was inadequate to the task it faced.
      "On the other hand, considering the resources, they did good work there as well."
     
So are the resources adequate?
      In recent years the number of embassies, and embassy personnel, have been reduced.
      "What would the Ministry of Finance have said if a proposal had been made a few years ago to strengthen consulates and embassies for the possibility of disasters?" Partanen asks.
     
Interior Minister Kari Rajamäki has noted that if necessary, issues of jurisdiction and authority need to be reassessed in situations in which Finns fall victim to massive disasters while abroad.
      Partanen believes that the roles of authorities responsible for internal security, rescue officials, police, and the Frontier Guard will be emphasised in these kinds of circumstances.
      However, Pentti Partanen does not suggest that this should happen at the expense of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
      "After all, this is just one country."
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 10.1.2005

More on this subject:
 BACKGROUND: Prepared for the worst

ANNA-RIITTA SIPPOLA / Helsingin Sanomat
anna-riitta.sippola@hs.fi