Rescue info posts on recreational outdoor routes help emergency crews in locating accident victims

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All Finland’s important outdoor recreation trails may be fitted with their own emergency code systems in the next few years. In the municipality of Ruovesi, north of Tampere, such a system already exists and its use was demonstrated on Tuesday.
      The purpose of the emergency code system is to get help where it is needed as quickly as possible, for instance in a situation where a skier has toppled over and broken bones or a snowmobile rider has hurt himself after running off the trail and striking a tree.
     
The idea and its realisation are fantastically simple.
      Alongside the municipality’s outdoor routes, information posts have been placed at regular intervals with an abbreviated municipality code and a unique identification number for each post. The number series starts from one at the beginning of the trail.
      In case of an emergency, a hiker or skier in distress can call the emergency number 112, and refer to the information on the nearest info pole. The emergency centre duty officer can then pass this information to the rescue department, where the location of each pole has been marked in maps.
      “The system is currently in use within four municipalities in the region to the north of Tampere, but there has been a lot of interest towards it, especially from Lapland”, explains the developer of the idea Vesa Lahelma.
     
The rescue departments, the traffic police, and the Ministry of the Environment are involved in the nation-wide project.
      “In a stress situation, the alarm system has to be as simple as possible”, Lahelma says.
      Hence the undertaking does not bother with geographical coordinates with minutes and degrees, which would be needlessly confusing for those unacquainted with them.
      Along skiing and hiking trails, the rescue info posts will be erected about a kilometre apart, though additional posts will be provided at dangerous locations such as steep downhill gradients.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  More and more people hiking in the Lapland wilds (19.4.2006)

Links:
  Emergency Services 112
  Ruovesi Info
  Outdoors.fi

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