Fire Safety Week in Finland

The week starts on November 26th with the event A Day at The Fire Station and during the week people are encouraged to conduct their own fire drill, download a mobile app to promote fire safety measures and participate in Nordic Fire Alarm Day on December 1st. This year’s theme is “You ain’t losing anything”. 

The aim of Fire Safety Week is to improve fire safety of the whole country. Organized for the fifth time, with the theme “You ain’t losing anything”, this year’s aim is to show that improving fire safety is about small things which make a big difference.

– You won’t lose anything by taking care of your fire safety. Doing small improvements like checking the battery of your smoke alarm or discarding dodgy electronic wires are small acts but they can save your life, says Elias Kivelä, Campaign Coordinator at SPEK.

Fire Safety Week also raises the awareness on the relation of substance use and deaths caused by fire.

– 70 % of those who die because of fire are intoxicated. A particularly bad combination is smoking and drinking. Once intoxicated, the ability to act is slower than normal and accidents happen more likely, reminds Kivelä.

A Day at The Fire Station is a popular event especially in families with children. This year over 360 fire stations are participating in the event all over Finland providing visitors a glimpse to what it is like to be a firefighter.

– In fire stations people can try on firefighters’ gears, test how to use fire extinguishers and see how to exit from a burning room. A bit older participants can also test if they would pass the physical firefighters’ test, explains Kivelä.

Companies, daycare centers, schools and homes are encouraged to conduct a DIY Fire Drill not only during the week but all year round. Those who participate by registering their fire drill are eligible to win a 2,000-euro cash prize. The week ends with The Nordic Fire Alarm Day on December 1st.

– Every day there is a fire in eight houses. Our main goal is of course to reduce this number but also to promote skills that are needed in case fire occurs. Last year in all residential fires there were 440 cases where the smoke alarm wasn’t functioning and in 862 cases there were no smoke alarm at all even though having one is mandatory by law. Fire drills are also important so you know what to do if something happens – our aim is to have 100,000 registered fire drills, states Kivelä.

Since 2014 the campaign has included an app, “Kipinä” (spark), which guides the user through their own fire safety drill. It also reminds the user to check the functioning of their fire alarm on a monthly basis.

See two short videos of Fire Safety Week:

Check you smoke alarm – YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ohnycCkhgI

Learn the fire exit – You ain’t losing anything – YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJBtqnpw8Vk