How is the public warned about hazards?

In Finland, there are two ways to quickly warn people, for example about an imminent danger from the air: Emergency warning and alarm signal. The 112 Suomi mobile app is already one of the channels for communicating emergency warnings.

In Finland, the public is warned about hazards through emergency warnings, which are published in the media and communicated through the 112 Suomi mobile app. An emergency warning can be supplemented by the general alarm signal, which is given by means of outdoor alarms. 

In the future, the system for communicating about hazards will be developed in a more multichannel direction under the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior.

Emergency warnings

When an incident threatens life, health or important property, the authorities can issue an emergency warning. The purpose of an emergency warning is to communicate what has happened and what people should do. An emergency warning can be issued for a specific area or for the whole country. The issuing and content of an emergency warning are decided by the authority responsible for responding to the incident in question. 

An issued emergency warning is read on the radio and shown on page 112 of Teletext and, if necessary, on TV as a running text at the top of the screen. Issued emergency warnings are also always published in the 112 Suomi mobile app, in the Yle mobile app and on the websites pelastustoimi.fi and 112.fi.

The Emergency Response Centre Agency is responsible for acting as the technical forwarder of emergency warnings. The Emergency Response Centre Agency also publishes issued emergency warnings in the 112 Suomi mobile app after being informed about them by the responsible authority.

The general alarm signal

In addition to issuing an emergency warning, an authority may order the sounding of the general alarm signal, which is a rising and falling sound lasting for one minute or a warning given by a public address system. The general alarm signal is sounded by means of outdoor alarms. 

Air hazard

At present, alerts related to air hazards would be issued as multi-channel emergency warnings. In the 112 Suomi mobile app, emergency warnings always include a map view where the hazard area is shown as active. 

With the war in Ukraine, Finland has also recognised the need to create a separate feature to communicate air hazards to the public. Discussions on the development of such a feature were launched between the Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for public alerts, and the Emergency Response Centre Agency, which is responsible for the 112 Suomi mobile app, in 2024. 

In 2026, the Ministry of the Interior set up the SIREN project to create a separate feature in the 112 Suomi mobile app for communicating about air hazards. In addition to the Ministry of the Interior, representatives of the Finnish Air Force, the rescue departments of the wellbeing services counties and the Emergency Response Centre Agency are also involved in the project. The project is being implemented with EU funding.

Read more

• Read more about emergency warnings and how to respond to them on the rescue services' website
• Read more about the general alarm signal and how to respond to it on the rescue services' website
• More information on the SIREN project on the Ministry of the Interior’s website
• Watch a video about the 112 Suomi app's emergency