Finland's interior ministry on Wednesday issued three new guides of instruction on the maintenance and use of the country's civil defence shelters.
Finland has around 50,500 civil defence shelters that could accommodate about 4.8 million people, according to the interior ministry. According to Statistics Finland, the country's population was 5.66 million in November.
Responsibility for maintaining the shelters, often found in the cellars of apartment buildings, is up to the owners, which means housing companies or other operators of the property.
The ministry said the objectives of boosting the country's resilience to crises, as well as improving preparedness in general, are part of the government programme.
The guides are intended to support those owners and operators, according to Pauliina Eskola, Director of Rescue Services, Accident Prevention and International Cooperation.
"Civil defence shelters are an important part of society's resilience and preparedness. Even if shelters do not need to be activated now, they must always be kept in proper condition. Property owners play a role in determining how strong our civil defence system is as a whole," Eskola said in a press release.
"In normal conditions, civil defence shelters are used as recreational facilities or storage spaces, for example. Even in everyday use, shelters must be used and serviced in such a way that they remain in working order," the ministry explained.
It noted that in addition to maintaining the shelters, owners need to ensure that the spaces are regularly inspected, at least every ten years.
"Preparedness is a civic skill: everyone prepares according to their capabilities. Basic knowledge of civil defence shelters, sheltering and preparedness for incidents is useful for everyone," Eskola said in the release.
