The Government will confirm the national strategic objectives for rescue services for a four-year term. The Government can also decide on the centralisation of some special tasks carried out by the rescue services so that these are handled by one or more wellbeing services counties.
The Ministry of the Interior will guide and direct the organisation of the rescue services of the wellbeing services counties and the City of Helsinki. The counties and the Ministry of the Interior will hold annual negotiations to provide guidance and direction concerning the organisation of rescue services. In addition, an advisory board for rescue services was established under the Ministry of the Interior. The ministries responsible for the guidance and direction of the wellbeing services counties and the counties themselves will participate in the work of this board.
Guidance and direction of the wellbeing services counties is interactive and strategic in nature. Instead of providing detailed guidance on service provision, it will focus on the counties’ responsibility to organise services.
The Regional State Administrative Agencies will oversee and assess rescue services and the level and standard of their services, which must correspond to national, regional and local needs and the risk of incidents and accidents.