Rauma prepares for emergency situations through multiple exercises
News
The City of Rauma is investing more than usual this year in preparedness for emergency situations. The city is participating in several authority-led exercises aimed at strengthening its capacity to operate in various disruptions and exceptional circumstances. A key focus is on preparations for the LVV26 exercise to be held in the autumn.
So far this year, three exercises have already been completed, with at least as many still ahead. In May, Rauma took part in a tabletop exercise organized by the Western Finland cooperation area, as well as a logistics exercise at the Port of Rauma organized by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre).
Most recently, on Friday 22 May, the city participated in a nationwide exercise aimed at labour authorities. The exercise was organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland and the KEHA Centre.
The exercise focused on the general preparedness obligation of authorities, which requires them to be proactively prepared to carry out their statutory duties even under exceptional conditions. Particular attention was given to the labour obligation process defined in the Emergency Powers Act and its practical implementation.
“In Rauma, we prepared carefully for the exercise. We gained valuable insights into our strengths and areas for development. Responsibility for employment services were transferred to municipalities at the beginning of 2025, and Rauma will also be responsible for organizing services in the Eura, Eurajoki, Säkylä, and Huittinen regions. This will present additional challenges in coordinating services”, says Safety Manager Tanja Ufer.
The autumn’s main exercise puts preparedness into practice
Several factors explain the high number of exercises, including the LVV26 exercise to be held in the autumn and the preparations for it. Hundreds of other actors from across Finland are participating in the nationwide exercise organized by the Finnish Supervisory Agency, and Rauma has never before prepared as extensively for a single exercise.
The nationwide exercise focuses on preparing for a situation in which the security environment deteriorates and people need to be relocated from one area to another. In Rauma, this means in practice training for evacuations, leadership and communications. For the city, it is also essential to plan how other services can be maintained during prolonged disruptions or exceptional conditions. In large-scale disruptions, impacts often extend simultaneously to several services, which requires a shared understanding across the entire organisation and close cooperation.
Preparations for the LVV26 exercise began in April, when an internal meeting reviewed the needs for safeguarding the city’s key services in an evacuation situation. Based on this, all service areas were assigned tasks for their own preparedness planning.
“In disruption situations, several services may need to be provided simultaneously and on a tight schedule, often in the same facilities together with different service areas, the wellbeing services county and organisations. This requires smooth cooperation and coordination of multidisciplinary resources,” Ufer explains.
The LVV26 exercise will culminate in its main phase on 29 September–1 October. After this, the process will continue with feedback and development work. The lessons learned from the exercises will be used in the City of Rauma’s preparedness work and in developing operating models. Regular exercises and cooperation between authorities strengthen the city’s readiness to operate in various disruptions and exceptional situations.
