In the face of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and a variety of natural hazards, maintaining effective communication between field operatives and command centres is more critical than ever.
For the Kainuu Rescue Department in Finland, daily operations often involve responding to local emergencies such as forest fires, flash floods, and storm damage. While the department is well-equipped with advanced systems and technologies, there is still room for improvement, particularly in enhancing situational awareness. The Horizon Europe project TEMA (Trusted Extremely Precise Mapping and Prediction for Emergency Management) offers a promising solution to these challenges, aiming to improve co-ordination, decision-making, and response times.
The Kainuu Rescue Department is primarily responsible for responding to a variety of emergencies, ranging from small-scale accidents to large-scale weather-related incidents. "Basically, our operations involve those daily accidents—quite small situations, which last a few hours," says Jaakko Schroderus, fire chief at the Kainuu Rescue Department.
In situations where the forest fire index rises, Kainuu has established protocols for aerial surveillance, with smaller observation planes patrolling high-risk areas. These flights allow pilots to make emergency calls and alert rescue teams if a fire is detected, enabling a rapid and co-ordinated response.
We get an emergency call from the emergency centre. The call could be from a satellite or from a citizen. It's all about the size and how fast it spreads; that determines how many units we send to the call.
In the event of an emergency, the rescue department assesses the scale of the situation and dispatches units accordingly. If the situation escalates, additional resources are deployed from nearby stations to contain the incident. This approach has allowed Kainuu to effectively manage various emergencies, from isolated accidents to more complex events such as regional storms and flash floods.
While Finland is well-prepared for weather-related emergencies, extreme weather conditions still present significant challenges. Jaakko recalls a flash flood in early June 2024 in the town of Sotkamo, where heavy rain filled buildings with water and caused widespread damage. These long-term regional incidents often require rapid co-ordination between various response teams, making efficient communication and situational awareness vital to mitigating damage.
Despite having robust national systems in place, the Kainuu Rescue Department recognises the need for even greater situational awareness. "We could have even better situational awareness between the field operatives and the management centre," the fire chief admits. This is where the TEMA project comes into play, offering an interoperable solution to streamline the flow of information during emergencies. TEMA aims to enhance the decision-making process by providing almost real-time data that improves communication between field units and the command centre. By integrating advanced technologies, the project allows rescue teams to assess threats faster, allocate resources more efficiently, and respond to incidents with greater precision.
It helps the rescue services understand the potential of technologies and become better prepared for things that might be needed in the future. When you receive the data that TEMA is going to offer, it just speeds up your actions. You get the information faster and can act on it
TEMA's platform is designed to bridge the gap between field operatives and management centres, making it easier to handle large-scale disasters. As Jaakko highlights, situational awareness is critical when dealing with major incidents like forest fires, where understanding the scope of the threat is crucial. By offering almost real-time data, TEMA will enable quicker decision-making, ensuring that rescue teams can respond more effectively.
In a region where extreme weather events and natural disasters are becoming more frequent, the Kainuu Rescue Department is constantly seeking ways to improve its response capabilities. With the implementation of TEMA, the department is poised to enhance its situational awareness, ensuring that both field operatives and management centres are better equipped to handle the challenges of tomorrow.