Dia 1

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Central Baltic Programme Workshop Southern
Finland Estonia sub-programme
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PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Jori Nordström Ene
Kalmus
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150-YEARS OF VOLUNTARY MARITIME RESCUE

• The first voluntary lifeboat station in Finland
  was established on the Island Suursaari in 1857.
• The foundation of Finnish Lifeboat Society was
  rushed by two major marine accidents in the
  1890s.
• The Collision of SS Ajax and SS Runeberg and the
  Sinking of KRNS Rusalkan in1893 in the Gulf of
  Finland- 177 lives were lost.
• The Finnish Lifeboat Society was founded
  27.3.1897 in Helsinki.
• The first motorised lifeboat was launched in
  Hanko 1913.
• The first Rescue Cruiser Outoori was launched
  1936.
• The first steel-hull Rescue Cruiser Harmaja was
  launched 1956.
• 100-year Anniversary of the FLBS

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THE FINNISH LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION

• Founded 1897
• A registered charity
• 65 lifeboat stations in total
• 31 at coastal area
• 34 at inland lakes
• 2000 active crewmembers, all volunteers
• Over 15 000 members
• 150 lifeboats
• Over 1000 calls per year
• Headquarters in Helsinki
• FLBIs primary function is to save lives at sea
  and on inland waters and to assist persons in
  distress

• Our core values
• Selflessness
• People orientation
• Safety
• Competence
• Environmentaly friendly

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Esitys
REVIVAL OF VOLUNTARY MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE
SERVICES IN ESTONIA
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Finnish and Estonian SAR-capability in light
weather conditions
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Finnish and Estonian SAR-capability in severe
weather conditions
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• 12 Lifeboat Stations
• 5 rescue cruisers
• 15 rescue boats

• Heavy Recreational Boating
• Weekly rescue activities with boats in need of
  assistance

FINNISH LIFEBOAT STATIONS
Helsinki
St. Petersburg
Tallinn
Rescue cruiser (gt 20 m vessels)
Rescue boats (lt 20 m vessels)
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• 9 Coast Guard Stations
• 2 coast guard cutters
• 10 rescue boats
• 5 fast rescue boats

• Heavy Recreational Boating
• Weekly rescue activities with boats in need of
  assistance

FINNISH COAST GUARD STATIONS
Helsinki
St. Petersburg
Tallinn
Coast Guard Station with SAR vessels
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Central Baltic Interreg III A programme

• The pilot project initiates the revival of
  voluntary Maritime Search and Rescue services in
  Estonia from the Eastern part of the Gulf of
  Finland.
• The Long Term Objectives for the Program
• Improving SAR-capabilities in the Estonian coast
  to meet the International standards
• Standardizing the level of Maritime Safety in the
  GOF
• Decrease the need of Finnish SAR-unit assistance
  in the Estonian waters
• Improving safety of the leisure boaters in the GOF

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Interreg III A programme

• Programme Partners
• The Finnish Lifeboat Institution in Finland
• Toila, Vihula and Lohusuu Municipalities
  inEstonia
• Funding
• EU 56
• Finland 38
• Estonia 6
• Budget altogether 103 000 EUR

Vihula
Toila
Lohusuu
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Interreg III A programme

• The Objectives of the Project
• Organizing recruitment of volunteers in Estonia
• Organizing volunteer groups (in Toila, Vihula and
  Lohusuu areas)
• Establishing good relations with the relevant
  authorities
• Providing volunteers with familiarization in
  search and rescue

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Interreg III A programme

• Accomplished
• Two training / familiarization events in Estonia
• One three-day-course in Finland
• Altogether 72 hours
• Subjects
• Voluntary Maritime Rescue Service in Finland
• The principles, organization and operations of
  the FLBI
• Cooperation with the Authorities
• Maritime Rescue Service in Estonia
• Some basics in steeringa small boat
• Main reasons for of the SAR-missions and rescue
  techniques
• Practicing sea rescue and life-saving techniques
• Voluntary Maritime Rescue Training System in
  Finland

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Interreg III A programme

• Negotiations
• With the Ministry of the Internal Affairs in
  Estonia determining the role of the voluntary
  Maritime Rescue Service in Estonia
• 22 November round-table meeting with The Ministry
  of the Internal Affairs and The Ministry of
  Defence from Estonia and the Finnish Maritime
  Administration, The Finnish Coast Guard and the
  FLBI from Finland.

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Interreg III A programme Phase 2

• The key objectives for further development
• Handing over four relatively new, fully
  outfitted lifeboats to Estonia andfour new
  similar vessels will be acquired for the Finnish
  services to replace them.
• Providing the basic SAR- and vessel-specifictrain
  ing for the voluntary crews in Estonia
• According to the original plans Phase 2 was due
  to start in summer/autumn 2008

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Esitys
INTERREG IV A Programme 2007-2013Voluntary
Maritime Rescue VOMARE
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Interreg IV A programme VOMARE

• Programme Partners
• The Finnish Lifeboat Institution in Finland
• Vihula, Toila, Lohusuu and Mustve Communities
  inEstonia
• Funding
• EU 65
• Finland 30
• Estonia 5
• Budget altogether 990 000EUR

Vihula
Toila
Lohusuu
Mustve
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VOMARE Project Summary

• This project will revive voluntary Estonian
  maritime search and rescue operations in the
  Eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and create
  co-operation between Finnish and Estonian
  volunteer maritime search and rescue systems.
• The project will develop a constructive framework
  and favorable conditions for partnership between
  the public and the third sectors, it will
  generate significant public savings and improve
  the safety and security of citizens.
• The main tasks of the project are to equip and
  hand over four fully equipped rescue vessels to
  the pilot voluntary maritime rescue groups in
  Estonia and to supply similar new vessels to the
  Finnish Lifeboat Institution.
• Setting up voluntary maritime search and rescue
  systems and providing the necessary training for
  the voluntaries are inseparably tied to rescue
  technique and technology and rescue management.

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VOMARE Activities

• The project will organize 7 different 2-3 days
  trainings for the voluntaries (4 in Estonia and 3
  in Finland)
• it will train and educate the local voluntary
  maritime rescue groups in basic seamanship,
  navigation, rescue and first aid skills
• At the same time there will be organized
  co-operation and practical training between
  Finnish and Estonian voluntary groups
• the project will support joint activities of 4
  Estonian and 4 Finnish voluntary rescue groups.
• In Estonia it is very important to start
  activities of the development group of the
  voluntary maritime rescue system.
• In this group there will representatives from of
  the Estonian Border Guard, Rescue Guard and
  Department of Migration and Border Policy of
  Ministry of the Interior, also voluntaries and
  specialists of the Finnish Border Guard and the
  Finnish Lifeboat Institution.
• This group will work with different legislation,
  financing and organizational problems to develop
  the voluntary maritime and lake rescue activities
  and organization.

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VOMARE International added value

• The project will organize an International
  Conference of the voluntary maritime rescue in
  Tallinn and Helsinki to perform the started
  co-operation between Finnish and Estonian
  partners and develop the integration into
  International Co-Operation in Baltic Sea Region.

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VOMARE Objectives 1/2

• The primary objective of the project is to revive
  voluntary maritime search and rescue operations
  in Estonia based on the natural desire of
  individuals to offer their help to one an other.
• This general objective is divided into several
  more specific aims
• to provide overall familiarity with voluntary
  maritime search and rescue operations as
  described in the Geneva Convention, International
  Co-Operation and the culture of safety and
  security in the West.
• to bring together boaters and sea-spirited people
  interested in voluntary maritime search and
  rescue operations within its sphere of
  activities, and to set up new search and rescue
  units in Estonia.
• to arrange basic training for the new volunteers.

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VOMARE Objectives 2/2

• This general objective is divided into several
  more specific aims
• to equip and locate four rescue vessels at
  different Estonian harbors in the Eastern part of
  the Gulf of Finland, and finally
• to train the volunteers for search and rescue
  missions. The majority of volunteers will be
  trained in the use of the rescue vessels.

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Sustainability

• The project will also work as a framework for a
  more extensive objective which is to organize the
  administration of the voluntary maritime search
  and rescue in Estonia, and create the foundation
  for sustainable and continuous fund raising, as
  well as to integrate the Baltic Sea area of
  Estonia into the sphere of international
  operations during the programme period.

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VOMARE Results

• The concluded project will standardize the level
  of maritime safety in the Gulf of Finland over
  long term.
• It will directly improve the safety of Finnish
  and Estonian boaters as they sail in Estonian
  waters.
• Voluntary maritime search and rescue also adds to
  the responsibility of boaters and therefore
  improves their own safety on waterways and
  contributes to the costs of running the service.
  This will save governmental resources
  significantly in the future.
• Within the framework of this project, also
  co-operation in the exchange of experience and
  material aid between the voluntary maritime
  search and rescue systems and governmental
  organizations will deepen and further develop.

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THANK YOU! - ANY QUESTIONS
Ene Kalmus Project Coordinator ene.kalmus.001_at_mail
.ee Jori Nordström Project Manager jori.nordstrom
_at_meripelastus.fi