In the autumn, the Kaarina Volunteer Fire Brigade held training sessions at TYS’s former maintenance hall. The goal of the training was to improve the volunteers’ readiness to act efficiently in building fires and other emergency situations.
Matti Väyrynen, team leader of the Kaarina Volunteer Fire Brigade, explains that the TYS maintenance hall was chosen as the training site because it is located very close to Kaarina Volunteer Fire Brigade’s facilities in Nummenmäki. TYS was happy to provide the space for the exercises, as the hall is no longer in the foundation’s own use.
– TYS greatly values the important rescue work done by Volunteer Fire Brigades. When we received the inquiry about using the maintenance hall for training, we gladly offered the space to Kaarina Volunteer Fire Brigade, says TYS Maintenance Manager Toni Pohjavirta.
The purpose of the training sessions is to ensure that the Volunteer Fire Brigade can operate effectively in real–life situations. Regular training helps maintain and develop the volunteers’ skills in various rescue scenarios.
– Training is at the very core of the fire brigade’s activities. For example, in smoke diving, surface rescue, and working in fall–risk areas, that is, rope operations, there are mandatory annual training requirements. Based on these, we create a training plan that guides our weekly exercises, Väyrynen explains.
Training for Building Fires
A total of four training sessions were organized. Väyrynen says the main focus was on aspects related to extinguishing different types of building fires.
Two of the sessions concentrated on specific skills, such as using a thermal camera, extinguishing with hoses and nozzles, and putting out smaller fires with handheld extinguishers. One exercise simulated a real alarm situation, where firefighters did not know in advance what awaited them. The goal was to test their operational capability and decision–making in a realistic fire scenario.
– We tested, among other things, how different nozzle techniques affect smoke behavior and spread within the building. We also had the chance to test piercing nozzles, long nozzles used through a drilled hole in a wall, allowing us to extinguish fires inside closed spaces without opening doors, Väyrynen describes.
Drones Help Rescuers Locate Fire Areas
A drone was also used during the training sessions. Väyrynen explains that UAS operations (Unmanned Aerial System) are one of Kaarina Volunteer Fire Brigade´s areas of specialization. With the drone’s thermal camera, firefighters can see how a fire has spread, for example, under a roof, and in wildfires, it helps determine the size of the affected area.
– The drone is an important tool because it provides an aerial overview of the situation quickly. In almost every large fire, there’s a rescue service drone in the sky—and quite often, it’s operated by Kaarina Volunteer Fire Brigade. A thermal camera–equipped drone can also be used to search for missing persons, Väyrynen says.
Anyone Can Join a Volunteer Fire Brigade
In Finland, rescue operations are based on cooperation between professional fire brigades and volunteer fire brigades. Nowadays, these volunteer fire brigades are referred to as contract fire brigades.
About 90 percent of Finland’s land area is covered by regions where contract fire brigades handle all rescue missions. In total, roughly 60 percent of all rescue operations in Finland are carried out by contract fire brigades.
– Professional fire brigades usually exist only in cities and larger towns. In urban areas, volunteer fire brigades support professional ones in major incidents and simultaneous alarms. That’s the case, for example, in Turku, Väyrynen explains.
Anyone can join a volunteer fire brigade – no previous experience in rescue work is required. The only requirement is knowledge of the Finnish language, as all training is conducted in Finnish.
– In addition to the emergency response unit, the volunteer fire brigade also has other roles – everyone doesn´t have to ‘handle the hose,’ so to speak. There’s also a need for people in youth training, support roles such as first–response training, and other safety education, Väyrynen encourages.
New volunteers are welcomed twice a year – after the Christmas holidays and again after the summer holidays in the fall. If you already have experience in firefighting, you can join at any time.
For more information about the volunteer fire brigade and how to get involved, visit (sites are in Finnish):
