Emergency numbers and help in Finland

112

• 112 is the only emergency number you need, for police, ambulance, fire and sea rescue.
• It is free, it works from a locked phone with no SIM, and it is answered in English.
• Install the 112 Suomi app before you need it. Calling through the app sends your precise coordinates to the operator automatically, which matters enormously in a country where the nearest road sign may be 20 km away.
• Say where you are first, then what has happened. In the wilderness, give the nearest place name and any trail marker.

The numbers that are not 112

• 116117 is the medical helpline for anything that is not an emergency: illness, an injury that is not life-threatening, a question about whether to go in at all. Free, 24 hours, answered in English.
• 0295 419 800 is the poison information centre.
• Police non-emergency matters - a stolen bag, a lost passport - go through poliisi.fi or a police station. The report reference is what an insurer will ask for.

If something is stolen or lost

• Report it to the police and keep the reference number. No insurer will pay without it.
• A lost passport means contacting your embassy in Helsinki; most are in the city centre.
• Lost property in Helsinki goes to the Loytotavaratoimisto, and HSL and VR both run their own.

Outdoors

• Tell someone your route and your expected return before any hike, in any season.
• Mobile coverage is not continuous in the north. A power bank and an offline map are safety equipment rather than convenience.
• Wilderness huts are marked on the Nationalparks.fi maps and are the shelter to aim for if weather closes in.
• The sea and lake rescue service is also reached on 112.