Event safety plan: template and instructions

Rescue plan, safety plan and risk assessment

In everyday language people speak of a safety plan, but section 16 of the Rescue Act (379/2011) uses the name rescue plan for a public event. The plan includes a report and assessment of the hazards and risks of the event, and the safety arrangements and instructions defined on that basis.

Events by companies and other commercial organisers are also covered by the Act on the Safety of Consumer Services (185/2025). According to Tukes, the organiser must prepare in advance a written assessment of the hazards of the specific event, and a brief mention of general hazards is not enough. According to Tukes' event safety webinar (2026), the Act does not apply to events that associations organise for their members without engaging in business activity, nor to private individuals' events unrelated to business activity. The same document can serve both needs when the risk assessment is done carefully.

When is a rescue plan required

According to the rescue services' guidance, a plan is needed if even one of the following conditions is met:

at least 200 people are estimated to be present at the same time at the event
open fire, fireworks or other pyrotechnic products are used, or flammable and explosive chemicals are used as special effects
evacuation arrangements at the venue differ from the usual
the nature of the event poses a special hazard to people

Deadline and delivery

Under the Rescue Act, the plan must be submitted for information to the wellbeing services county's rescue authority at least 14 days before the event begins. The rescue authority can, for a special reason, accept a later submission. It can return an incomplete plan for supplementing, and it notifies the police and the health authority responsible for emergency medical care of the plan where necessary.

The method of submission varies by region. For example, the West Uusimaa Rescue Department directs plans to the fire inspector on duty. Check your own area's rescue department website for instructions and any electronic form.

A police notification of a public event is a separate matter. Under the Assembly Act (530/1999), it must be made no later than five days before the event. According to the police, an event requiring traffic arrangements should be notified at least two weeks in advance.

Security stewards

Under section 18 of the Assembly Act, the organiser's right to appoint stewards is provided in the Act on Private Security Services (1085/2015). Only a person approved by the police may act as a steward. According to the police, approval requires basic steward training and is valid for five years.

The number of security stewards is not prescribed by law. In the 2026 event safety webinar by Tukes and the rescue service, it was noted that the previously used guideline of one security steward per hundred people is not binding. The organiser must assess the need on the basis of the event's risks and present a reasoned assessment to the police, who may require additional stewards. A security steward cannot act as a traffic controller at the same time.

Template: safety plan outline

Below is an outline that can be copied into your own document. The names are fictional examples. The rescue services' partnership network also offers its own template for a rescue plan, and it is worth following the guidance of your local rescue department.

Template: Event safety plan

1. Basic information: event name [name], dates and times [time], venue and address [address], organiser and business ID [organiser], estimated simultaneous audience [people] and over the whole event [people]

2. Responsible persons and contact details: person in charge Maija Meikäläinen [phone], safety manager Matti Meikäläinen [phone], head of security stewards [name, phone], first aid lead [name, phone]

3. Description of the event: programme [schedule], structures and stages [description], alcohol serving [yes/no, area], effects and pyrotechnics [description or none]

4. Risk assessment: identified hazard [hazard] | likelihood [low/moderate/high] | consequence [minor/serious] | prevention [measure] | responsible person [name]

5. Crowd control: number of crowd controllers and justification [number, justification], positioning [locations], security company [name], checks [yes/no]

6. First aid: first-aid point [location], first-aid personnel [number, qualifications], ambulance access route [route]

7. Evacuation routes and emergency access: routes and assembly point [description], rescue vehicle route [route], first-response firefighting equipment [locations]

8. Operating instructions: fire, accident, threatening person, missing child, weather event [instruction for each], emergency call 112 and who makes it [name]

9. Communication: radio channels [channel], announcements [who and how], contact with authorities [contact person]

10. Appendices: area map [appendix], staff list [appendix], induction records [appendix]

Schedule and induction

Start the plan as soon as the venue and audience size are known. Allow time for a possible request for additional information from the rescue authority, as 14 days is a deadline, not a recommendation. The plan is only useful if staff know it: go through the operating instructions before the event and record the briefings.

When the same framework repeats from one event to the next, a ready-made package saves time. Tutkat.fi has a tool for this, "Event safety package", but the framework above is quite enough to start with. For your own event you can get guidance from your area's rescue department and the police licensing services.

Frequently asked questions

Does a small event need a safety plan?

According to the rescue services' guidance, a rescue plan is required if at least 200 people are present at the same time, or if pyrotechnics are used, the exit arrangements differ from the usual, or the event is by nature especially dangerous. A commercial organiser must also draw up a written risk assessment under the Consumer Safety Act.

When must the plan be submitted?

To the rescue authority at least 14 days before the event begins. The public event notification to the police is made at least five days before.

How many security stewards does an event need?

No number has been prescribed. The organiser assesses the need based on the risks and justifies it to the police, who may require more security stewards.

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Sources

The article is general information and does not replace the guidance of an authority, a lawyer or an adviser. Check up-to-date information from the sources.

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