Village safety groups were recruited from residents of Hollola villages and representatives of organizations through an open application in October. Four villages participated in the project: Hämeenkoski, Miekkiö, Kirkosesetu and Vesikansa. The groups represent a total of 25 volunteers interested in developing the safety of their villages.
– Safety has been on our minds a lot when we live in a village. With this project, we have started to pay concrete attention to things. Many things are good in our village, but there is also room for improvement. The most interesting thing has been to bring together the associations, companies, enthusiasts and the enormous potential of individual experts who are active in the village. There is a lot of hidden power in our village, says the chairman of the Hämeenkoski village safety group. Riina Lagerbom.
The village safety groups received an orientation to their tasks during November, village by village. During the orientation evenings, the project's goals, the group's tasks, and the extensive village safety survey carried out during the autumn were reviewed. According to the survey, residents in Hollola are better prepared than average for everyday disturbances, but the responses also reflected the villages' own special characteristics and current topics.
– For example, respondents in the parish region were older than average compared to other villages. There, the feeling of everyday safety was strongly influenced by issues related to digital security, which was not necessarily a concern as much in other villages. In every village, there was strong concern about young people and the lack of meeting places for them, says the project coordinator. Tea Sissonen.
The groups operate independently with the support of the project and will continue to organize training and open evenings for the public. In addition, they will draw up village-specific safety plans, which are intended to provide a clearer picture of how the village as a community could prepare for everyday disturbances. Discussion and action planning at the groups' orientation evenings have been lively and clearly future-oriented. The groups are not official associations, but will operate on a voluntary basis even after the project.
– All groups have shared the view that the village should be kept a safe place for every resident and visitor. The groups have an enormous amount of safety and preparedness expertise from a diverse background, as well as a genuine interest in influencing the development of the safety of their own village. I would like to thank everyone who participates in the implementation of the project and gives their time to the development of the village, says Sissonen.
For example, groups can implement various preparedness trainings to increase awareness of households regarding preparedness. Group members have already visited, for example, Day at the Fire Station events and Christmas events organized in villages to talk about the project.
– In early 2026, the project will organize 72-hour home emergency training courses for participating villages, which will increase households' awareness of how to prepare for everyday emergencies. The training courses are open to all villagers. The activities of the village safety groups and the project can be followed through the social media of the participating village associations and on the municipality's website.
Tea Sissonen, project coordinator, Hollola Municipality
