Hanken researcher helps shape Poland’s nationwide preparedness
“The guide offers practical advice on how to prepare for both natural and human-made disasters. It covers everything from securing your home and stocking essential supplies to planning for evacuation. It also includes guidance on communicating with children and how to support people with disabilities”, Piotrowicz explains.
The information is available online as well, and has been translated into several languages, including braille.
“One message we want to emphasise is that the guide isn’t about preparing for war. It’s about being ready for any kind of disruption at any time. If there’s no water, it doesn’t matter why - you’re still affected. The same principles of preparedness apply regardless of the cause.”
Preparedness strategies from Finland
Piotrowicz, who originally comes from Poland, has an extensive experience in researching about risks related to supply chains and humanitarian logistics, as well as about disaster preparedness and security. He has previously worked with research projects such as the EU funded project CORE, and the Research Council of Finland funded Cash and/or carry project - both of which provided insights that helped shape the Polish preparedness guide.
Piotrowicz notes that Finnish approaches played an important role in shaping the Polish preparedness material. One example is Finland’s whole-of-society model - a collaborative security framework where authorities, businesses, NGOs, and citizens work together to protect essential societal functions in any situation.
“We wanted to highlight the importance of working together and not just looking out for oneself. It’s about getting involved, collaborating with family, neighbours, and organisations to build strong networks, rather than everyone acting in isolation.”
The 72-hour concept, as used in Finland, is included in the guide as well. It encourages households to be self-sufficient for at least three days in the event of a disruption.
Caring for pets and farm animals
Piotrowicz has also previously worked with Polish authorities, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
“Pets were initially overlooked in preparedness planning at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Poland had to revise its laws to allow people to cross the border with their pets, whether it was a hamster, a dog, or any other animal.
Today pets are seen as part of the family and play an important emotional role, especially for children. We also became aware of humanitarian organisations working with farm animals to prevent disease outbreaks, so we included a section related to pets in emergency.”
Regional cooperation is essential
Piotrowicz says that the experts are aware that not everyone will take action based on the guidelines. Some will ignore the guidance, while others are already well prepared, so the focus is on those in the middle.
“When we talk about security and preparedness, it’s not just a national issue - it’s a regional one. We’re seeing good cooperation, particularly among the Nordic countries, but there’s still room for improvement with the Baltic states, Poland and even northern Germany. From Finland’s perspective, these areas are critical for supply chains, so strengthening regional preparedness in Poland and the whole Baltic region also benefits Finland.”
Text and photo: Jessica Gustafsson
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