A crisis may be any event that is different from the usual and involves the need for intervention and decision-making. A crisis may be a situation that can result in the disruption of people’s normal way of life, and in order to solve the situation the local government or even the state may need to get involved.

In Tallinn, crisis management and prevention and civil protection are managed by a subdivision of the Municipal Police. The primary objective of crisis management in Tallinn is to ensure the operation of vital services, readiness to implement the Emergency Act, management at the local government level as well as provision of information to the public. 
Public Emergency Preparedness Awareness Index Study 2023
 

Nationwide risk assessment

The aim of a public risk assessment is to help all members of Estonian society better understand the various possible risks that can affect our everyday lives and for which the nation as a whole, as well as institutions, communities and individuals, must prepare. If we understand the nature and severity of crises, the responsibilities of those involved and the activities related to preventing and managing crisis situations, we can better think about personal preparedness and resilience for different crises and be ready as a society for any crisis, including the most demanding ones. The risk assessment prepares for the implementation of the European Union Critical Entities Resilience Directive in October of 2024. Based on the experience gained in the preparation of this initial project, a comprehensive risk assessment will be completed in autumn 2024. The national risk assessments can be found here .

How does Tallinn prepare for crises?

This includes emergency preparations, ensuring the continuous operation of vital services and coordinating the city’s crisis management activities as well as arranging (risk) communication. Crisis management is a system of measures that includes emergency prevention, emergency preparation and emergency response plans. Additionally, it’s the local government’s responsibility during a crisis to provide assistance to national institutions in organising the evacuation of residents by giving them temporary accommodation, if necessary.
 
 
In Tallinn, the organisation of civil protection is a significant aspect of crisis management. Civil protection is a system of measures aimed to protect people and society in any possible crisis.

• Civil protection is based on the population’s ability to protect themselves, as well as each other if necessary, until help arrives.
• Civil protection is a collective effort between various parts of society – people, communities, local governments, entrepreneurs as well as government institutions.
• Civil protection includes protecting the population in any crisis that has a nationwide effect.

On the Minuomavalitsus.ee website, you will find a systematic overview of the current state of local government services based on hundreds of criteria.
Here you can also find Tallinn's crisis preparedness levels.

Evacuation

Accidents can create situations where people’s lives are directly in danger, such as fires or chemical accidents. In addition, there can be a situation where an area becomes temporarily or permanently uninhabitable as a result of flooding or a nuclear accident in a neighbouring country, and evacuation may be unavoidable in such situations. Evacuation may also be necessary if an armed conflict arises, including war.

In general terms, evacuation is the temporary relocation of people from a danger area to a secure location in order to protect their life and health.

The scope of the evacuation and its specific organisation is divided as follows:
Evacuation from a specific site and mass evacuation.
The Police and Border Guard Board carries out mass evacuation; smaller evacuations are carried out by either the city, the district government or the Municipal Police.

Learn more: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/128062017039?leiaKehtiv

Tallinn’s tasks for crisis readiness:

• Preparing a risk assessment of Tallinn
• Preparing a contingency plan for Tallinn
• Ensuring that the Tallinn Helpline telephone number 14410 remains operational
• Organising the work of the Tallinn Crisis Management Committee and the entities created by the committee (the Crisis Management Team, the Severe Weather Conditions Emergency Response Team and the Crisis Management Document Preparation and Review Team)
  References to the commission’s document, the Crisis Management Team list of members, the manual.
• Arranging crisis management exercises and training
• Ensuring the continuous operation of vital services, including implementing measures to prevent disruptions to vital services
• Giving advice to vital service providers
• Making preparations and giving advice to the population
• Approving continuous operation assessments of vital services as well as continuous operation plans prepared by vital service providers
• Managing an emergency caused by a major or severe disruption of a vital service
• Arranging risk communication
• Helping evacuate individuals and providing accommodation and food to evacuees

Tallinn risk assessment

The objective of the Tallinn Risk Assessment 2016 is to identify and characterise the risks and dangers related to Tallinn’s emergency risks, the risks that could cause severe and long-term disruptions of Tallinn’s utility networks and major accidents in the Ülemiste Tunnel as well as evaluate the likelihood and consequences of those risks; determine risk classes; describe risk prevention and mitigation measures; fill in a risk questionnaire and a summary risk matrix in order to get an overview of what causes threats to human life and health, greatly damages the operation of vital services and the environment or causes large-scale economic damage.
Tallinn Risk Assessment 2016 full text

Tallinn’s vital services

An emergency is an event or a series of events or a disruption to vital services that threatens the life or health of a large number of individuals, causes extensive property damage or environmental damage or severe and widespread disruption to the continuous operation of vital services and that requires the rapid coordinated action of many institutions or people to resolve, the implementation of various management arrangements and the involvement of significantly more people and resources than in an ordinary situation.

A vital service is a service that has an enormous impact on the performance of society and whose disruption threatens people’s lives or health or even the operation of another vital service or service of general interest. A vital service is considered a whole with the building, equipment, personnel, supplies, etc. that are essential for its performance. The continuous operation of a vital service is the ability of a critical service provider to continue operations and restore continuous operation after a vital service disruption.

Pursuant to subsection 38 (1) of the Emergency Act, a vital service provider is a legal person competent in conducting a public administrative task defined as a vital service in section 36 of the Emergency Act or a person operating as an entrepreneur providing a vital service. Tallinn manages the continuous operation of the following vital services:

1. Supplying district heating
2. Ensuring that local roads are passable
3. Providing water supply and sanitation

Descriptions and continuous operation of vital services provided by Tallinn are established by Tallinn City Council Regulation No. 1 of 24 January 2019 https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/431012019048

Pursuant to subsection 38 (3) of the Emergency Act, the provider of a vital service is required to:

1. Prepare a risk assessment and continuous operation plan for vital services in accordance with sections 39 and 40 of the Emergency Act;
2. Implement preventive measures to prevent disruptions to critical services, including reducing dependence on other vital services, key contracting partners, suppliers and information systems by duplicating technical systems, contracts, personnel and other resources essential to providing the service, using alternative solutions, owning and stockpiling the necessary resources and other such measures;
3. During an emergency or similar situation, such as a technical failure or disruption of supply or other vital services, ensure the continuous operation and quick restoration of the service provided;
4. Immediately notify the institution arranging the continuous operation of vital services or the institution designated to it pursuant to subsection 37 (5) of the Emergency Act regarding a disruption of a vital service, the threat of disruption, an event that significantly disrupts the continuous operation of a vital service or an imminent danger of such an event happening;
5. Take part in the emergency response in accordance with the contingency plan;
6. Upon their request, give information regarding the provision of a vital service to the institution organising the continuous operation of the vital service or to the institution designated to it pursuant to subsection 37 (5) of the Emergency Act;
7. Arrange exercises at least once every two years to confirm the continuous operation of vital services;
8. Comply with other obligations laid down in legislation to ensure the continuous operation of a vital service.

Additional information:

Contact details (pdf) of vital service providers
Emergency Act https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/117052020003?leiaKehtiv

Tallinn Crisis Management Committee and the Crisis Management Team

In order to accomplish crisis management tasks, Tallinn has created the Tallinn Crisis Management Committee and the Crisis Management Team, which are made up of specialists in their respective fields and are convened when necessary by the city administration.

The Tallinn Crisis Management Committee statutes are available here: https://teele.tallinn.ee/documents/7481/view#preview

The Tallinn Crisis Management Committee has the authority to form an around-the-clock crisis management team as well as a Severe Weather Conditions Emergency Response Team, a Crisis Management Document Preparation and Review Team and other commission entities and approve their staff.

The Crisis Management Team has the following tasks:

1. Be ready to resolve a crisis or emergency
2. Manage emergencies caused by a major or severe disruption of a vital service
3. Analyse and resolve the events that caused a crisis or emergency
4. Coordinate cooperation and exchange information with the relevant institutions during a crisis or emergency
5. Include the necessary resources to resolve a crisis or emergency

Dangers to people and the environment in Tallinn

• Companies at risk of major accident hazards. Companies at risk of major accident hazards are those that deal with a large quantity of dangerous chemicals. An accident that happens in these companies may damage territory outside the company’s purview. https://www.rescue.ee/et/ohtlikud-ettevotted
• Icicles and slippery pavements /est/Ennetusmeetmed-ja-nouded-jaapurikate-korral
• Areas prone to flooding. You can also see the areas prone to flooding on the Land Board’s map application: Hazardous companies and water supply https://xgis.maaamet.ee/xgis2/page/app/paasteamet_ohtvesi