Anne-May Nagel, co-founder of the NGO Crisis Research Centre, delivered the seminar’s opening remarks, emphasising the importance of projects that promote local preparedness and resilience. “We’ve been running crisis preparedness projects in communities for the past two years, and this year we began measuring the impact of our efforts.” We will publish the project training program’s final report in the autumn, where you can learn more about the project’s activities and impact,” she said.

The seminar’s keynote speaker was Dr. Mariia Tyschenko, Director of the Ukrainian NGO Poruch and Honorary Doctor of Malmö University. In her presentation ‘Power of community in crisis – the example of Ukraine‘, she shared her experiences in Ukraine, where civil society and local authorities have worked together to respond to crises. She discussed how communities are strengthened during crises, as well as what practical steps can be taken ahead of time to improve preparedness.

The second half of the day was spent discussing ‘How to help communities prepare for crises‘. The panel featured:

• Dr. Mariia Tyschenko (NGO Poruch, Ukraine)
• Maria Derlõs (Tallinn City Office)
• Hannes Nagel (NGO Crisis Research Centre)
• Kadi Luht-Kallas (Estonian Ministry of the Interior)

The training brought together participants of different ages who wanted to develop their skills for unexpected situations—such as power outages, water shortages, or the need to evacuate their homes quickly. The urban environment poses specific challenges during crises, and participants had the chance to become familiar with them through hands-on experience.

Practical activities: fire, food, and the emergency bag

Participants learned how to start a fire using a firestarter—an entirely new experience for many. The exercises showed that seemingly simple tasks, like lighting a fire without matches or a lighter, actually require time and skill.

They also prepared food outdoors using emergency dry food packs, which can be essential in situations where regular cooking is not possible. Participants were introduced to how these packs work, how to evaluate their shelf life and nutritional value, and what kind of supplies are needed for longer-term self-reliance.

The third key topic was the content of an emergency evacuation bag. The group discussed which items are essential—ranging from first aid supplies and documents to personal medications, hygiene products, and food. Special attention was given to how to adapt the bag according to family composition and individual needs.

Instructors provided practical knowledge and confidence

The training was led by a representative of the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organization (Naiskodukaitse) and Hannes Nagel from the Crisis Research Centre, experienced in both emergency preparedness education and teaching practical survival skills. Participants received both a theoretical overview and the chance to try out actions that could be critical in a real crisis.

The focus was on practical learning—participants gained knowledge through doing and experiencing, which they can also apply in preparing at home. Many noted that hands-on practice gave them more confidence than just listening to information.

Survival training as part of a broader community project

This training was the final event in the Väike-Õismäe survival training series, organized by the Crisis Research Centre in cooperation with Naiskodukaitse. The project aimed to increase the local community’s awareness and preparedness for crises, offering participants practical instruction while also strengthening mutual trust and cooperation.

According to the organizers, the project showed that city residents are increasingly interested in acquiring the skills needed for self-reliance. Enhancing community resilience through awareness and skill-building is an important step toward a safer and more functional society.

🟧🟦 The activities of the K-24 project will be carried out by the Crisis Research Centre, and the implementation of the project activities is supported by the Civil Society Foundation through the Ministry of the Interior.

Photo: fifth group’s urban survival training in Väike-Õismäe (Crisis research Centre, 2025).

Saturday’s training sessions include first aid (trained by paramedic Andrus Lehtmets) and urban survival (trained by Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation instructors), which will take place in Väike-Õismäe. In addition, there will also be online training – instructors from the Municipal Police Authority will teach you how to draw up a crisis plan, and the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation online training will share smart evacuation knowledge.

“For the first time, Haabersti residents will be able to improve their crisis skills in their own town, with training provided by top specialists in the field. “We encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity, as participation is free,” said Hannes Nagel, Head of the Crisis Research Centre. “Our goal is to improve district residents’ preparedness for crisis situations. “If everyone has a broader range of knowledge and skills, we will be better able to deal with unexpected situations and support our families, friends, and the larger community,” he said.

Between February and May, 25 training sessions on various topics will be held, providing crisis skills to over 400 Haabersti residents. There are still spots available; to register for the training or join the waiting list, go to www.kruk.ee/en/oismae-en. 

🟧🟦 The activities of the K-24 project will be carried out by the Crisis Research Centre, and the implementation of the project activities is supported by the Civil Society Foundation through the Ministry of the Interior.

Photo: The Crisis Skills Training Programme is advertised on monthly bases in the Haabersti district newspaper (Kriisiuuringute Keskus, 2025).

Some individuals have complained about the new shelter requirements. In fact, the state is drafting legislation that will require the construction of shelters on new buildings larger than 1200 m². This is being done on the grounds that the security situation has been steadily deteriorating and that shelters are required to protect people, or the rear, in the event of a potential war. Steps have finally been taken, and beginning in the autumn, the change that will significantly increase security will apply to new buildings – adapting to security threats necessitates action.

Those who doubt the need for shelters should examine the coverage of the war in Ukraine over the last three years to see how many days Russia did not attack civilian civilian infrastructure or residential areas with missiles or drones. There are essentially no such days because Russia targets homes, kindergartens, schools, shopping malls, theaters, hospitals, train stations, and any other place where civilians may spend time. The fact that targeting civilians is a war crime is irrelevant to the aggressor; it is an end in itself, systematically demoralising the rear. The goal of targeting civilians and civilian objects is to cause as much pain and chaos as possible, ultimately breaking the will to defend. Aside from military capabilities, the only way to combat this is to provide strong civil protection.

Civil protection aims to protect civilians, as the name implies. Shelters and sheltering systems are one aspect of this. It is true that civil protection requires additional funding, but discussing market readiness for shelters is inappropriate. This is an odd mode of communication, as it clearly denies the current reality in Estonia. Excuse me, but we simply don’t have a choice when it comes to shelter construction, and shelter systems in general! The consequences of not sheltering are relatively obvious: our own people will suffer if we do not build our own sheltering system. However, it appears that some people still do not understand that Estonia is not Portugal, where such brilliant ideas could emerge.

Property prices in new buildings have also risen, raising concerns that the market may be unable to sustain a price increase. In a similar vein to military defense, there are numerous capability gaps that are rapidly closing. There is work being done on it, but it costs money. Taxpayers are also unprepared for the tax increases proposed as a solution. However, there are currently no better solutions to close capability gaps in national defence. Security is not a place to cut corners because you can be certain that an aggressor will not spare any resources to improve its capabilities.

We believe it is inappropriate to combine solutions that save lives with a percentage price increase in the same sentence. Furthermore, to serve it up on a platter of “the market is not ready”. It is unclear whether a conflict of values is perceived. Specifically, those concerned about the need for shelters, or, more subtly, the marketability of shelters, are weighing the ability to sell apartments against the ability of people to protect themselves against a serious threat, such as a bomb attack. It is unbelievable and simply sad that we are having such a debate against the backdrop of more than three years of war with Ukraine.

The fact that certain sectors appear to be at war with the shelters is bizarre. Surely we’re supposed to have a comprehensive national defense? Do or don’t we?

Protecting citizens in the rear is part of this, so those concerned about profit margins may find the motivation to contribute to national defense. This could include refraining from campaigning against shelter. Protecting people’s lives and health is more important than money, and perhaps no one would argue about it – but who knows.

× Hannes Nagel’s op-ed was previously published on the Delfi portal on March 26. Photo: view of an occupation-era panel building (Kriisiuuringute Keskus, 2024).

At a time when the Reform Party and the Eesti 200 Party are negotiating a new coalition agreement, it is critical to remember that civil protection still requires permanent funding. The resources that have been allocated to this area thus far are insufficient to build a system and capabilities that are not dependent on clay feet. Given the current situation, civil protection would be a major concern if a more serious crisis occurred.

A look at the numbers can help you assess the targeted resources for civil protection. The Ministry of the Interior has allocated €68 million for civil protection between 2024 and 2027.¹ This amounts to an average of €17 million per year (about 0.04% of GDP), which is divided into four priorities: increasing population awareness and self-preparedness, increasing local authorities’ crisis response capacity, developing a rapid and comprehensive emergency response for the population, and strengthening institutions performing civil protection functions. Along with this, the sector must work to modernize its legislation, which has serious shortcomings in the concept of civil protection.

There is plenty to do, but few opportunities. Civil protection is chronically stigmatized (as if it isn’t important) and under-funded. However, in 2018, the Civil Protection Concept identified 40 actions and 35 recommendations² for the country to address in order to improve civil protection. Unfortunately, the Action Plan for Civil Protection 2024-2027, published in 2024, stated that “to date, the development of the field has not taken place at the pace planned at the time, as the implementation of the planned activities was not covered by the budget and required positive funding decisions, which did not materialise “.³

By contrast, starting in 2023, the Estonian security foundations include the principle that civil protection must receive permanent funding. Funding based on a four-year action plan is neither sufficient nor permanent.

Civil protection, like national defence, requires funding within a fixed percentage unit, which must be based on a social and cross-party agreement to ensure that funding for the sector is permanently secure, or, in the jargon of politicians, in safe hands, in order to transform security into growth.

The new Action Plan for Civil Protection³ establishes civil protection targets through 2020. For example, the document indicates what the state of civil protection should be in 2034, such as threat notification being continuously updated technologically and operating in a centralised and flexible manner, the emergency response network being able to operate autonomously for up to 30 days even during war, and the state having the capacity to evacuate and house up to 10% of the population for a week. In nine years, we should have shelters for 20% of the population and 50% of apartment buildings in place, as well as disaster medical service providers that are fully resilient. Furthermore, by 2034, 40% of the population will be crisis prepared, which means they will be able to manage independently for one week.

At this point, everyone may wonder if the security situation allows us to move at a pace that will allow us to meet these goals in nine years. The majority of civil protection authorities in our neighboring countries have repeatedly stated that there is insufficient time in our region to wait, watch, think, discuss, and endlessly promise to achieve nice goals. Unlike Estonia, neighbouring countries without a direct border with Russia are also involved in civil protection, allocating significant resources to it. We should have an adequate sense of security in Estonia as well, but this does not equate to funding for population protection.

Given the security situation, it is clear that the 2034 indicators must be met sooner. Before the next parliamentary elections, civil protection must achieve a quality leap equal to or close to these indicators. If this is not done, we will see that even then, as stated in the 2024 Framework for Civil Protection, “with the resources available, the state and local authorities do not have the necessary preparedness to protect their people in a military situation, and the actual preparedness of the people themselves is very low”.⁴ The continuation of this situation is unacceptable and jeopardizes people’s lives and health during a serious crisis.

There is an opportunity for the new government to do something significant for Estonia’s overall crisis preparedness by agreeing to allocate a fixed percentage of GDP to civil protection in the future, such as 0.2% of GDP per year to begin with. This would imply that, while the Ministry of the Interior has received 68 million euros over four years to treat the wounds of civil protection, this year’s budget for civil protection would be in the region of 79 million euros.

Yes, this would be a small amount in terms of the national budget, but for an area that has yet to receive permanent funding, it would be a stimulus on the scale of the Apollo space program, allowing civil protection to be launched into orbit. This will provide stability and the opportunity to build a system in a society where the debate over whether civil protection is even worth debating, or whether it falls into the category of “we’ll do it when there are resources left over”. However, the long-awaited dawn continues to delay its arrival.

× The op-ed (by Hannes Nagel) was first published on March 20, 2025 on the Postimees portal on March 21 on paper (No. 44, p. 12). Photo: rescue worker in Ukraine.

Sources

Saturday’s trainings include first aid (by paramedic Andrus Lehtmets), mental health first aid in a crisis (by clinical psychologists from the NGO Peaasjad), as well as the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation survival trainings, which will take place in Väike-Õismäe. There will also be online trainings – you can learn how to prepare a family crisis plan from instructors from the Tallinn Municipal Police, and online trainings by paramilitary Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation will focus on smart evacuation.

“The trainings are a good opportunity to brush up your crisis skills. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity, we have top-class trainers and the training is free of charge for the participants,” said Hannes Nagel, Head of the Crisis Research Centre. “More broadly, the project aims to raise the level of crisis preparedness of people in our area. If we each have a broader skill base, we can be prepared for the unexpected and help our family, friends and community,” he said.

A total of 25 training sessions will take place between February and May on a variety of topics. The first groups are already full! The project team thanks the Haabersti district government for contributing to the project.

For registration, please visit www.kruk.ee/oismae.

🟧🟦 The activities of the K-24 project will be carried out by the Crisis Research Centre, and the implementation of the project activities is supported by the Civil Society Foundation through the Ministry of the Interior.