Program | ISES 2025

Reindeers, Snow Shoe Skiing, Sauna Bathing, Winter Swimming

We can offer limited places for guided experiences in Lappish and Finnish culture.

• With extra charge
• Choose your favorite and book when registering to ISES 2025
• A bus ride from Levi village to Sammuntupa and back has been arranged
  

At Sammuntupa, Levi

Welcome to ISES 2025

NLD | Stephan Wevers
President, FEU, Federation of EUropean fire officers

FIN | Ari Keijonen
Executive Director, The Finnish Association of Fire Officers

KEYNOTE
Safety Education for Tourists in the Arctic Environment

FIN | Sanna Kärkkäinen
Managing Director, Visit Rovaniemi

Introduction for the outdoor demonstration
True Winter – Opportunities Come with Risks

Winter brings possibilities for various, even sometimes exciting, ways to experience the fragile and beautiful nature of the Arctic. Snow and ice lay bridges over impassable ground and water. The soft and white surfaces lighten up the dark periods of winter and bring joy to many. However several, often invisible hazards, such as cold temperatures, short daylight, thin ice, and avalanches, can risk humans working and recreating in the harsh, cold winter environment. A small insignificant injury can quickly become high risk due to the hostile environment.

Now you have an opportunity to try some basic avalanche rescue techniques by the event venue in the arctic environment.

FIN | Joonas Kortelainen
Project Manager, The Finnish Association of Fire Officers

FIN | Joel Kauppinen
Specialist, The Finnish Association of Fire Officers

Workshop info
Learning from Fire Survivors and Improving Fire Safety Education

This workshop explores how data from fire survivors can inform and improve fire safety education. By examining survivor behavior and experiences, we aim to address potential survivorship bias in current data collection. Participants will collaborate to develop a standardized approach for gathering insights from survivors to enhance future fire safety programs.

BEL | Veerle De Decker
Connection Manager, Antwerp Fire Service

Collaborative Fire Safety Education for Viennese Police Cadets

This presentation covers fire safety education in Vienna for various groups, from kindergarten children to pensioners. It highlights the “Information Days for Vienna Police Cadets,” a joint effort by fire and rescue services to enhance cooperation. Key topics include fire risks, traffic accidents, space requirements, and field tactics.

AUT | Dominik Zeidler
Deputy Department Head, Vienna Fire Department

Xplorlabs Fellowship: Enhancing Fire Safety through Educators

The Xplorlabs Educator Fellowship is a program that empowers teachers to incorporate real-world fire safety into their classrooms. This presentation highlights how connecting educators with UL Research Institutes fosters innovation, enhances student engagement, and integrates fire safety into academic content. Ultimately, this initiative aims to create safer communities through informed and proactive education.

USA | Dr. Kelly Keena
Senior Director, UL Research Institutes’ Office of Research Experiences & Education

The Role of School Visits to Fire Departments

Every year, 340,000 Austrian primary school children visit fire departments as part of the “Together Safe Fire Brigade” initiative. This presentation explores how these excursions, often seen as a burden by volunteer firefighters, can be pivotal in fire safety education. Using the Wiener Neustadt fire department as an example, it demonstrates how these visits not only consolidate learning but also transform children into fire safety ambassadors. Insights from a teacher survey will also be shared.

AUT | Richard Berger
Commissioner for Public Relations, Volunteer Fire Departement Wr. Neustadt / Austrian Fire Brigade Association

4 E’s Model – SPEKtacular Way to Redevelop a Safety Education Campaign

The 4 E’s model has been implemented in fire safety campaigns organized by the Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK). This presentation will showcase early results of employing the model to enhance campaign effectiveness and foster greater engagement among target groups for the NouHätä! and Fire Safety Week campaigns.

FIN | Tomi Sirkiä
Campaign Coordinator, NouHätä! Campaign, The Finnish National Rescue Association SPEK

FIN | Juha Hassila
Safety Communications Specialist, Fire Safety Week Campaign, NouHätä! Campaign, The Finnish National Rescue Association SPEK

Enhancing Wildfire Training: Virtual Reality for Stakeholder Engagement

This study explores the use of virtual reality (VR) for training wildfire planning professionals, addressing the need for effective engagement among stakeholders such as community members and engineers. Conducted in New Zealand, it compares VR training with traditional methods for knowledge acquisition and retention. Findings will be showcased alongside a hands-on VR experience, demonstrating its potential for improving wildfire preparedness.

NZL | Dr. Bryann Avendano
Research Associate, Postdoctoral Fellow UC/SCION
University of Canterbury

Civil Security Training with AI Technology

The advancement of AI has significantly influenced numerous industries in France, driving the creation of innovative solutions in civil security. For example, operational activity prediction tools and early forest fire detection systems. This presentation highlights the essential role of educational institutions in supporting this transformation through seminars, AI labs for operational solutions, and the creation of AI-assisted educational content, all aimed at enhancing intern training and improving emergency response efficiency across the country.

FRA | Quentin Brot
Head of the Foresight Unit
National school for firefighter officers (ENSOSP)

Seminar Dinner

The dinner will be enjoyed together with all the ISES participants: attendees, presenters, exhibitors and event organizers.

The place for the dinner will be told closer to the event.

Day 2, Welcome
Welcome words by the event organizers

The Ceremony of the European Fire Safety Award

The European Fire Safety Award is a joint initiative of the European Fire Safety Alliance (EuroFSA) and the Federation of European Fire Officers (FEU). It is aimed at rewarding the best community fire safety projects focused on: raising fire safety awareness, changing people’s behavior and inspiring education on fire safety. The Award is granted every two years.

KEYNOTE
The Nomad Century

As the planet heats, conditions are becoming extreme and places are becoming increasingly unliveable. People will need to move. We must plan ways to manage a great upheaval over the coming decades.

GBR | Gaia Vince
award-winning science writer and author, Anthropocene researcher, global strategist, traveller, broadcaster, analyst, speaker

Framing Animal Welfare: Media’s Role During Nova Scotia Wildfires

This study examines the media’s impact on framing animal-related issues during the Nova Scotia wildfires (May-June 2023). Through content analysis of social media, government sites, and local news, it highlights human-animal interactions that foster resilience. The research calls for unified media strategies to improve animal welfare and community safety during disasters.

CAN | Dr. Haorui Wu
Canada Research Chair in Disaster and Resilience
Director, Building a Culture of Resilience (BACOR) Lab
Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University

Training for Hydrogen Safety: Addressing Risks for First Responders

The presentation focuses on hydrogen risk management training. ENSOSP developed the HyResponse and HyResponder projects to create innovative training programs, including a simulation platform. The ongoing ALBATROS project will further enhance training for airport emergency personnel. The goal is to expand the network of hydrogen safety experts.

FRA | Léa Taillandier
European project manager ALBATROS, National school for firefighter officers (ENSOSP)

Simulated Realities: Innovative Approaches to Disaster Research and Preparedness

Disasters are unpredictable and complex, posing challenges for research. This presentation introduces the RCR Simulation Lab at Mid Sweden University, where realistic scenarios are simulated to study human responses. By showcasing exercises with the local fire department, including a bomb attack scenario and fire evacuation drills, it highlights the importance of understanding behavior in crises.

SWE | Dr. Minna Lundgren
Senior Lecturer, Mid Sweden University

Designing Safe Spaces: Enhancing Fire Evacuation for the Elderly

This research focuses on designing safe buildings to reduce the vulnerability of the elderly during fires and smoke emission. It highlights the importance of access routes and support systems. Key findings emphasize the need for quality evacuation paths and assistance, aligning with NFPA1620 standards, and propose solutions for optimizing routes.

IRN | Dr. Saeed Givehchi
Associate Professor, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran

Fire Safety in Modern Child and Adolescent Care Facilities: Challenges and Solutions

This study explores fire safety challenges in child and adolescent care facilities post-COVID-19, noting increased risks due to high occupancy and poor evacuation routes. It emphasizes the need for improved building codes and collaboration among fire safety inspectors to address these unique vulnerabilities and enhance emergency response strategies.

POL | Marek Gottfried
European Firefighting Specialist, Advisor, the Resilience Advisors Network

Table-Top Exercise: Effective Fire Safety Training Through Simulation

This interactive table-top exercise uses Lego to simulate real evacuation scenarios, enhancing fire safety awareness among participants. By reenacting evacuations on a scaled floor map, employees identify their roles and responsibilities. The exercise discusses fire safety equipment and procedures, prompting critical thinking about actions and consequences. This method, successfully used in the Netherlands for over 15 years, complements practical drills and helps keep safety knowledge current.

NLD | Saskia Pouw
Inspector for Fire Prevention, the Safety Region of Utrecht

Firefighters Helping Youngsters to Get a Grip on Society

NOR | Oddbjørn Hansen
Fire Officer, Rescue Department of Tromsø

Special Rescue Group for Adults with Special Needs

Special Rescue activity is safety education for people with developmental-/ intellectual disabilities or neuropsychological challenges. The project is EU co-funded, and it has now been developed and scaled to Finland’s biggest rescue service region.
The goals are to improve participants’ safety skills and increase their participation in society.

FIN | Markku Salminen
Project Director, Chief Fire Officer, Illo Volunteer Fire Brigade

FIN | Katariina Ristimäki
Project Manager, Volunteer Firefighter, Illo Volunteer Fire Brigade

ISES host 2027 handover