Members of the US House of Representatives were among the visitors to a civil shelter in Finland’s capital on 4 September, hosted by the Mayor of Helsinki Juhana Vartiainen. US Representatives Gregory Meeks, Ann Wagner, Gerry Connolly, Thomas Kean, Madeleine Dean and Bill Huizenga, US House of Representatives administration members Katherine Earle, Philip Bednarczyk and Laura Fullerton, and the US Ambassador to Finland Douglas Hickey made up the visiting party.
Helsinki City Rescue Department Executive Director Jani Pitkänen was responsible for the presentation of the facilities, alongside the Ministry of Interior’s Director General of Rescue Services Kimmo Kohvakka.
“Finland is a unique country when it comes to civil defence, and so we are especially proud to present this key cornerstone of our preparedness to our partners. Over the past year, interest in civil shelters has clearly been growing. Today I had the great honour of hosting a visit from members of the US House of Representatives, who showed great esteem for the high calibre and maintenance of our preparedness,” said Mayor Vartiainen.