Municipal rescue services

It is not possible to insure against all accidents - such as fires, spillages of dangerous substances or floods. However, the emergency services are prepared to prevent and limit damage.

In the Act on Protection against Accidents (2003:778), rescue service refers to the rescue operations for which the state or municipalities are responsible in the event of accidents and imminent danger of accidents, in order to prevent and limit damage to people, property and the environment.

The municipality is responsible for all rescue services except six specialised forms of rescue services which are the responsibility of the State:

• Mountain rescue service - Police
• Air and sea rescue services - Swedish Maritime Administration
• Search for persons in other cases - Police (Search for persons who have disappeared in places other than those covered by mountain, air or sea rescue).
• Environmental rescue at sea - Coastguard
• Rescue services in the event of a release of radioactive substances - County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen)

All other emergency services are therefore provided by the municipal emergency services. These include firefighting, road accidents, water diving, large-scale oil fire extinguishing, forest fire extinguishing and response to chemical accidents.

The municipal rescue service is also responsible for rescue services at sea in relation to harbours, canals and shorelines. The vehicles used for rescue services are fire engines, fire hoists, tankers and other specialised vehicles. These are well equipped and carry everything from breathing apparatus and communication equipment to hoses, pumps and cutting machines. Many rescue services also have specially equipped boats for rescue operations.

Citizens also have their own responsibilities. State and municipal responsibilities do not apply to all accidents. Here are some examples of events that do not involve civil protection responsibilities:

• Fire in small bin or ashtray outdoors - extinguish yourself
• Trapped in lift - property owner's responsibility
• Locked out - own responsibility
• Roof of the house leaking - responsibility of the property owner
• Recurrent flooding during rainy weather - property owner's responsibility
• Cat in tree - owner's responsibility
• Tree over road - responsibility of road owner
• Oil on the road surface - road owner's responsibility
• Heavy smoke from a neighbour's fire - environmental and health protection office, police

In some cases, if the emergency services have resources available, they can respond even when the incident does not fulfil the legal criteria for emergency services. An example is clearing trees that fall across roads during a storm. However, the person ordering the service may be charged.