Rescue services

The role of the rescue services is to prevent accidents and limit damage when they occur.
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People will always be stranded at sea, toxic substances will be released into the environment, and people and property will be threatened by extreme weather. That's when the civil emergency services respond.

Preparedness to limit damage

The rescue services are prepared to prevent and limit the damage to people, property and the environment that nevertheless occurs in the event of accidents and extreme weather.

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

State rescue service

All rescue services are either municipal or state-run. The municipal rescue service is the one that responds in normal cases, except in the following special forms of rescue service that 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 service in the event of a release of radioactive substances - County Administrative Board

Municipal rescue service

All other rescue services are handled by the municipal rescue service. This includes, for example, firefighting, traffic accidents, diving accidents, large-scale oil fire extinguishing, forest fire extinguishing and chemical accident response.

The municipal rescue service is also responsible for rescue services at sea in relation to harbours, canals and shorelines.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is the central supervisory authority for the municipal rescue service.

The rescue manager has a strong position 

Every rescue operation must have a rescue leader with the right skills. This is a person with a very strong position in the law, not least during imminent danger, as he or she can order authorities and companies to help in the rescue operation.

The rescue leader can also order any citizen between the ages of 18 and 65 to participate, as far as their skills, health and physical strength allow. He or she can order the break-in of properties, gardens and even have houses demolished or blown up regardless of what the owner thinks.

The information comes from the MSB, the Coast Guard, the Maritime Administration and the Police.