The Finnish Environmental Institute (SYKE), the national Rescue Service and leading NGOs have started a number of activities to develop preparedness for oiled wildlife incidents.

As part of the voluntary rescue service that is led by WWF-Finland, volunteers are trained to rescue and rehabilitate oiled birds. In the absence of permanent rehabilitation facilities, the Rescue Services, SYKE and WWF are jointly developing a mobile unit for oiled wildlife response known as the Bird Care Unit (or BCU). The BCU consists of three fully equipped sea containers that can be deployed in the more remote areas along the Finnish coast.

The Helsinki City Rescue Department are developing a national strategy for use of the BCU and aiming to integrate oiled wildlife response fully into their local oil spill response plan – which could then be used as a model for other regions in Finland. These preparedness activities are also being developed and demonstrated through the EU-funded EnSaCo project, which requires Rescue Services in Finland, Estonia and Sweden to incorporate oiled wildlife response into their oil spill contingency plans at municipal level.