The survey is part of a research project focusing on the significance of voluntary fire brigades to the Finnish society. Fire brigades studied included part-time fire brigades, voluntary fire brigades and industrial fire brigades. Members of municipal councils were asked which party they represent in the council, were they members of the municipal committee which takes care of fire and rescue services, had they participated in voluntary fire brigade work, did the municipality have a full-time fire brigade, what kind of voluntary fire brigades there were and how did the co-operation between different brigades work. The importance of voluntary brigades to rescue services and municipal economy was charted. Respondents also estimated how much importance municipal residents give to the voluntary brigades. Respondents were asked to what extent they agreed with several statements relating to various aspects of voluntary fire brigades: e.g. training opportunities, brigades' political non-alignment, social responsibility, public image. Views were also probed on the suitability of certain bodies (e.g. police, health and social authorities, sports clubs) as co-operation partners for fire brigades. Some open-ended questions covered the future of voluntary brigades and the effects of new regional rescue services system. Background variables included respondents' sex, age, marital status, number of children, vocational education and socio-economic group.

2003