ISES 2025 brought international safety professionals to Levi

The International Safety Education Seminar (ISES) was first held in Finland in 2011. Since then, the event has rotated every two years across different European countries. This year, it returned to Finland after a long break.

The event was held under the patronage of the European Fire Safety Alliance and funded by the Finnish Fire Protection Fund.

A more international seminar than ever

The primary goal of this year’s seminar was to make the event even more international and attract new participants — and both goals were successfully achieved. A total of 94 participants from 18 countries attended, most of whom were taking part in the event for the first time.

Speakers included experts in fire safety and safety communication from across Europe, as well as from Iran, Canada, and the United States.

LEGO bricks as a tool for crisis training

One of the most engaging presentations was given by Saskia Pouw from the Netherlands, who shared an innovative approach to fire safety tabletop exercises using LEGO bricks. Pouw successfully applied this method in hospitals in the Utrecht region, but it can be applied to nearly any building — such as schools, hotels, offices, or shopping centers.

The materials needed for the exercise are minimal: a quiet room, a large table, an A0-sized scaled floor plan, a facilitator, and LEGO bricks. The idea is simple but ingenious — and easy to implement.

These tabletop exercises can be used to simulate various emergency and crisis scenarios, such as fires, power outages, gas leaks, hazardous material incidents, or virus outbreaks.

Inspired by the presentation, SPEK’s NouHätä! campaign coordinators plan to experiment with this Lego-based training technique in the upcoming campaign year.