Finland's official home emergency supply, the kotivara, is published by the 72 tuntia ("72 hours") campaign. The idea is in the name: every household should be able to manage on its own for 72 hours. The list is short and specific, with a few items you won't find in most other countries' guides.
The official guide
| Title | Kotivara (home emergency supply), 72 tuntia |
| Publisher | 72 tuntia campaign (72tuntia.fi) |
| Horizon | 72 hours |
| Link | 72tuntia.fi (English) |
We read the English page and the Finnish page in November 2026; their lists match. We did not open Finland's Finnish-language PDF.
What the list contains
The checklist has 19 lines:
- Water containers, clean and fitted with lids
- Bottled water, at least 5 litres per person
- Food that is easy to prepare and suits everyone in the family
- Food and water for pets
- A battery-powered radio
- A battery-powered torch
- Batteries
- A charged power bank, for your phone for example
- A portable stove, fuel and matches
- A small amount of cash
- Essential medicines
- Iodine tablets
- Plastic bags and toilet paper
- Hygiene items, such as wet wipes and hand sanitiser
- First-aid supplies
- Firewood, if you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove
- A smoke alarm
- A hand-held fire extinguisher or fire blanket
- Duct tape
Quantities
The only amount on the list is for water: at least 5 litres of bottled water per person. The containers are for filling from the tap if a warning comes. The page does not give a daily figure. Other guides plan 2 to 3 litres per person per day, which for 72 hours is 6 to 9 litres each, so treat Finland's 5 litres as a minimum and fill the containers too. Our guide to how much water to store explains the sum.
How it compares with the other guides
Finland's list covers 19 of the 51 items we track across 24 official guides. It includes all six that every guide agrees on: water, a torch, a radio, medication, first aid and cash.
What it adds
- Iodine tablets. Only four guides list them: Finland, Belgium, Denmark and Austria. Take them only when the authorities tell you to.
- A smoke alarm. Only four guides list one: Finland, Germany, Poland and the UK. Candles and stoves raise the risk of fire just when help is slowest.
- A fire extinguisher or fire blanket, listed by nine guides, and duct tape, listed by six.
- Firewood, if you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove: a practical line for Finnish homes.
What it leaves out
- Blankets and warm clothes. 18 of the 24 guides list them. For a Finnish winter outage, they matter. Gather in one room and layer up; see our power cut checklist.
- Copies of your ID and documents. 19 guides list them, ideally in a waterproof pouch.
A safety note on the stove: use it outdoors or with good ventilation, and never leave a flame unattended. The same applies to an open fire and to candles.
The list also has no grab bag for leaving home, and no tinned or no-cook food by name. "Easy to prepare" food plus a camping stove covers cooking. If you'd rather not depend on the stove, add food you can eat cold: see emergency food that needs no cooking.
Keep it current
Pick two dates you will remember, such as when the clocks change in spring and autumn, and check your kit: expiry dates on water, food and medicines, batteries, and whether the power bank is still charged. Replace anything you have used or opened. Test the smoke alarm while you are at it, and check the fire extinguisher's gauge and date.
Building your kit
Finland's list is practical and safety-minded. Add blankets, document copies and more water, and you have a full 72-hour kit. Our checklist combines Finland's list with the 23 other guides and works out the amounts for your household.