Finnish women flock to prepare for war, other crises

Upinniemi, Finland: Wearing red overalls and thick rubber boots, women at a recent Finnish civil preparedness course jumped from a pier at a naval bas...

Upinniemi, Finland: Wearing red overalls and thick rubber boots, women at a recent Finnish civil preparedness course jumped from a pier at a naval base into the chilly Baltic Sea.

The 28 women in the "safety at sea" course were glad to have secured a spot at one of the increasingly popular courses.

The training sessions are organised to prepare women for emergencies caused by power outages, natural phenomena, cyberattacks or military conflicts.

"Interest in preparedness courses has increased massively over the past few years, especially among women," Eija Eriksson, a volunteer leader at the weekend course, told AFP.

Eriksson is a member of the Women's National Emergency Preparedness Association, which organised the event in tandem with the National Defence Training Association of Finland (MPK).