Brita

Somerkoski

I began my career in the City of Raisio after graduating as a class teacher from the Turku Teacher Training School, University of Turku (UTU). I defended my doctoral dissertation in 2008. My dissertation focused on norm-violating behavior among primary school pupils, particularly unauthorized fire-setting. I introduced the Tulipysäkki intervention model from the United States into the Finnish rescue services, adapting it to Finnish conditions.

Previously, I have worked as a public education officer at the Rescue Department of Southwest Finland, as a senior research fellow at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in a research project on extracurricular activities for children at risk of social exclusion, and for a short period as a researcher at Tampere University (TUNI) and Turku School of Economics (TSE/UTU), where I served as research director in the EQUAL-IST equality project. Completed projects include OPETURVA, EVAPREM, EduSafe, Safe School, and ONNI.

Currently, I am leading the continuation of the KIDISAFE research and development project, supported by the Fire Protection Fund (PSR), which disseminates operational models developed in collaboration with the Pikkunorssi (Early childhood education center in Rauma) to rescue departments across Finland. In addition, I am working in the SAFETeen project, funded by the ERASMUS+ program in collaboration with Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Spain. In the Kidisafe continuation project, I serve as project leader and principal investigator (PI). In spring 2021, I was awarded the title of Docent in Safety Pedagogy at the University of Eastern Finland. In 2025, together with Matti Waitinen, I published the book Kouluturvallisuus askel askeleelta (School Safety Step by Step).

I started my professional career in elementary school as a class teacher. My PhD (Education) was about youth acting against norms and especially juvenile firesetting. After my PhD I have been working at the Injury Prevention Unit in the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Rescue College of Finland, and in the University of Tampere. Currently I work as adjunct professor in the Department of Teacher Education.

At the moment I am involved with the KIDISAFE program at the Department of Teacher Education Rauma. This program aims at developing a safety and security culture for early childhood education in Pikkunorssi kindergarten.