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| Zumtobel Group’s company fire service celebrates 50th anniversary  On Friday, the Zumtobel Group and some 120 guests celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the company fire service with a gala evening at the Dornbirn plant. In the Zumtobel Light Forum, Operations Director Plant Dornbirn Herwig Burtscher paid tribute to the outstanding commitment of the firefighters, who have served voluntarily for five decades."Our fire service has been making an indispensable contribution to our safety for 50 years. As a highly specialized industry, it is extremely important for us to have our own fire service, as our colleagues – both men and women – are specially trained to meet the specific needs of our plant. We have our highly trained firefighters and the effective fire prevention measures to thank for the fact that, so far, there has been no major damage to our plant, " says Herwig Burtscher, Operations Director Plant Dornbirn. Great emphasis is placed on both good basic and ongoing training of the firefighters. The 41-strong crew – with 32 active members – conducts 16 exercises per year, some of these with the local Dornbirn fire service. The next major exercise will take place in the new factory building. Exercises are supplemented by training courses and lectures conducted in conjunction with external partners such as Austrian Federal Railways and VKW, the Vorarlberg power company. Milestones in the history of the fire service The first company fire prevention group was established at Zumtobel as early as 1951, but it was not until 1964 that the fire service was officially established with a crew of 25 under Commander Josef Gmeiner. Back then, exercises were carried out with a small truck – until finally in 1989 a van was converted, to which a pump and trailer were added the following year. By 1999, the fire service had 40 members as well as three vehicles and special equipment ready for deployment. The fire service moved into the fire station in 2001. The most notable deployment was to a fire in the Höchsterstrasse plant on January 27, 1973. "Fortunately, such operations are rare, " says long-time Commander Klaus Mäser. "Most events only involve minor damage such as transformer fires, burst hoses or water damage." But the fire service not only provides valuable support in emergencies – it is also deployed for the numerous Dornbirn Light Forum events. write your comments about the article :: © 2014 Construction News :: home page |