Since 2011, Stadtwerke Gießen has been supporting the important work of volunteer fire brigades in the region with the "Fire brigade of the future" innovation competition. This year's theme was "We are the fire brigade - we strengthen the community!".
Volunteer fire brigades are an indispensable pillar of society, indispensable in firefighting, fire protection, accident rescue, technical assistance and environmental protection. However, like many other voluntary organisations, fire brigades are facing a sometimes dramatic loss of members. In order to make their interesting, sometimes dangerous work easier and, above all, to get young people interested in this unusual hobby and service to others, the volunteer firefighters are developing a great deal of innovative strength. Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) has been encouraging this creativity since 2011 with the "Fire brigade of the future" competition.
Now SWG - once again in the tried-and-tested cooperation with the district fire brigade association - is calling on volunteer fire brigades from the region to submit unusual ideas. This time, the theme for the participants is: "We are the fire brigade - we strengthen the community!". "In recent years, the participating fire brigades have repeatedly surprised us with extraordinary projects. I'm excited to see what the ladies and gentlemen of the fire brigades come up with this time," explains SWG company spokeswoman Ina Weller.
To take part in the competition, applicants must submit their proposals to SWG by 30 April. And the current theme leaves plenty of scope for ideas from all areas of the volunteer fire service. "As in previous years, it's not just the operational departments that can take part, but also the children's and youth departments, the honourary and old-age departments, the music and marching bands and the support associations," adds Micheal Klier. The chairman of the district fire brigade association is a member of the committee that reviews all applications, alongside other experts. "The volunteer fire brigades that we approve for participation then have five months to develop their idea and realise the resulting project," he says, describing the process. The teams then have a further month to describe their project in detail and submit a presentation including photo documentation. In November, the jury - consisting of representatives from the press, the fire brigades and SWG - will meet again to decide on the winners.
"I'm sure we'll get some really innovative ideas on the table again," says Michael Klier confidently. And Ina Weller adds: "The evaluation and ultimately the decision as to which project will take which place will probably be very difficult again this year." A good ranking means hard cash for the participating volunteer fire brigades. This is because SWG is donating a total of 3000 euros in prize money for the three best projects. The winner receives 1500 euros, the runner-up 1000 euros and the third 500 euros.
SWG has all the important information and registration documents for the "Fire brigade of the future" competition available at www.swg-konzern.de/feuerwehr-der-zukunft.
17.01.2018