Stadtwerke Gießen and Kreisfeuerwehrverband Gießen e. V . are extending their long-standing partnership.
Extinguishing, rescuing, recovering, protecting - these four words summarise what voluntary fire brigades do in Germany. In fact, outside of major cities, the German fire service is based on dedicated people who invest a great deal of their free time for the good of society. And not just when they are called out to a fire or an accident, but also on a regular basis - to learn and practise again and again for the various scenarios.
"This commitment is of inestimable social value," says Ina Weller, company spokesperson for Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG). "That's why we want to continue to help the volunteer fire brigades in the district to carry out their important work over the next five years." Consequently, SWG and the Gießen District Fire Brigade Association (KFV) are extending their cooperation agreement, which has been in place since 2011, until the end of 2024. Michael Klier, Chairman of the KFV, his deputy Julia Trampisch and Ina Weller and Stephanie Orlik from SWG met at the Wettenberg volunteer fire brigade in Krofdorf-Gleiberg to sign the agreement.
Not just financial support
SWG supports the KFV Gießen in various ways - for example at the district firefighters' day or the association meeting. Another important point: the KFV and SWG have been jointly organising the "Fire brigade of the future" competition since 2011. Every year, a jury of experts awards prizes to the three best projects submitted by volunteer firefighters and turned into reality in their fire brigades. This year's competition is already underway. Unlike in previous years, the organisers have not set a theme this time: "Whether with or without a specific theme, the competition has always delivered what we expected from it. Great ideas and projects that really benefit the fire brigades in real life," says Michael Klier happily. And Stephanie Orlik adds: "Every year we are surprised anew at how creative the firefighters are and how eagerly they throw themselves into the sometimes complex projects." She has been in charge of the cooperation and the competition on the SWG side from the very beginning.
In her concluding statement, Ina Weller emphasises the spirit of partnership: "By extending the contract, we would also like to thank you for the consistently professional and constructive cooperation over the past eight years. And of course we look forward to many new and successful joint projects."