"Firefighters 2020" means cooperating and optimizing
As part of the "Fire Department 2020", the militia fire departments in the canton of Zurich must constantly optimize. Since the beginning of April, two new ordinances have been in force that newly regulate the compensation paid to the municipalities.
The Zurich safety boards in the municipalities are challenged, because the fire department under their control must be optimized without compromising on quality. The patron of the fire department in the canton is the Gebäudeversicherung des Kantons Zürich (GVZ). For them, it is clear that cooperation with neighboring municipalities in many cases brings synergy gains. For example, because material does not have to be procured twice or crew resources complement each other in a meaningful way. This sounds in the official communication, November 2017, from Russikon something like this: "Fehraltorf, Hittnau, Pfäffikon and Russikon have signed a cooperation agreement. The four fire departments remain independent organizations, but the four municipalities coordinate them better. The total number of the joint fire department is to be at least 160 people, with each municipality providing at least 40 people. Recruitment, training and personal equipment will be the responsibility of each municipality. The replacement of the tank fire engine is also the responsibility of the municipality concerned. However, other new or replacement vehicles must be applied for to the commission. Each municipality maintains an alarm center. If an incident occurs, members of the fire department (AdF) of all four communes are called out as required."
How the communities organize themselves is up to them. In the end, their fire departments must only be able to fulfill their mission: And that means that after the alarm, a team of at least ten people must arrive at the scene of the damage within 10 minutes in densely populated areas and within 15 minutes in sparsely populated areas to save lives and fight the fire. After 30 minutes, if necessary, 30 firefighters must be on the scene.
Smaller teams
Cooperation is the keyword for the "Fire Department 2020". A survey conducted in 2015 showed that only 36 percent of the firefighters live and work in the same place, i.e. they are quickly available, as Lars Mülli, GVZ director, said at a recent media orientation at the training center in Andelfingen. In addition, it has been shown that 90 percent of all operations can be handled with ten firefighters. Conclusion: The once fixed specifications for the team size of a local fire department are a thing of the past (see also interview in the next SF issue).
Not only are fewer people being recruited for the military and civil defense, but the number of firefighters has also been falling steadily for years: in 1991, there were 27,000 firefighters on duty, but today there are just 7280. This means that the minimum number of firefighters for the "Fire Department 2020" - the target is 6350 - will soon be reached, says the canton's chief security officer, Cantonal Councillor Mario Fehr, who also holds the office of GVZ president.
Redistribute funds
In the past, the Buildings Insurance Company subsidized the alarm system, hydrant systems and fire department buildings in the municipalities to the tune of CHF 11.6 million annually. With the decision of December 2017, the government put the fire department ordinance and the ordinance on the subsidies of the Buildings Insurance Agency for fire protection into force on April 1, 2018. This means that the fire department subsidies can be redistributed: The GVZ relieves the municipalities of the alarm costs, which it assumes in full. In return, however, subsidies for the renewal of the hydrant infrastructure will cease.
Those responsible have also come to the conclusion that no more fire stations are needed in the canton of Zurich - ergo, there are no more subsidies for them. However, the security chiefs of the municipalities still receive 50 percent for the fire department's compulsory vehicles.
Better training
Government Councilor Mario Fehr is mighty proud of what he considers the most modern training center in Andelfingen, which was expanded a few years ago at a cost of 21 million Swiss francs. Police, civil defense and fire department practice their skills here and also rehearse cooperation.
In Switzerland, as is well known, densification is high: Houses are shooting up and, due to the scarcity of land, builders are also increasingly going down. New building materials and energy-optimized houses also bring new challenges in firefighting. Whether it is an underground car park, an industrial plant or various fire houses, the local and base fire departments in Andelfingen complete realistic courses.
