Focus on civil protection: Zurich firefighters train for a large-scale natural disaster
Good training forms the basis for safe and effective firefighting work. At the end of January 2026, 200 commanders and training officers from Zurich's fire departments will take part in a three-day emergency drill at Europe's largest training facility.
Civil protection organizations, and fire departments in particular, face the challenge of adapting their management and coordination of both human and material resources to major incidents. Statistics show that large-scale natural and elemental events such as floods, storms, and earthquakes are likely to increase. Among other things, climate change in Switzerland is expected to lead to more frequent and intense natural events—even in areas that have been spared until now.
As part of its statutory training mandate, the GVZ has developed a training concept specifically aimed at successfully managing an elementary event lasting several days. This concept is aimed in particular at the senior management of the Zurich fire departments. It will be implemented as part of a long-term exercise in the week of January 19, 2026.
Ideal training ground
The former British air base in Weeze (Germany), with around 60 hectares of training area, offers unique conditions for this. Residential and industrial wastelands, infrastructure buildings such as railways and shops provide ideal training grounds for fire departments. There is currently no comparable site available in Switzerland for such large-scale exercises.
Renato Mathys, Head of Firefighting, GVZ, explains: «Fire departments constantly face new challenges. To meet these challenges, they need skills that cannot be learned from textbooks, but rather through practical experience. In Weeze, firefighters learn how to correctly assess critical situations and hazards under pressure and gain important insights into the further development of firefighting work.»
The long-term exercise will primarily be led by the participants themselves. The use and handling of available resources are key elements of the experience and learning process, which will subsequently be incorporated into the training of Zurich's fire departments.
Various Zurich fire trucks and some of the department's own training equipment will be used in the long-term exercise. To ensure maximum effectiveness for participants, no details of the training content will be disclosed in advance. The GVZ will cover the costs of this exercise, which will be financed by fire protection fees.
In close cooperation with civil protection organizations
In addition to the commanders and training officers, support staff and a team of GVZ instructors are also on site. In the spirit of regional and cross-cantonal cooperation, members of partner organizations such as the Zurich cantonal police, civil defense and rescue services, as well as other experts from various cantons, are participating as observers. A total of around 300 people are involved in the training program.
GVZ Gebäudeversicherung Kanton Zürich insures buildings in the canton of Zurich against fire and natural hazards and is committed to protecting people and property through prevention. It fulfills its legal mandate to provide fire protection and fire departments in close cooperation with the municipalities. GVZ is an independent public company and employs around 140 full-time and 250 part-time staff.
