Company fire brigade
A company fire brigade (short: BtF , BtFw or in Austria BTF ) is a fire brigade in companies and facilities.
Company fire brigade in Germany
In Germany, a company fire brigade, unlike a plant fire brigade, lacks state recognition. She is z. B. set up for insurance reasons in companies that are not obliged to set up a plant fire brigade, since their company itself does not pose a risk to the general public. In addition to the discounts granted by fire protection insurers, groups of people requiring special protection (in hospitals, hotels, amusement parks, in the circus) or special material assets (collections, museums, boat harbors) can justify the establishment of a company fire brigade.
Company fire brigades carry out the initial deployment and have important local knowledge, but are usually not able to extinguish larger fires. Since no state requirements are imposed on company fire brigades , the companies themselves decide on the equipment of their fire brigade , the type of alarm and the personnel strength, so that they can react flexibly to the necessary needs. A particular advantage of the company fire brigade is its flexibility and independence from government intervention and requirements.
Many company fire brigades recruit volunteers from among their own employees who are only available to the fire brigade in the event of an emergency. Exercises and training courses are usually carried out in their spare time, similar to volunteer fire brigades, and sometimes on a voluntary basis.
The fire alarm system (BMA) of a company with a company fire brigade can be connected to the operations control center or the public fire brigade, while the BMA alarms of a company with a company fire brigade are usually processed by the latter, and support from the public fire brigade is only provided there on request.
In Germany there are around 280 company fire departments in various areas. Messe Düsseldorf GmbH is an example of a company with a well-equipped company fire brigade. Full-time and volunteer firefighters are available there. The vehicle fleet includes two fire fighting vehicles equipped with high pressure extinguishing systems, a command vehicle , an equipment vehicle / rescue vehicle , a trailer for fire protection training and a large trailer for fighting oil damage .
Company fire brigade in Austria
The fire brigades in Austria do not have any works fire brigades, only company fire brigades. The team of a company fire brigade consists mainly of members of one or more companies or institutions.
The company fire brigades are usually incorporated into the fire service and are accordingly publicly recognized. In this case they are entered in the fire brigade register. In contrast to the local fire brigades, the company is responsible for maintenance and financing. They can be subsidized by the public sector if they take on assignments outside the factory premises if necessary. As a result, they often provide support to the local fire brigade for special operations such as accidents involving dangerous goods . The members of the company fire brigades are partly trained within the fire brigade, but also at the state fire brigade schools.
While in most companies employees do their duty on a voluntary basis similar to those in the voluntary fire brigade, in large companies their own employees are assigned to fire protection who are present around the clock. Examples are airport fire brigades , refineries , clinics and chemical plants.
A company fire brigade can be prescribed by an authority, usually the trade authority, or on a voluntary basis. Often this is combined with additional discounts on fire insurance .
The company fire departments are divided according to their legal position. While the majority of the company fire brigades are legally subordinate to the locally responsible fire brigade , there are those who, on behalf of the municipality, have the same rights and obligations on the company site as the local fire brigade usually does. This means that the local fire brigade reports to the operations manager of the company fire brigade in the event of an incident.
Company fire brigade in Switzerland
In Switzerland, the fire brigades required by certain companies are not called the works fire brigade, but the works fire brigade or fire fighting group . Whether a company fire brigade or a fire fighting group is required for a company depends on the cantonal legislation. It is sometimes possible to lower the insurance premiums for fire insurance by voluntarily setting up a company fire brigade or fire fighting group.
A company fire brigade has its own commander and is therefore able to act independently. For the most part, it fulfills the same tasks as a local fire brigade in its area of operation. These can, however, differ greatly from the tasks of a normal fire brigade, since the cantonal authorities specify which tasks must be performed independently. In terms of organization, they are not connected to the other fire brigades, but are usually subordinate to the local fire brigade in the event of joint operations.
A fire fighting group is smaller and does not have its own commander and is therefore subordinate to the local fire brigade; it is an in-house first attack force with special local knowledge that needs the support of the local fire brigade even for a medium-sized incident such as a fire.
Both the company fire brigades and the fire fighting groups can be called in for external help. Some company fire departments fulfill the function of a chemical base fire department.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tactical symbols and abbreviations of the ÖBF (PDF; 6.5 MB) accessed on November 9, 2013