Alarm solutions such as sirens are also indispensable for company and plant fire brigades.
All fire brigades have the common goal of preventing dangers and limiting damage in the event of an emergency. Nevertheless, there are also differences within the fire brigades, which can be divided into the following three categories:
- Volunteer fire brigades
- Professional fire brigades
- Company and plant fire brigades
In the German-speaking countries (DACH), the voluntary fire brigades make up the largest proportion of fire brigade organisations, followed by the company and works fire brigades and finally the professional fire brigades. On average, there is one woman and nine men for every 10 firefighters. This ratio has hardly changed in the last 10 years (Österreichischer Bundes-Feuerwehr-Verband, 2023; Prévôt-Lüdi, 2023).
- In 2020, Germany had over 22,000 volunteer fire brigades and over 20,500 youth fire brigades, but only 755 company fire brigades and 110 professional fire brigades (Feuerwehrverband, n.d.; Hütten, 2019).
- In Austria, of the more than 350,000 firefighters, approximately 99% are volunteers (Österreichischer Bundes-Feuerwehr-Verband, 2023).
- In Switzerland, significantly fewer firefighters are purely volunteers, as a large proportion of Swiss firefighters perform compulsory militia service in the fire service (Prévôt-Lüdi, 2023; Sander, 2021). The proportion of company and plant fire brigades is also significantly higher in Switzerland than in Germany or Austria. In 2022, for example, there were over 170 company fire brigades in Switzerland, which corresponds to 1/7 of all 1212 Swiss fire brigade organisations (Feuerwehr Koordination Schweiz, 2023).
Company fire brigades: For more safety on company premises
Industrial fire brigades are an important part of large industrial and manufacturing companies. They specialise in company-specific hazardous situations and are the first on the scene when, for example, a fire breaks out or corrosive substances escape. Data from Austria show that most fire incidents take place in office and commercial buildings (Österreichischer Bundes-Feuerwehr-Verband, 2023a); the proximity to the scene of the incident and thus a faster response to an emergency are of great advantage. However, company and plant fire brigades are by no means limited to firefighting or assistance in an emergency. Preventive measures to protect against fires and other dangers in the company are also part of their tasks.
Reliable alerting & flawless communication protect
In the event of an emergency, company fire brigades must be alerted and informed quickly so that they are on the scene quickly and know what to do. Company fire brigades therefore often resort to special alerting solutions (Hütten, 2019). In many companies, voice announcement systems and sirens are in use. Digital alarm solutions that are redundant to analogue alarms are also in vogue. On the one hand, this allows employees to be warned early and reliably and, at the same time, emergency forces can be mobilised.
Kockum Sonics AG offers various individual solutions for internal alarming. For production halls with large background noise, loud sirens can be used that even function during a prolonged power failure. The sirens can be easily connected to the existing control system (e.g. fire alarm systems). The ks.Alert app is a useful supplement to the sirens for transmitting information and behavioural instructions in the event of a crisis.
The hazard alarm siren is a simple but effective solution for alerting in the event of unforeseeable hazards during operations.
In addition to high-quality, certified sirens, Kockum Sonics offers a comprehensive consulting, planning and installation service. Contact us, we will be happy to advise you on alarm and warning systems and solutions. Our experts are at your disposal for further information.
Source Information:
Feuerwehrverband. (n.d.). Erfassung Statistischer Daten. Retrieved 10 August, 2023 from: https://www.feuerwehrverband.de/presse/statistik/
Feuerwehr Koordination Schweiz. (2023). Unterlagen. Retrieved 10 August, 2023 from: https://www.feukos.ch/de/unterlagen/?category=137
Hütten, K. (2019). Werkfeuerwehren: Ein Stück Sicherheit auf dem Betriebsgelände. Retrieved 9 August, 2023 from: https://blog.emessage.de/alarmierung-werkfeuerwehren?utm_campaign=e*BOS&utm_content=237873592&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-12437619
Österreichischer Bundes-Feuerwehr-Verband. (2023). Feuerwehr-Statistik 2022 online. Retrieved 10 August, 2023 from: https://www.bundesfeuerwehrverband.at/2023/02/09/feuerwehr-statistik-2022-online/
Österreichischer Bundes-Feuerwehr-Verband. (2023a). Feuerwehr in Österreich. Retrieved 10 August, 2023 from: https://www.bundesfeuerwehrverband.at/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Statistik_2022.pdf
Prévôt-Lüdi, P. (2023, March 20). Mehr Brandfälle, weniger Elementarereignisse. Retrieved 10 August, 2023 from: https://www.feukos.ch/de/feuerwehrstatistik-2022/
Sander, N. (2021, May 10). Feuerwehr Schweiz: wie das Löschwesen in den Kantonen funktioniert. Retrieved 9 August, 2023 from: https://www.feuerwehrmagazin.de/wissen/feuerwehr-schweiz-wie-das-loeschwesen-in-den-kantonen-funktioniert-96869
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