World Association of Firefighters Assembly of Delegates Meets in Vienna
The CTIF, the International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire, is holding its annual delegates' meeting in the Austrian capital. The event serves as an international exchange of experience between firefighters and experts from the fire and rescue services. The CTIF Secretary General, Ing. Roman Sykora, who is also the Chief Fire Officer of the City of Vienna - Fire Brigade and Civil Protection, has invited to the Vienna City Hall and the Vienna Fire Brigade Museum for this purpose.
Every year, delegates from CTIF member countries meet for an international exchange of experiences. This year in the Vienna City Hall. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Thomas Ledl / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
The delegates' meeting, attended by 65 participants from more than 30 countries, provides a platform for presenting new projects and discussing issues such as climate change, climate policy, forest fire hazards, and the challenges posed by new technologies, especially lithium batteries, concerning the tasks of fire departments.
City Councillor Peter Hanke, responsible for Finance, Economy, Labor, International Affairs, and Vienna Public Utilities, expressed his pleasure that the CTIF International Delegates Meeting is taking place in Vienna City Hall this year. He said the meeting would bring together fire department representatives from different member countries as well as experts from all over the world and would be dedicated to the latest developments and best practices in firefighting and civil protection. This year's main topics are climate change, new technologies, and international cooperation, he said. Hanke emphasized the proud contribution of the Vienna Professional Fire Brigade as one of the best emergency services in the world and thanked them for their tireless work for the safety of the Viennese population.
The agenda of the Assembly of Delegates included reports from the CTIF Presidium, the election of four new Vice-Presidents, and the re-election of CTIF Secretary General Oberbrandrat Sykora.
Philipp Kamper from the Finance and Economy Business Group and Fire Councillor DI Viktoria Zechmeister, Head of the Business Group, opened the Assembly on behalf of Councillor Hanke.
The CTIF Delegates Assembly is an important event for the worldwide exchange of expertise and experience in fire and rescue services. By discussing current topics and promoting international cooperation, CTIF contributes to the continuous development of the fire department and meets the challenges of modern times.
About CTIF
CTIF (Comité Technique International de prévention et d'extinction du Feu / International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire) is an international organization for the promotion of worldwide cooperation between firefighters and other experts in fire and rescue services. Headquartered in Ljubljana, the association has 40 member countries and 46 affiliate members.
The organization was founded on August 16, 1900, during the World's Fair in Paris as the "Grand International Council of Fire Brigades." The essential guiding principle at that time was to organize congresses and symposia at regular intervals to promote fire protection across countries. Founding members were also the German Fire Brigades Association and the Austrian Fire Brigades Empire Association under its founder and chairman Reginald Czermack. Count Paul Kamarowsky (official representative of the Fire Brigades Association of Russia) was elected as the first president. The first vice-presidents were Commander Cazier from France and Fire Director Adolph Libert Westphalen (President of the Professional Firefighters Association of Germany) from the Hamburg Fire Department. After the Second World War, the organization could be re-established on July 17, 1946, in Paris during a founding congress. Lieutenant Colonel Jean Maruelle from France was elected president.
The organization promotes cooperation between fire and rescue services throughout the world, both in technical areas and on a comradely level. CTIF represents the international interest of about 300,000 professionals and about six million volunteer forces of fire departments. CTIF contributes to the development of youth firefighting. There are currently 900,000 young people in youth firefighting in Europe. Symposia are held annually on a wide variety of topics related to fire prevention and firefighting, as well as an assembly of delegates. The governing body, the Executive Council, meets twice a year.
The Association publishes annually the only worldwide statistics on firefighting: the World Fire Statistics. In addition, CTIF has organized International Fire Brigade Competitions (World Championships), the so-called "Fire Brigade Olympics", every four years since 1961, and International Youth Fire Brigade Competitions every two years.
The function of the President has been performed by Milan Dubravac since 2020. The Executive Council (governing body of the Federation), in addition to the President, is composed of a Secretary General, a Treasurer, and six Vice Presidents.