Inspector: Fire department routinely fails safety checks

After an inspection at 19 safety offices, including 86 fire brigades, the Social Affairs Inspectorate found that not one fire brigade has its safety rules in order. This puts firefighters in unnecessary danger. According to the Inspectorate, firefighters wear clothes soiled by extinguishing fires for too long before having it clean, even after contact with dangerous substances such as asbestos. The members of the volunteer fire department in particular are not well informed on safety procedures. The fire department's safety procedures also pay too little attention to working with dangerous machinery and the risks of very high body temperatures. Once again volunteer firefighters in particular do not know how to deal with so-called heat exhaustion. The fire brigades promised to improve. The Inspectorate will inspect them again in 2016 and may impose a fine if the same violations are found.