Ulm (Germany) – Fire brigades from seven different countries are in contention for the international Conrad Dietrich Magirus Award. Votes can be cast at www.world-of-firefighters.com. Winners travel to the Fire Department of New York in New York City.
They come from Brazil, France, Iran, Italy, Austria, Romania and Spain: 10 firefighting teams from seven different countries have fought off stiff competition to be in the running for the international Conrad Dietrich Magirus Award and the title of “international firefighting team of the year”. A jury of prominent experts have selected the ten best missions from entries sent in by fire brigades across the globe. And now it’s time for the world’s firefighting enthusiasts to have their say: from October 3, 2014, they can vote for their favourite missions in a large online ballot at www.world-of-firefighters.com.
Every vote cast is also a thank you for the phenomenal dedication shown by firefighters all over the world. Because, as Tobias Knebel from competition organiser Magirus explains, this is precisely what the award aims to honour: “Firefighters are on the scene 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They give their all every time they’re called out, even if it means putting their own lives on the line. With the Conrad Dietrich Magirus Award, we want to raise the public’s awareness of the tremendous contribution firefighters make to society.”
The entries of the 10 finalists, who come from Brazil, France, Iran, Italy, Austria, Romania, and Spain, are profiled at www.world-of-firefighters.com. They are an impressive demonstration of the dangers faced by firefighters on a day-to-day basis and include battles against devastating natural disasters, the combating of large and spectacular blazes, and complex and demanding rescue missions.
Once they have chosen their favourites, people have until 19 October to cast their votes – and all they have to do is click on a mouse. The three finalists with the most votes will be invited to the awards ceremony, which will be held on 21 November at the Magirus headquarters in Ulm. Only then will the recipient of the Conrad Dietrich Magirus Award statue be named, with the winning team able to look forward to the trip of a lifetime.
They will be given the opportunity to fly to New York and see the work of their counterparts from the FDNY up-close. The prize includes flights, accommodation and an exciting programme. The firefighting team of the year will get to see various fire stations, visit the training academy and admire the world’s most cutting-edge fireboat – priceless moments guaranteed.
“But we can already congratulate all our finalists,” says Jochen Kanta from Magirus, speaking on behalf of the expert jury. “All the entries we received were of such a high standard that the decision was far from easy.” Alongside Kanta himself, the jury was filled with plenty of other top-notch members: with Michel Bour, General Secretary of the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF), Ann-Marie Knegt, Editor of British trade magazine Fire & Rescue, Christoph Marchal, Deputy General Secretary of the French firefighting association, and Mathias Seyfert, Editor-in-Chief of Die Österreichische Feuerwehr, the official magazine of the Austrian federal firefighting association, proven experts from the industry brought a wealth of experience to the table when assessing the entries. “We are now keeping our fingers crossed for all the finalists and are excited to find out who will take the title home,” says Jochen Kanta.
You can cast your votes here: http://world-of-firefighters.com/vote
The Top 10
- Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Fire Brigade
- Centre de Secours de Sens (France) Fire Brigade
- Haut-Rhin (France) Fire Brigade
- Marseilles (France) Fire Brigade
- Pompiers de L’urgence International (France) Fire Brigade
- Isfahan (Iran) Fire Brigade
- Lampedusa (Italy) Fire Brigade
- Absam (Austria) Fire Brigade
- Tăndărei (Romania) Fire Brigade
- Foral de Navarra (Spain) Fire Brigade
About the Conrad Dietrich Magirus Award
The Conrad Dietrich Magirus Award was first held in 2012 and was initially open to teams of firefighters from across Germany – before going international in 2013. The competition is named after a pioneering fireman who continues to inspire firefighters across the world: Conrad Dietrich Magirus. A native of Ulm, he aimed to make the profession safer for both himself and his comrades, and won global renown with revolutionary inventions such as his turntable ladder. 150 years ago, he founded Magirus, which continues his legacy by putting the work of firefighters centre stage and honouring them with the Conrad Dietrich Magirus Award.
About Magirus
Passion and precision, high-tech and craft. Since 1864, Magirus has stood for the combination of innovation and tradition – in the interest of firefighters around the world. With a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art and reliable firefighting vehicles, turntable ladders, rescue and equipment vehicles, special solutions, pumps and portable fire pumps, Magirus is internationally recognised as one of the largest and technologically advanced providers of fire safety and emergency management technology.
