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What does the fire brigade need for its work?

2021-09-16T09:05:45.625Z


Nobody in the Olching City Council doubts that the fire brigade is necessary. However, cross-party questions often arise with regard to the tight finances: Do we need the new vehicle? Isn't the renovation of the fire station oversized? The fire brigade requirement plan should regulate the priorities. This is now being worked out again by the fire brigade itself.


Nobody in the Olching City Council doubts that the fire brigade is necessary.

However, cross-party questions often arise with regard to the tight finances: Do we need the new vehicle?

Isn't the renovation of the fire station oversized?

The fire brigade requirement plan should regulate the priorities.

This is now being worked out again by the fire brigade itself.

Olching

- It's actually very simple: What the fire brigade really needs and what doesn't should be regulated by a fire brigade requirement plan.

Basically, this is an inventory to ensure that rescuers can work properly and citizens are protected.

The city can use it to determine which purchases or costs will be incurred.

As I said: actually.

This has been shown time and again in past city council meetings.

Pioneer in the list of priorities

Olching decided in 2015 to draw up such a plan and implement it. “As one of the first in Bavaria”, as Mayor Andreas Magg (SPD) explained. That took place at the time with the participation of the commanders and the administration. Nevertheless, above all Karl Haschke (SPD) and the parliamentary group of the Greens repeatedly questioned the necessity of the decisions, mainly because of the financial implications. This was recently the case with the renovation of the Graßlfingen fire station.

Now the main committee dealt in a special session with the form in which the fire brigade requirement plan is updated, which the legislature does not legally stipulate for the municipalities, but strongly recommends. The district fire inspection, for example, offers guidelines. The key question in the meeting was: do you get an external reviewer (variant A) on board or do you do it yourself again (variant B)? It always sounded like this: An external audit would include a certain neutrality.

Mayor Andreas Magg (SPD) pleaded for Vari-ante A, albeit diplomatically. "I am in favor of outsourcing it and still working very closely with the fire brigades, especially the executives." The Olching (and lead) commander, Josef Gigl, is a committee member as FWO city councilor, but held back at this meeting.

Magg expressly emphasized that an external expert opinion would make the positions more defensible to the outside world.

And it is not going to be any easier in these financially difficult times: "Wherever money is spent, the fighting will be harder and harder." In addition, it is expressly not a question of rationalizing the fire brigade, as it were.

In other words: to tap into savings opportunities.

In Fürstenfeldbruck, such an expert opinion would even have shown that another location was needed.

The mayor's faction followed, but not closed.

Karl Haschke, who some time ago had put a whole catalog of critical questions about the expenses for the fire brigade to the administration, was just a quiet listener this time.

Many decisions have already been made

However, SPD finance officer Fritz Botzenhardt clearly opposed the external variant: “I don't see the point in spending money on it.” The budget is earmarked for 20,000 euros. On the one hand, it would only be about replacement purchases anyway. The most cost-intensive decisions have already been made: the tool shed in Graßlfing and the new fire station in Olching, for which there is already an initial draft plan and land has been acquired. Botzenhardt also referred to the expertise of the district fire inspection.

SPD parliamentary group spokesman Ralf Greim emphasized that the parliamentary group was otherwise in favor of awarding an expert. However, one would like additions to the decision: A period of six months should be set and the agreement with the district fire council must be assumed. At least when it came to the deadline, Greim met with open ears: The committee approved it, but it was extended because, according to the mayor, six months could not be achieved. The report should be ready by Pentecost.

The Greens also want the test from outside.

Ingrid Jaschke emphasized: “Nobody in this room doubts a fundamental necessity for the fire brigade.” But it is difficult when someone examines himself.

She assured her that she had no fundamental distrust of the administration and commanders.

But.

“You shouldn't be a gardener.” External specialists would provide a better basis for argumentation, even when speaking to citizens.

"Despite the critical financial situation, we should take the money in hand."

External advice not excluded

Andreas Teichmann (FDP) emphasized: “I have no doubts about the expertise of the fire brigade.” He also saw little room for maneuver, which made an external expert report superfluous.

However, Teichmann referred to the option of calling in external experts should they be needed.

Fire department officer Lorenz Widmann (CSU) agreed: “Who forbids us to seek external advice?

Nobody. "Faction colleague Josef Neumaier became very clear:" I'm getting tired of reports. "The spokesman for the CSU, the strongest parliamentary group, Tomas Bauer, made it clear:" For us, the internal update is enough. "The four fire departments are also set otherwise he would not assume something “fundamentally new”.

Bauer also applied for an addition: That the created requirement plan be presented to the Olching city council or the responsible grant for determination.

That went through unanimously.

In the end, the majority voted in favor of continuing the fire service requirements plan internally.

There were only four votes for the other variant.

Commanders propose a zero round in the budget

The four commanders Tim Pelzl (Geiselbullach), Bianca Nierlein (Esting), Matthias Rötsch (Graßlfing) and Josef Gigl (Olching) proposed a zero round to the city to relieve the tight coffers.

For the municipality, it is also important that its budget can be approved.

The entire budget and financial planning for vehicles and investments over 50,000 euros for the years 2022 to 2025 will be postponed by one year.


"However, everything is made subject to the fire brigade requirements plan," as the head of the public order department Christian Richter explained.

The main committee approved the proposal, except for Andreas Teichmann (FDP).

He complained: "As I know each other, we'll spend the money elsewhere."


Nor could he imagine that something would not arise in a year.

Teichmann therefore considered it more sensible to split the total investment.

Mayor Magg replied: “It's just postponed and no savings.

That helps us with one or the other interest or repayment issue. "


Ingrid Jaschke (Greens) found the proposal of the four commanders to be a good one.

“And the problem that something unforeseen happens is also found in other areas.” That can be solved.


Jaschke asked the Estingen commander Bianca Nierlein about the command vehicle, which currently has to be procured. The Green Councilor wanted to know whether the vehicle would have any hidden follow-up costs. But Nierlein denied: "No, that doesn't mean anything."


Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-09-16

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