Stowe Fire Department welcomes Austrian firefighter to exchange ideas for better community safety
4 years after Gov. Phil Scott’s initiative with the Ambassador to Austria, Stowe is building stronger cross-ocean relationships
STOWE, Vt. —
A four-year partnership between Vermont and Austria is creating a new opportunity for local fire departments.
The Stowe Fire Department welcomed an Austrian firefighter on Monday to see how both departments can better serve their communities.
The topic of the conversations centered around all things training, recruitment and safety.
The partnership comes as Vermont fire departments have been seeing more emergency calls than ever. All of them are searching for ways to improve.
With the support of the Vermont Army National Guard, Stowe and Austria were able to compare the use of resources across their fire departments.
From approaches to tackling house fires to how to use volunteers to take advantage of local tourism, there is a desire for more intentional planning between the departments.
Jeff Fischer from Donnerskirchen Fire Rescue Department in Austria hopes initiatives like this can expand beyond fire stations.
“We’re very reactive and it makes strategic planning more of a challenge. With this relationship building, [I was] able to come here… and can see how your city council operates,” Fischer said. “And that learning opportunity is really what makes both Stowe and Donnerskirchen a safer place. And a chance to better understand different cultures.”
Stowe Fire plans to send a firefighter over to Austria early next year to see firsthand how things are done across the Atlantic.