Helping the Kranj firefighters and the Žiri Civil Protection

Firefighters are the first to deal with the consequences of accidents and sometimes even our own reckless behaviour. How truly indispensable they are in protecting our lives, homes and nature was demonstrated by the severe fires that hit the Karst this summer. But to fulfil their mission to the best of their abilities, they need not only the will, dedication and to be constantly at the ready, but also the right equipment. As part of this year's New Year's prevention campaign, Zavarovalnica Triglav's Kranj Regional Office extended its support for the purchase of new self-contained breathing apparatuses for the Kranj Fire Rescue Service, while the largest Slovenian insurance company, as part of the 'For a Better Tomorrow' campaign, also came to the aid of the Žiri Civil Protection unit, where they will be able to help people in the event of natural disasters with modern equipment for emergency roofing.

"The mission of our insurance company is to create a safer future for all generations. Many of the firefighters or fire brigades and other organisations we have helped in the past are already intervening more effectively with new equipment. We remain committed to ensuring that as many firefighters as possible carry out their humanitarian mission safely and effectively and in our New Year's 'For a Better Tomorrow' campaign we support projects that leave a positive mark in the local community," said Mihaela Perčič, Director of Triglav's Kranj Regional Office, about the purpose of this year's campaign.

The Kranj Fire Rescue Service is a professional firefighting unit that takes care of fire safety in the Municipality of Kranj, as well as in the municipalities of Naklo, Preddvor, Jezersko and Šenčur. They also help in major interventions in the Municipality of Tržič with their ladder truck and fire tanker, using the former also when lending a helping hand in the Municipality of Škofja Loka. In addition to training, firefighters also need, as they point out, the right protective equipment to work safely.

They will intervene more safely and efficiently
"A self-contained breathing apparatus is the basic piece of protective equipment that firefighters need to safely enter a smoke-filled room or an area where harmful substances are present in the air. A self-contained breathing apparatus is an indispensable piece of protective equipment and virtually the lifeline of every firefighter in these types of interventions. The firefighter thus breathes the air they carry with them and is thus independent of the room in which they are rescuing people or extinguishing a fire," Tomaž Vilfan, director of Kranj's professional firefighting unit, described the importance of the new acquisition, adding that they will now be able to operate even more efficiently and safely in interventions in which they rescue people and animals, while striving to minimise material damage.

Members of the Žiri Municipality Civil Protection will also be able to intervene more effectively from now on with the help of Slovenia's largest insurance company, as they will purchase equipment for emergency roof covering. "This equipment will be of tremendous help in preventing further damage to buildings in the event of storms, fires and windstorms, as it will help us prevent further damage to buildings. The kits include protective equipment for safe movement on high buildings, which brings additional safety for all the involved intervention services," said Janez Tratnik, Commander of the Civil Protection of the Municipality of Žiri, at the handover of the new firefighting equipment.

For a Better Tomorrow - nine years and more than 230 projects
The New Year's prevention campaign 'For a Better Tomorrow', organised by Triglav, has been running for the ninth year in a row. In recent years, Zavarovalnica Triglav has supported more than 230 prevention projects across Slovenia through this campaign, 26 of which this year. In recent years, the company has co-financed the purchase of defibrillators, ultrasound and ECG machines, and other life-saving medical devices, supported a large number of other projects in the fields of healthcare, civil protection, flood mitigation and road safety, and helped numerous fire brigades around the country.