The fascination behind the fire department

As commander, Daniel Jauch has had numerous tasks and borne a lot of responsibility, and his job often intruded into his free time. He takes a look back at his career with the Zug Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Daniel Jauch has been a member of the Zug Volunteer Fire Brigade (FFZ:  Freiwillige Feuerwehr Zug).) for 27 years, fifteen of them as its commander. He is now stepping down at the end of January 2025 and handing over command to his successor, Remo Meyer.

How did you come to join the FFZ?
Daniel Jauch: I originally come from Uri, and moved to Zug in 1990 to follow an apprenticeship as a machine mechanic at Landis and Gyr. After my apprenticeship, I started my firefighting career in the Landis and Gyr company fire department, and later moved to the FFZ, and was able to make a career there as a group leader, officer, deputy commander and finally, from 2010, as commander, and from 2013 as full-time head of the fire department and commander.

What are the duties of the commander of the Zug Volunteer Fire Brigade?
I manage the fire department of the FFZ and ensure that the organisation is effective and ready for action at all times. I’m responsible for the results and budget of the FFZ and for safety in operations and training. I also manage the fire department of the City of Zug with a team of ten full-time employees, and the areas of administration, logistics, training and operational planning.

What fascinates you most about your job?
The great fascination behind the fire department is, of course, that you can help people and animals in need. As the base fire department for the canton of Zug, we also have a mandate from the building insurance company to cover all special cases. These include traffic accidents, technical rescues, the chemical brigade, water transportation and so on. The great team and the super equipment we have at the FFZ are very motivating. It makes the work fun!

How do you deal with being called out to an operation at 2 a.m.?
I don't exactly clap my hands when I'm called out in the middle of the night, but if it's necessary, I will, of course, be on call around the clock, as will my comrades. You can only do that if your family is fully behind you, especially your partner. I'm very grateful to my wife and our three children for bearing these disruptions all these years.

What specific events do you particularly remember?
There are of course the major fires, such as the one at Swisspor in 2007, which was certainly one of the biggest and most exciting operations I've ever experienced. I also remember the fire at Zuger Cantonal Bank in 2014, when I was in charge of the operation. I never forget serious road accidents, especially when children are involved. We always have a debriefing session where specialists help us to process such experiences.

Daniel Jauch, commander of the volunteer fire department of the city of Zug, with the emergency vehicles at the main base    
When the alarm sounds, things have to happen quickly. That's why the emergency overalls hang in a row ready for use. Commander Daniel Jauch in full uniform    
The uniform of the FFZ is more elegant and much lighter than the operational clothing
Photos: Stefan Kaiser

Have there been any bizarre missions or amusing anecdotes?
Yes, of course there were. We were once called to a commercial building late at night where a lady and a gentleman had made themselves comfortable for a little pleasurable pastime. They were smoking and that caused the fire alarm to go off. It was a bit embarrassing for them, and amusing for us.

How many firefighters does the FFZ have, and how many missions do they carry out each year?
We are 145 people, 10% of whom are women. On average, we have 300 to 350 alarms per year. 2024 was a record year, with over 400, including fire, water, hazardous materials and accident incidents. We always work together with the police and emergency services. For example, the police will call us if people are trapped in road accidents and need to be freed from their vehicles. We provide assistance to the rescue service if, for example, a person is of above-average weight. Or in a resuscitation situation when the person has to be transported lying down.

How many of these are false alarms?
There are around seventy false alarms a year. There is nothing we can do about this, other than educate people during training sessions. This is because they are often so-called automatic fire alarms that go off by mistake due to technical problems. These incidents could be reduced if the people on site were properly trained.

Are people who make false alarms asked to pay?
Yes, and it's not cheap. Each false call-out costs CHF 1,525. This sum is made up of the vehicle and crew costs for around one hour of operation.

Does a fire service commander ever have time off?
Yes, of course. When I'm on holiday, I'm away. As I work full-time for the FFZ, I'm always out during the day. I'm also an on-call officer. When I'm on call, I'm also obliged to be on duty in my free time. This means I'm not allowed to travel away, but have to be nearby and ready for action. The rest of the time, I'm a member of the volunteer fire brigade, just like my comrades. We are on duty around the clock whenever we can and are ready for action. I'm sometimes the one taking the orders, when a colleague takes over the command of the operation.

What has changed within the organisation of the FFZ since you took up your post 27 years ago?
There have been fundamental organisational changes within the FFZ. In the past, the commander only had a part-time job and there were only two employees in the adjutant's office. From the beginning of this year, the firefighters have received a training and operational salary. Before that, they worked entirely on a voluntary basis. In addition, more specialists are now needed for all kinds of operations, whereas in the past, the firefighters did everything. The pace has increased enormously. The technologies got better and faster. Then the whole digitalisation thing came along.

What changes have there been in terms of performing your duties?
New building materials have been developed. In the event of a fire, we need to know how these materials react and to what extent they pose a risk to firefighters, for example through the development of smoke gas or very high heat. Vehicles on the road have changed fundamentally. We always have to be up-to-date on where the airbags are located in the various models, how we can safely cut open the cars and so on. This requires the above-mentioned specialists, who have completed special training and further education programmes. I am convinced that we are on the right track, because we’re moving with the times and constantly analysing our situation.

You will hand over command on 25th January 2025. What direction will your career take?
That's not quite clear yet. Just this much, I will remain active in the field of blue light organisations.

What would you like to see for the Zug Volunteer Fire Service?
The high rents in the Zug area are a big problem for us. We would live nearby so that we can get to the scene of an emergency in good time. But many firefighters can no longer afford the rents and are moving to other cantons. As a result, we are losing many of them. The consequence would be the creation of a professional fire brigade, which would be much more expensive and would be under-utilised with an average of 350 deployments per year. Affordable housing for firefighters is therefore my greatest concern for the future. The city of Zug has recognised the problem, and has launched a project.