At the end of 2018, eight members of the Saanen Fire Department announced their resignation (as we previously reported). They all belonged to the emergency rescue service.

The special base in Saanen currently lacks appropriate professionals. So, since the beginning of this year, moves have been made to involve the fire department in Zweisimmen in rescues in the Saanenland and not the Saanan fire brigade. This will soon be a thing of the past, emphasises Peter Frick, fire inspector for the canton of Bern: “The Saanen fire brigade has recruited enough interested people to be trained for this special role. The safety of citizens has always been guaranteed.” Public rescue in the event of an accident is provided on behalf of the canton and training is managed by the Gebäudeversicherung Bern (GVB).

Merger on 1 January 2021
To ensure that enough fire fighters are available for rescues, the two sites will be merged into a special base on 1 January 2021 but only regarding the emergency services. “This means that, for rescues, from 1 January 2021, specialists from both locations will be deployed at the same time,” explains Linda Zampieri of the GVB.

A working group comprising members of the Saanen and Zweisimmen municipal councils came to the conclusion that a merger was the best model for the future. This model has proven to work in the Emmental, where the special support bases of Langnau and Eggiwil have been cooperating for more than ten years, says Frick.

Apart from public rescues, the Saanen and Zweisimmen fire brigades will remain as they are.  

Relief for the municipality
It is a relief that the staff shortage will soon be over, says Toni von Grünigen, mayor of Saanen. “Zweisimmen has supported us very well in public rescues. But it is important that we get our own people back soon.” There are three to four rescue missions a year in the region, according to Frick. Often agriculture is involved, such as emergencies with overturned vehicles.

Based on AvS/Anita Moser
Translated by Justine Hewson