1869 - Few deserve as much respect and esteem as volunteer firefighters

On 29 June 2019, after midday in thirty-degree heat, a procession of firefighters in ceremonial uniforms set off from the HZS building, led by the Dechová hudba Pavla Vašíčka z Dolní Čermné. The destination was Jiráskovo náměstí, where celebrations marking 150 years since the founding of the corps in Lanškroun were being held. The route of the procession was planned to pass through all the locations where the firefighters had been based in the past.

The Sbor dobrovolných hasičů Lanškroun was founded in June 1869. In the beginning, it was probably based in a wooden shed next to the school on Jiráskovo (then Školní) náměstí. Later, it was moved to the former rescue service building in Strážní ulice 148 (former SAL garages, which were demolished in 2016, and now there is a parking lot for the Poliklinika). From 1963, it operated from the old fire station on Dobrovského ulice no. 83. In 1999, it moved to the Hasičský záchranný sbor building on Janáčkova ulice no. 996, which it shares with professional firefighters.

"In addition to the firefighters from Lanškroun, the corps from Nepomuky, Horní a Dolní Čermná, Horní a Dolní Třešňovec, Tatenice, Rudoltice, Damníkov, Žichlínek, and Letohrad are participating in the celebrations," said the corps chairman Vladislav Kristek. Prominent guests at the district and regional levels were also present.

The mayor presented the firefighters with a banner, a car, and commemorative medals
On this festive occasion, the town mayor Radim Vetchý presented the local volunteer fire corps with a hand-embroidered banner and also the keys to a new DA - VW Transporter vehicle.

The town council awarded a commemorative medal for exemplary activity in the field of fire protection and the development of firefighting in Lanškroun to eight long-serving members of the corps, namely Jaroslav Černohous, Josef Dušek, Jiří Haniš, Zdeněk Marek, Jan Morávek, Jiří Rybka, Vladimír Štěpánek, and Karel Ulrich. All the awardees significantly contributed to the construction of the now former fire station in their free time and without any financial compensation. "Last but not least, they exemplarily represented and promoted the fire corps and the town of Lanškroun at various competitions throughout the region. They perform all of this at the expense of their free time, which is why a part of the award also belongs to their families," said Radim Vetchý during the presentation of the medals.

The most serious fires tackled by the Lanškroun "good guys"
Tomáš Klaban has been the commander of the Lanškroun volunteer firefighters for 19 years. He considers the fire at the electroplating plant in the old Tesla in 2014 to be the most serious event that his unit helped to eliminate. The second largest was the fire at an apartment building in Zámeček, where there was a great threat to people and material values. The top floor of the apartment building, where the fire started, was the most affected, but the water also caused damage to the lower floors. "As for injuries to our firefighters during interventions, I don't remember any major injury, but of course, minor injuries like stepping on a nail, tearing on some metal sheets, and the like commonly occur."

We know from historical sources that Lanškroun was built of wooden buildings, so in the distant past, there were several large fires in the center. In the first third of the 20th century, one of the biggest fires in the town was at the hotel Benoni (now Hvězda), where an explosion of kerosene, which was used for lighting at the time, occurred. Several firefighters were even injured there. In the 1960s, a major fire also occurred at the Východočeské papírny.

"For myself, from the position of the unit commander, I would like to thank everyone who goes out to fires in their free time, day and night. Because this is an activity that must be in the heart. A person cannot just do it for no reason," added Tomáš Klaban.

In the courtyard of the chateau, the firefighters and festival visitors then sat down for refreshments. Displays of firefighting equipment were available, including expert explanations, demonstrations by ČČK ÚO, HZS Lanškroun, demonstrations of extinguishing burning oil, games for children, demonstrations of the activities of the youth firefighters club, and a demonstration of the work of the Městská policie Lanškroun.

Marie Hrynečková