Over 25 years of expertise in fire safety and security training: 25th Anniversary of the VdS-Training Centre

For loss prevention with its many diverse challenges, the know-how of those responsible and also people in official roles is of paramount importance. The VdS Training Centre imparts well founded knowledge with practical relevance in more than 90 training and advanced education courses – and now celebrates its 25th anniversary on February 1st 2016.

For hundreds of years fires were seen as natural disasters, against which one could hardly defend oneself. Time after time entire cities were destroyed by relatively small fires. This all changed with the invention of automatic fire protection systems. These complex techniques, however, can only function reliably, save lives and protect sites and locations if they are planned, installed and maintained by well trained specialists. In particular and especially preventive fire protection requires well-qualified personnel.

Therefore VdS, at that time the “Verband der Sachversicherer” (Association of Property Insurers), has since the seventies organised and staged symposia and conferences on the subject of fire protection technology. The growing interest of the fire safety and security market finally led in 1991 to the establishment of a separate training area on the VdS-site in Cologne and this resulted in a rapid expansion of our educational and training program.

The first milestone in 1993 was the introduction of the most important course to date  “Fire Prevention Manager”. Authorities and insurers demanded a well-informed and competent qualification. – VdS developed together with the Confederation of Fire Protection Associations Europe (CFPA Europe), an intensive training course extending over several weeks and can look back today on nearly 10,500 graduated participants. Also the twice yearly “Training Seminar for Fire Prevention Managers ” is one of the highest attended fire protection advanced training course in Germany.

Today the VdS Training Centre stages more than 90 courses and 25 symposia and conferences per year around the core areas of fire safety and security. Head of Training Ingeborg Schlosser declares: “Most of all we are pleased and proud to consistently have “good to very good” feedback evaluations from the participants, as well as enjoying a high level of confidence and trust from our many long-standing clients. Participants especially appreciate the appropriately qualified speakers and the high practical relevance of the training. “

These events mainly take place in Cologne, however also in other German cities. Furthermore the training centre is developing more and more its international programs. “It is important to us first and foremost the continual development and quality of our educational programs,” says Schlosser, “that means, always adapt the knowledge that is teached to new standards, technologies and situations of hazards.”

In addition to a comprehensive program for preventative fire protection, the education and training centre offers numerous courses, conferences and customised corporate seminars on security topics, electrical facilities, health and safety and IT information security, and is therefore for 25 years regarded as “The” training institute in terms of fire safety, security and loss prevention in Germany.

More information on the anniversary can be found at www.vds.de/25jahre-bz and about the VdS training program at www.vds.de/bzv