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Last week, from Thursday 10 to Saturday evening 12 October, the 23rd edition of the international trade fair FLORIAN with a focus on firefighting technology and disaster protection took place in Dresden, Germany. 370 exhibitors from 15 countries presented their goods and services in 4 halls and 4 outdoor areas. During the 3 days Florian was visited by more than 28 000 visitors, from the ranks of volunteer corps, amateur interested in firefighting equipment to members of professional rescue units.

The booth of our company THT Polička, s.r.o. in cooperation with the chassis manufacturer TATRA TRUCKS a.s. and its German partner, Friedrich GmbH, could be found in Hall 1 and was unmissable not only thanks to the beer on tap from the Měšt’any brewery in Polička, but especially because of the new Tatra Force T815 6×6 decorated with the Red Dot design award.1 – 7 AWS with Cummins engine, fully automatic transmission Allison, water tank with a volume of 8500 l with the possibility of quick emptying through the 150 mm throat, remote-controlled roof hatch, modernized control panel of the body THTronic. This new acquisition vehicle also attracts attention with its innovative colour scheme with contrasting neon yellow elements.

At this year’s fair, Rosenbauer also presented its novelty – the Fox pump – and Magirus boasted its new Dragon airport special. In addition to the standard trade fair offer, there was also an accompanying specialist programme consisting of lectures and workshops on various topics in the field of Disaster Protection, which is still very much alive in Germany.

The highlight of the conference was Friday’s presentation by Ilya Chocholous, M.D. with the topic “Active shooter at the University of Prague”. He went into detail on the analysis of the work and cooperation of individual emergency services during last year’s pre-Christmas incident at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University, where a lone gunman killed 14 victims. MUDr. Chocholouš emphasized in particular the importance of regular and systematic cooperation and mutual training between the individual emergency services. He stressed that it was mainly thanks to this fact that it was possible to save all those whose injuries were no longer incompatible with life at the scene. In borderline situations, we find that it is not the high-tech equipment that is most important (although Prague is proud of its Golem and Phoenix rescue specials), but the personnel with top training. Let’s hope that sharing this dearly paid experience on the Czech side will help the preparedness and quick reaction skills of our German colleagues.

Year by year, we can see an increasing proportion of Czech fans of firefighting equipment, who often come from further afield than the border areas of the Czech Republic. It is therefore more than obvious that Florian has a firm and permanent place in the firefighters’ diary.

The next edition will take place on 9-11 October 2025 and we look forward to seeing you again at the usual venue B25 in Hall 1.