Federation of European fire officers (FEU)

State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia participation in the Federation of European fire officers (FEU)

The idea of a professional association of firefighters from different European countries was informally discussed in 1990, but in 1992, in Eastbourne, United Kingdom, it was decided to establish a European Union Fire Officers' Association. In 1995, a vote was held in Tampere, Finland on the Constitution of the Federation and the name FEU (Federation of Fire Officers' Associations of the European Union (EU)) was officially adopted. With the adoption of the new Constitution in 2020, the name FEU has been retained, but the official name of the federation has been changed to "European Fire Officers' Federation" (more information about the European Fire Officers' Federation can be found on the website https://www.f-e-u.org/).

FEU is an independent professional organisation of the national fire services of 25 European countries (including the United Kingdom and Norway), whose members are national central fire and rescue services or fire and rescue services at regional and municipal level (more information about the members can be found at https://www.f-e-u.org/members/).

The operating conditions and basic principles of FEU are determined by the FEU Constitution. The FEU Council, which meets twice a year, is responsible for making strategic and organizational decisions. The FEU Board, which consists of the president, secretary and board members, is responsible for administering the organization's activities. They ensure the organization's operations between Council meetings..

In 2019, the State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia (SFRS) submitted an application for membership in the FEU and the application was approved. Based on the provisions of the Constitution, the SFRS was an associate member of the FEU in 2020, and became a full member in 2021.  

FEU's mission is to share knowledge and experience to ensure the best standards of life and fire protection for European citizens.

The aim of the federation is to improve fire safety for residents, ensure the safety of firefighters, provide expert knowledge to European institutions, share good practices and support cross-border initiatives.

Vision

The work is organized into three main programs::

• The „Voice” program - FEU aims to be a strong representative ("voice") of fire and rescue services at European and global level, to lead dialogue and proactively communicate with fire sector policy makers at national, EU and global level in order to positively influence them by expressing FEU's opinion on any issue related to the work of fire and rescue services.
• The Leadership / Officer Development Program (ODP) - various training and exchange of professional experience with European colleagues online using various training methods are encouraged. Upon completion of the program, the participant will have acquired knowledge and skills that can be used in their workplace, as well as have joined the professional network of firefighters, the established contacts will be used for further cooperation with colleagues. This program is intended for European firefighters who have at least 5 years of experience at the managerial or executive level. Participation requires a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited university, as well as English language skills at level B2/C1.
• Expert and knowledge exchange program. The FEU aims to connect with fire and rescue service personnel in Europe to exchange best practices and collaborate with other international partners on initiatives or projects in the field of firefighting that can bring added value to the FEU and to the overall public safety in Europe.

More information about the programs can be found at https://www.f-e-u.org/programs/

Next year, the SFRS has been entrusted with organizing the FEU Council meeting, which will take place in Riga on May 25-26, 2023. The main topics of the Council meeting will be Energy Transition and risk assessment processes in the field of firefighting and rescue work, so that the results obtained in the risk assessment process can be used in resource planning (number of technical units, number of human resources) in the relevant administrative territory. It is planned that approximately 60 participants from different countries will participate in the event. It is planned to invite firefighting specialists from the Czech Republic, Ireland, Finland and the non-governmental organization ACAPS, which operates in the field of humanitarian crisis research and support, as guest lecturers.