The old wish of the 110-year-old Gödi Volunteer Fire Association came true when, on May 15, the new fire station with two parking spaces and a 60-square-meter rest room was handed over on the city’s Rómaiak road, the construction of which was supported by HUF 81 million by the Pest County Assembly. The Municipality of Göd provided the property free of charge for 25 years for the construction of the fire station of the volunteers operating as the Vác-Göd Volunteer Fire and Civil Guard Association.
– In addition to the professional fire brigade, the municipal and volunteer fire brigade associations could always count on the support of the government – said Sölch Gellért, the deputy state secretary responsible for strategic affairs of the Ministry of the Interior (BM), who also interpreted for Dr. Greetings from Bence Rétvári, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Member of Parliament for Vác and its region, who expressed his gratitude to the members of the association for their self-sacrificing activities for the safety of the population.
At the handing over of the new certificate of the Vác and Göd volunteer fire brigades, Sölch Gellért spoke about the fact that since 2010, the number of volunteer fire brigades has increased by 2.5 times. He added that there are currently 689 volunteer firefighting associations operating in the country, of which 68 are serving in an independent intervention status. This also shows that the government is counting on the work of both professional and volunteer firefighters so that we can live in a safer environment, said the deputy state secretary. Sölch Gellért said that the government also supported the purchase of equipment for the fire department. 1,400 vehicles have been acquired for the fire departments since 2010, and in September 2022, the first step of a two-stage salary increase took place, he reminded.
In his introduction, Dr. Attila Bíró, Deputy Secretary of State responsible for governmental professional coordination of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, conveyed the good wishes of State Secretary Bence Tuzson, a member of the Parliament of Göd, who – as the Deputy State Secretary put it – has eternal merit in the creation of the fire station. He spoke with similar appreciation about the municipality of Pest County, which supported the construction of the church with HUF 86 million, and the Göd municipality provided a plot of land for all of this for 25 years. Dr. Attila Bíró praised the exemplary behavior of the volunteer firefighters in the recent Danube flood defense, the professional performance of rescue tasks in the event of road accidents, natural disasters, and storm damage.
István Ternay, the president of the Vác-Göd Volunteer Fire and Civil Guard Association, recalled the organizing and preparatory activities carried out in recent years, as a result of which the association grew with a new fire station. He thanked the supporting municipalities of Pest County and Göd, the leaders and members of the volunteer firefighting association operating in Vác’s sister city, Donauneschingen, for the significant professional and technical support. „The past repeats itself, after more than 100 years we have followed the path of our ancestors. From today, the city of Göd will once again host volunteer firefighters, and we can continue the journey of their predecessors,” stated István Ternay.
Attila Juhász, Chairman of the Board of Directors of újHÁZ Centrum, Hungary’s market-leading building materials trade network, and Managing Director of Piramis Építőipari Kft. in Göd, fondly remembered their decades-long friendship with István Ternay, the exemplary role of volunteers in the community, and their selfless activities for the safety of the population, who did not they only sacrifice their free time for the benefit of the public, but they also risk their physical health. “You are heroes in the eyes of all of us, I thank you very much for this helpful declaration of faith, which characterizes your activities,” said Attila Juhász, the general contractor of the investment, the main supporter of the association.
Lieutenant-Colonel Máté Andor, Acting Deputy Director of the Pest County Disaster Management Directorate, highlighted in his festive greeting: volunteerism plays an extremely important role in the prevention of fires and technical rescues in the county. In recognition of the activities of the Váci-Göd association, the board presented István Ternay with a commemorative plaque.
The ceremony was a pleasant highlight when the leaders of the German and Váci-Göd associations mutually praised their high-quality cooperation, which was also expressed by presenting souvenirs.
Present at the opening ceremony was István Szabó, President of the General Assembly of Pest County, Zsolt Imre, Head of the Dunakeszi Járási Hivatal, dr. Gábor Maruszki, head of the Váci Public Transportation Office, Zoltán Kammerer, honorary citizen of Göd, three-time Olympic champion kayaker, and Zsolt Kiss, deputy mayor of Vác.
Imre Vetési/MTI
Photo: KesziPress
