August 1, 1871 – Fire protection was established in Celje
The town on the Savinja River has experienced a series of fires throughout its rich history, in which it suffered considerable damage. The oldest known fire in the town broke out during the time of the Celje family (1448), but little else is known about it. Fires were also a frequent companion of the town in the following centuries, which is not surprising, given the (combustible) materials from which houses were once built.
In the 16th century, fires destroyed the city's property at least four times, and in the 17th century at least twice. The fire of 1687 was particularly devastating, when most of the wooden and thatched town houses burned down in three days. Fires also did not escape the city in the 17th century. It burned down at least three times. The worst was on Maundy Thursday in 1798, when the Minorite monastery caught fire first, and the fire then spread and destroyed 192 houses. Only four remained undamaged.
It is understandable that the townspeople were constantly thinking about how to avoid the consequences of fires or how to defend themselves against them in an organized manner. At first, prevention was rather poorly taken care of. In the 18th century, house owners had to make sure that a bucket of water was always available under their roof, and night watchmen also had to watch out for fire. The next important preventive measure was the fire regulations of 1781, when the city was divided into quarters and a quarter elder was appointed for each of them, and a simple sprinkler was purchased for fire needs.
By the mid-19th century, fire prevention in Celje had not improved much. It was only when the Celje municipality became autonomous (1867) that the city council began to think intensively about establishing a city fire department, which today would be called a voluntary fire department.
At a municipal council meeting in July 1868, councilor Maks Stepišnik proposed that the municipality establish a fire department. A preparatory committee was established, but due to a lack of money to purchase firefighting tools and equipment, it did not meet until March 1971.
At the meeting, which was also attended by the then mayor, Dr. Josef Neckermann, they drew up a plan on how to raise money, mainly voluntary contributions, to purchase the necessary equipment, and how to recruit as many fire fighters as possible.
Apparently, the plan was successfully implemented, as on August 1, 1871, the first general assembly of the Volunteer Fire Department was convened in Celje and the Celje brewer Karl Mathes was elected as its first commander.
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