The Savannah Fire Department participates in an International Exchange Fire Fighter Program. The exchange program was first proposed in January 2022 during a Zoom conference call between the Savannah Fire Chief’s Office, Halle Fire Chief’s Office, the Halle Mayor’s Office, and the Savannah Teutonic Council. This meeting was a product of the Sister City relationship that Savannah and Halle share, which was created in 2011 under the tutelage of Mayor Otis Johnson. The agreement is to bring the two cities together for cultural and tourist exchanges and the Teutonic Council helps to support this relationship.

The Teutonic Council is an organization that represents the three Savannah area German cultural societies (The German Heritage Society, The German Friendly Society, and The Georgia Salzburger Society), the Greater Savannah International Alliance, the Port of Savannah, and local German-American business people. Since its founding in 2014, the Teutonic Council has established a growing program of exchanges between Savannah and Halle, including professors, students, teachers, art, music, etc. Through these international exchanges, the goal and hope is that friendships are formed and that understanding, trust, cultural awareness, and ties between Savannah and Halle, Georgia and Saxony-Anhalt, and the USA and Germany are strengthened.

Our visiting International Exchange Firefighter is Sandra Hoffmann. She is an upper management trainee with Fire Brigade Halle, which is located in Halle, Germany. She is currently completing the second part of her training, which began in April 2021 and will end in March 2023. Her overseas internship with SFD is a component of her secondary training and so far, this training has included time at numerous German facilities, including Potsdam Fire Department, Munich Fire Department, Bruchal Fire Academy, Augsburg Fire Department, and the Hamburg Fire Academy. Her initial training with the Fire Brigade Halle began in in April 2019. Before starting her fire training, she served in the German Armed Forces for 12 years, where she became an officer candidate in the German Navy. During her military career, she was an officer of the watch on the German frigate, FGS Augsburg, and sailed 42,000 nm on various missions. She also became a military intelligence officer at the Logistics Command of the German Armed Forces in Erfurt and was a part of the German contingent for Resolute Support in Afghanistan in 2017.

Approval

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