Sigurd Mack, a fire protection specialist with IMCOM-Europe, said he enjoys learning about other cultures and their fire services as part of his job. Pictured in Poland, where he took a language class in 2022, Mack said he didn't retain much of the language, but does speak some French and Italian besides being fluent in English and his native German.

WIESBADEN, Germany – As a native of Speyer working for U.S. Army Installation Management Command Europe, Sigurd Mack said one thing he enjoys about his job is the opportunity to dive into a different culture and work in a different language. And, as the region’s fire protection specialist, that doesn’t just mean working with Americans, but also coordinating with fire services from each country supported by IMCOM-Europe.

At the region level, Mack’s said his job is “taking care of all the burning issues,” and supporting the full bandwidth of garrison fire department operations across Europe. This includes centralized training, equipment procurement, fire prevention, guidance, program management oversight and ensuring Army operations mesh with host nation requirements.

It’s rewarding to see the results of PowerPoint presentations and briefings turn into something physical like new trucks or improvements at the training center, Mack said.

While his duties at work are administrative in nature, at home Mack has been a volunteer with the Speyer Volunteer Fire Department since 1989. After beginning as a volunteer and doing an apprenticeship as a chimney sweeper, Mack continued his education at a university for applied sciences near Kaiserslautern. He met another German who worked for the U.S. Army, which prompted him to begin his job search from his dorm room.

“The Army was back then lightyears ahead posting all job announcements on the web. That's how I found out about the job in Würzburg, and that’s how I applied for it.”

From the garrison at Würzburg and a position with the medical command, Mack moved on to IMCOM-Europe in 2003. Since then, he said he’s had opportunities many within fire services don’t get.

“I personally get to see and understand how firefighters in different countries operate,” Mack said. “Yeah, I'm basically crossing the pond every morning to dive into a different culture.”

As part of his training, Mack has had opportunities not only to figuratively cross “the pond” when he comes through the gate to work each morning, but he’s also traveled to the U.S., Italy, Poland and Belgium to learn more about their departments and systems.

“You simply have to know and understand how your partners are working … first you’ve got to understand their systems, where they’re coming from. Then you put your systems in their compartments, their boxes. That’s often very challenging, again, you learn a whole lot, and you get more in-depth knowledge,” Mack said. “It just broadens your bandwidth, and a very few people in the fire service, have that opportunity to get that broad spectrum.”

Garrison fire departments across Europe work closely with their host nation partners to ensure the safety of their communities. To learn more about opportunities in fire services with the U.S. Army, visit https://portal.chra.army.mil/mnrs.