ONE GLOBAL SAFETY LANGUAGE
FOR THE ENERGY TRANSITION
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KURT VOLLMACHER
The man behind
Energy Safety International
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Some people choose safety as a career. Kurt Vollmacher was born into it.
As a five-year-old, he lived in a street where eight firefighters had their homes. They took him to the fire station, gave him his own uniform and let him ride along on Saturdays when the engines were maintained. What started as a childhood adventure became a lifelong calling.
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He went on to train as a vehicle technician, completed his military service, and became a volunteer firefighter. Over the years he worked his way through every level of firefighter training — from fire officer to fire prevention engineer. At forty, he turned his lifelong passion into a profession and became a full-time firefighter. He never stopped studying vehicle technology along the way.
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The moment everything changed
More than 10 years ago, Kurt noticed something that kept him awake at night: firefighters and first responders worldwide were going into the field without the crucial information they needed to handle incidents involving new energy technologies safely.
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It is easy to forget that the majority of first responders work as volunteers alongside their main job. The technological revolution is moving faster than ever — and many responders are no longer on the information train. That is not just a problem for them. It is a problem for all of us. We cannot afford an information vacuum.
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So Kurt did what engineers do: he drew up a blueprint. That blueprint became the foundation for the ISO 17840 standard series — today the worldwide reference for responder safety information on road vehicles.
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He is very grateful to all the people who believed in him and have helped to make this possible
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"Never give up"
"Acta Non Verba"
"Only Together Stong"
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DRIVEN BY AN PERSONAL PASSION
A track record that speaks for itself
He is not someone who talks about safety from the sidelines. He has lived it, investigated it and standardised it.
As a graduated vehicle technician and fire prevention engineer, architect and project leader of ISO 17840 parts 2, 3 and 4, and co-project leader of part 1, he has spent decades at the intersection of vehicle technology, incident investigation and international standardisation.
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He has collaborated with manufacturers worldwide, conducted multiple incident investigations, and has been recognised nationally and internationally for his work on ISO 17840.
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Today he continues that work — updating the norm as project leader, designing the majority of new symbols being added to the standard, and together with Dr. Judy Jeevarajan of the UL Research Institute, expanding the ISO 17840 approach to entirely new sectors beyond road vehicles.
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Still on the frontline
He is not a former firefighter who now advises from behind a desk. He is still active — training first responders worldwide and ensuring that the knowledge he has built over four decades reaches the people who need it most, in the field.
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Cooperation with WRO
He has been apointed as Chair of
The World Rescue Organisation
Tecnnical Rescue Advisory Board
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"Safety is not an abstract policy framework — it is a personal responsibility towards every fellow first responder worldwide."
Kurt Vollmacher
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Cooperation with CTIF
He has been appointed as CTIF Independent Expert for ISO/Standardization & Energy Transition
and works close with
Ing. Roman Sykora, Col.
CTIF General Secretary
Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for
ISO 17840 and Responder Information
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