The Falck of today was founded in the ashes of the Great Christiansborg Castle fire in Denmark in 1884. As a young man volunteering to help put out the flames, Sophus Falck had a vision for the necessity of organisation, trained professionals, and proper equipment to help people in urgent need.
22 years later, in 1906, Falck was set up as the emergency response service that is still a vital part of our business. Based on his mission to help, the rescue team could be activated in small and larger accidents, regardless of whether the people in need could pay for the service.
In his founding manifesto, he wrote:
- Always assist – whether payment can be expected or not – whenever people, animals, or valuables are in danger
- Always attempt to prevent and minimise the extent of the damage in the best and quickest way possible whenever an emergency occurs
- Always bear in mind that quick assistance is twice the assistance.
From being solely concerned with fire rescue, our competence slowly extended to include assistance to cars and trams, ambulance and medical transport, emergency medical services, the sale of fire equipment, training, animal rescue, storm and water damage restoration, and fire-fighting, corresponding to all the tasks we perform today.
Much has changed in the past century — with Falck as with society and people. While we have made it our responsibility to meet the changing needs, the fundamental vision of Sophus Falck persists. Our rapid response, focus on prevention and risk mitigation, and our readiness to help people in need remain the heart of Falck.
Today, we are a privately held company owned by a group of significant Danish investment companies and commercial foundations. United by a devotion to creating value and a positive impact on society, they lead Falck into the next many centuries of care.
