On the occasion of the 130th anniversary of its establishment (1882 – 2012)
The organization of the fire service in the territory of present-day Vojvodina initially began in a scattered, sporadic, unorganized, and disconnected manner. The involvement of central authorities was not felt, as it was more of a matter for individual municipalities or, at best, the first higher socio-political communities, such as counties in the Austrian Empire, later Austria-Hungary.
The Hungarian Regency Council of the Habsburg Monarchy passed draft fire regulations in 1769 and 1771. These acts did not have the force of law but were rather recommendations aimed at preventing fires and organizing firefighting methods. Subsequently, the fire protection ordinance of Emperor Joseph II was enacted in 1788. This document contains 56 points of regulation, establishing both preventive fire safety measures and procedures for fire reporting and extinguishing.
In 1813, a central fire administrative measure adopted by the Royal Regency Council outlined detailed fire-fighting standards, which counties and magistrates were expected to adopt and elaborate in their statutes. When the first ideas or decisions about organizing a fire service in the area of the present-day settlement of Novi Bečej emerged, the area was divided into two parts: the political municipality of Vranjevo in the Great Kikinda Crown District, and Novi (Turkish) Bečej in the Torontal County, until 1876, when the district was abolished, and both settlements became part of the mentioned county as separate political municipalities.
By researching the historical archives of Zrenjanin and Kikinda, we found significant and interesting data that are important not only for establishing the origins and development of this vital public service in our area but also for the history of the settlement itself.
Here, we will mention just a few points that, in our opinion, are of exceptional importance, both because of the time from which they date and their content. They suggest that from its very inception, the Volunteer Fire Department of Novi Bečej, alongside its primary function, also developed various educational, cultural, and social activities for its members and the entire settlement.
In his work Great Kikinda District, Vasa Stajić, in a separate chapter about each municipality in the district, notes that Vranjevo already in 1831-1832 (i.e., almost 180 years ago) had a position called “junior servant, fire preparation commissioner,” first held by Petar Putnik with an annual salary of 80 forints. This suggests that as early as the first half of the 19th century, the municipality employed a person whose duty was to prevent fires, or if one occurred, to take measures to extinguish it—mobilizing other men and using animals to transport equipment.
The Vohenblat (Wochenblatt), a weekly newspaper from Torontal County, reported on June 29, 1878, that "the citizens of Novi Bečej decided to establish a shooting range and form a fire department" during a meeting led by the local notary Ištvan Ištvanfi. From the announcement of this idea, it took almost three years for it to come to fruition, and on March 11, 1882, the newspaper reported that on Sunday, February 26, 1882, the Volunteer Fire Department was founded in Novi Bečej (the firehouse was located where the present-day People's University is, at the intersection of Ivo Lola Ribara and Petar Drapšin streets).
This brief announcement about the establishment of the fire department was also published in the Torontal newspaper on March 16, 1882. It stated: "The Novi Bečej Fire Department, thanks to the support of the authorities and the understanding of the citizens, has been established. It has a capital of 800 forints raised through fundraising and events. The number of members exceeds 50, and it is expected that this number will double shortly."
Two years later, in 1884, the Volunteer Fire Department was founded in Vranjevo, which would merge with the Novi Bečej department in 1956. From the very beginning, the Vranjevo and Novi Bečej fire departments collaborated closely, particularly during larger fires and natural disasters.
In 1892, the Novi Bečej Fire Department joined the Union of Fire Associations of Torontal County, founded that same year, which had a positive impact on the further development of the society, especially on the professional training of its members.
For example, in the Torontal newspaper on May 25, 1895, it was reported that a final exam for a 15-day firefighter training course, including a public drill, was held in the county seat in Veliki Bečkerak. Antal Zolnaji participated in the course from Novi Bečej.
Cultural and social activities, as well as maintaining friendly relations and cooperation with other fire departments, also played an important role in the life of the Novi Bečej Fire Department.
On June 14, 1905, the Torontal newspaper reported on the front page: "Wonderful ceremonies were held on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and 12, in Turkish Bečej. On the first day, the flag of the Volunteer Fire Department was consecrated. Firefighters from Veliki Kikinda, Veliki Bečkerak, Stari Bečej, Bašaid, Bačko Gradište, Veliki Sveti Mikloš, Kula, Senta, and Novi Sad, totaling 250 firefighters, attended the event. The ceremony began with a torchlight procession in honor of the flag's godfather. On Sunday morning, at 10:00, a field mass was held in the public garden in Gradiška. In the afternoon, drills were conducted, followed by a social gathering in the evening."
After World War I, the fire department continued its work, further developing its primary activities as well as the cultural and social life of its members. A key figure in this period was Giga Jovanović, the head of the district and President of the fire brigade. In those years, the deputy head and secretary of the society was Žarko Čiplić.
After World War II, the fire department received general societal, material, and financial support within the system of people's defense and civil self-protection, becoming an integral part of it. The further development of the fire department was closely tied to the broader political and economic life of the country.
Through the dedicated work of all members and the support of social-political communities, the Novi Bečej Fire Department moved into a new building between 1965 and 1968 (sadly, during the demolition of the old firehouse, the fire tower was also destroyed). The new firehouse was built at the corner of Ivo Lola Ribara and Jaša Tomić streets, where it still stands today.
In the following years, the department worked within the UVS Novi Bečej and collaborated with other fire departments in the municipality and with the Polet Fire Department. In 1984, cooperation was established with the fire departments of Melenci, Elemir, and Bašaid, which later expanded to 12 fire departments in the Central and Northern Banat.
In the late 1980s and especially in the early 1990s, when the breakup of Tito's Yugoslavia began, the leadership of the Republic of Serbia had different plans for the Volunteer Fire Departments.
On April 1, 1992, all property of the Novi Bečej Volunteer Fire Department, including the building, fleet, and firefighting equipment, was transferred to the ownership of the Fire Prevention and Technical Protection Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia in Zrenjanin. Since the 1999 bombings, the siren warning system for fires was discontinued to avoid confusion with air raid sirens.
Today, after 130 years of existence, with its humanitarian and rich cultural and recreational activities, the Volunteer Fire Department of Novi Bečej has one room in its former building and, thanks only to a few loyal members, continues to exist, though now only as a symbolic Volunteer Fire Department.
Text supplemented by Karolj Andre
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