Colonel Martin Legner named new Czech fire service chief

Czech interior minister Lubomír Metnar, following a selection process, has appointed Colonel Martin Legner as the new director general of the Fire and Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (HZS). He will take up the post on 1 October 2026, ministry spokeswoman Adéla Dittmannová announced Wednesday evening.

Legner's predecessor, Vlček, left the director's post in mid-July. The service was then temporarily led by the acting deputy, Petr Ošlejšek, who had also been in the running for the top firefighting job, but the minister did not appoint him through the so-called job offer procedure and instead announced a competition for the vacant seat. Legner ultimately won that competition; his five-year mandate begins from the date of his appointment.

“The Fire and Rescue Service is crucial for the safety of our citizens, and leading it carries great responsibility. I expect the new director to continue what is already working while also further developing the service and preparing it for new challenges,” Metnar said.

Legner has worked within the Interior Ministry system since 2003, starting out as a rank-and-file police officer. He moved to the fire service in 2012, and ten years later took up a leadership position at the directorate general. Before his appointment, Colonel Legner headed the department for the integrated rescue system and fire protection units at the fire service directorate.

In addition, Legner serves as the head (starosta) of the volunteer fire brigade in Velkovice in the Mělník region. According to Novinky, he is also running in the upcoming municipal elections in his hometown of Mělník, third on the list of independent candidates “Jsme PRO MĚLNÍK.”

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz