Falck (Denmark)
 | |
| Joint stock company | |
| Industry | Rescue, assistance, healthcare and safety services |
| Founded | 1906 |
Area served | As of November 2014, 46 countries in Europe, Americas, Asia and Africa (2013)[1] |
| Products | fire services, ambulance services, roadside assistance, preventive health care |
Number of employees | 35,000 (November 2014)[1] |
| Website |
www |
Falck A/S is a Nordic-based organization with activities in most areas of Europe and representation on five continents.[2] The four business areas: healthcare, assistance, safety services and emergency together make up Falck’s business. All of Falck’s activities are directed at preventing accidents and disease, at providing assistance in situations of emergency, accidents or need, and at helping people move on with their lives after illnesses or accidents. Falck has 35,000 employees in 46 countries.
Overview
Falck A/S provides a wide range of services within health, safety, roadside assistance and other assistance to corporate customers and private households in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland and Estonia. The international operation also includes activities in countries like Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Lithuania, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Russia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Falck Safety Services—formerly called Training—is a provider of rescue and safety courses, especially for staff in the offshore sector and the maritime sector. Also the chemical industry, fire services, the aviation industry and military defence units use Falck's competences and training centres for safety training for their staff. In addition, Falck is the largest private ambulance company in Europe. Falck provides ambulance services to the general public in seven countries in close collaboration with the authorities. Falck also provides other services for the public sector such as patient transport, rehabilitation of patients from the public hospital sector, operation of assistive equipment centres and a number of services for the police and the road authorities.
History
Falck A/S was founded in 1906 by Sophus Falck. By the year 1956 Falck was a nationwide operator with 100 rescue stations in Denmark, and the company expanded further seven years later by acquiring the shares of the Zonen rescue service, their main Danish road assistance competitor.
In 1988 The Falck family sold Falck to Baltica, a Danish-based insurer. Falck purchased the security service division ISS Securitas from ISS in 1993, the first in a series of mergers, which later included both Group 4 Securicor and Wackenhut.
The company later mergered its activities in the security field with Securicor Plc. That new company was named Group4Securicor. In connection with the merger, Falck was separated from Group 4 Falck and listed independently on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. Danish media described the separation as “Falck returns to its roots”. In February 2005 Falck was delisted from the Copenhagen Stock Exchange because Nordic Capital had bought the shares of Falck. Falck has now re-entered the security field. In 2011, Nordic Capital sold its shares, making the principal shareholders The Lundbeck Foundation and KIRKBI.[3]
Role in the privatization of Danish emergency services
In Denmark, Falck is currently in charge of 65 percent of municipality fire brigades and 85 percent of ambulance services.[4] In 1926, the Danish government allowed municipal governments to contract with private companies to provide emergency services.
References
- 1 2 "Falck stormer frem i udlandet" (in Danish). Berlingske. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Always there". Falck. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- ↑ "History". Falck. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
- ↑ "2009 Falck annual report" (PDF). Falck. Retrieved 2010-07-06.