MHBR

What MHBR does

MHBR (Midt-Hedmark brann- og redningsvesen IKS) is an inter-municipal fire and rescue company (IKS) established on July 1, 2005 and headquartered in Elverum, Norway. It is jointly owned by 11 municipalities in Innlandet county — Våler, Elverum, Trysil, Engerdal, Stor-Elvdal, Alvdal, Rendalen, Tolga, Tynset, Folldal, and Åsnes — and operates under the Norwegian Fire and Explosion Prevention Act and the 2016 Regulation on Fire Prevention. The organization serves approximately 55,000 inhabitants across 20,000 km², an area encompassing roughly 20% of Norway's productive forestland, which drives significant specialization in forest fire response. It employs approximately 200 personnel organized into two main divisions: the Emergency Response Department (Beredskapsavdelingen, ~180 personnel across 10 fire stations and 2 depots) and the Fire Prevention Department (Brannforebyggende avdeling, which includes the Housing Section responsible for chimney sweeping and inspections), supported by a standing 280-person forest fire reserve.

The organization's core services are statutory and include 24/7 emergency response (handling up to 1,000 blue-light deployments annually covering fire suppression, traffic accidents, water rescue, and cardiac arrest response), risk-based chimney sweeping and inspection of residential and holiday properties (~19,000 holiday properties in the service area), public fire safety education via the Bjørnis fire bear mascot program for children, the Trygg Hjemme (Safe at Home) outreach initiative targeting high-risk demographics, and customized training courses delivered to fire services, defense, industrial responders, schools, housing cooperatives, and healthcare facilities. MHBR also operates Branntips.no, a national fire safety concern reporting portal jointly with 101 fire departments and 274 municipalities across Norway.

MHBR's business model is fundamentally that of a publicly funded public utility rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue derives from statutory municipal contributions, annual chimney sweeping and inspection fees charged to property owners under Norway's self-cost principle (selvkostprinsippet) and approved annually by the Representantskapet, and minor fee-based income from training courses and equipment rentals (life vests at 10 NOK/day, pumps at 100 NOK/day, diving tank refills at 50 NOK/bottle). All pricing, governance, and service scope are subject to municipal oversight via the board (styre) and representative council (representantskap). The organization operates with no commercial sales motion, no private-sector competition, and no equity funding; it cannot be acquired or invested in via conventional PE/VC/M&A channels.

Name

MHBR

Legal name

Midt-Hedmark brann- og redningsvesen IKS

Website

https://mhbr.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Midt-Hedmark brann- og redningsvesen IKS (MHBR) is a publicly funded inter-municipal fire and rescue company, jointly owned by 11 Norwegian municipalities in Innlandet county, delivering 24/7 emergency response, chimney sweeping and inspections, forest fire response, and fire prevention services to approximately 55,000 inhabitants across 20,000 km².

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire and Rescue Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Management & Disaster Response (EOC, Civil Defense) (BPAIAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Security, Safety & Fire/Life Safety Management (BPABAAAE), Fire & Life Safety Services (Inspection/Testing/Sprinklers/Alarms) (IMAIAAAI), Fire & Life Safety Code Compliance Inspections & Consulting (AHJ Support) (BPABAHAJ)

Keywords

• Fire and rescue services
• Emergency response
• Fire prevention
• Chimney sweeping
• Municipal public safety

Headquarters

HQ city

Elverum

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal funding and fees: As an intercommunal company (IKS), MHBR is funded through municipal contributions and statutory fees. Annual chimney sweeping and inspection fees (feie- og tilsynsgebyr) are charged to property owners based on self-cost principle (selvkostprinsippet). The company also generates some revenue from paid services such as equipment rental (rescue vests, pumps), air refills, and tree cutting/water filling services.
2. Training and course services: MHBR offers customized training and education courses to various target groups including fire services, defense, industrial emergency response, businesses, schools, kindergartens, housing cooperatives, and healthcare employees. Pricing is set per course.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MHBR is an inter-municipal fire and rescue company (IKS) that delivers statutory public safety services across 11 municipalities in Innlandet county, Norway. Its core offerings are 24/7 emergency response and rescue operations (up to 1,000 blue-light deployments per year), risk-based chimney sweeping and fire safety inspections for residential and holiday properties, and fire prevention education/training including customized courses for organizations.

Product overview

MHBR (Midt-Hedmark brann- og redningsvesen IKS) operates as an intercommunal fire and rescue service covering 11 municipalities across Innlandet county, Norway. The organization delivers a comprehensive portfolio of public safety services structured around two main divisions: the Brannforebyggende avdeling (Fire Prevention Department) focused on education, inspections, and risk mitigation, and the Beredskapsavdelingen (Emergency Response Department) providing round-the-clock emergency response. Core services include chimney sweeping and inspection (Feiing og tilsyn) through the Boligseksjon, the Branntips.no digital reporting portal, the Trygg Hjemme outreach program for vulnerable populations, and specialized training courses. The organization also operates the Bjørnis fire safety mascot program for children, maintains a 280-personnel Skogbrannreserve for forest fire response, and provides fee-based equipment rental services. With approximately 200 employees across 10 fire stations, MHBR responds to nearly 1000 emergency calls annually while serving roughly 55,000 residents across 20,000 km².

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bjørnis: Mascot character used for fire safety education, particularly for children in kindergartens and schools. Bjørnis (Fire Bear) conducts kindergarten days and other educational programs.

Products and services

• Utryknings- og Redningstjeneste (Emergency Response and Rescue Service) 24/7 emergency response and rescue operations serving 11 municipalities, handling up to 1,000 blue-light (blålys) deployments per year including fire suppression, traffic accidents, water rescue, cardiac arrest response, and other acute emergencies. Operations are delivered through 10 fire stations and 2 depots and routed via Alarmsentral Innlandet on the 110 hotline.
• Feiing og Tilsyn (Chimney Sweeping and Fire Safety Inspection) Risk-based chimney sweeping and fire safety inspection services delivered by the Boligseksjon (Housing Section) to residential and holiday properties across 11 municipalities, covering heating systems and chimney flues. Annual fees are billed each April based on the selvkostprinsippet (self-cost principle), with holiday properties billed on an 8-year cycle. Service is governed by the 2016 Forskrift om brannforebygging.
• Kurs & Opplæring (Courses and Training) Customized fire safety training and education courses delivered to fire services, defense/military, industrial emergency response teams, businesses, schools, kindergartens, housing cooperatives, and healthcare workers, covering fire theory, extinguishing techniques, hot work safety, and emergency response. Pricing is set per course.
• Utleietjenester (Equipment Rental Services) Fee-based equipment rental services including rescue life jackets (10 NOK per day / 50 NOK per week), pumps (100 NOK per day), diving tank air refills (50 NOK per bottle), and crane truck rental for tree felling and water delivery.
• Skogbrannreserve (Forest Fire Reserve Service) A dedicated forest fire response service with approximately 280 stand-by personnel, supported by strategically positioned forest fire trailers and specialized vehicles throughout the district for rapid deployment. Covers an area representing roughly one-fifth of Norway's productive forestland.
• Branntips.no (Fire Safety Concern Reporting Portal) National online portal where citizens can submit concerns about fire safety and building evacuation issues to their local fire department. Operated nationally in collaboration with 101 fire departments and 274 municipalities across Norway.
• Trygg Hjemme (Safe at Home) Risk Group Outreach Program Targeted fire prevention initiative focused on risk-exposed groups (elderly, people with reduced vision/hearing, mobility-impaired, smokers), utilizing home visits, educational outreach, and safety inspections. Three out of four fire deaths in Norway occur in risk-exposed groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 140 lives saved annually by smoke detectors in Norway

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rogaland brann- og redning IKS: IKS fire and rescue service covering municipalities in Rogaland, Norway. Shares the inter-municipal governance structure, statutory mandate, and operational service mix (emergency response, prevention, inspection) with MHBR at a larger scale.
• Oslo brann- og redningsetat: Municipal fire and rescue service for Oslo, Norway. While structured as a municipal agency rather than an IKS, it delivers the same statutory services—emergency response, fire prevention, inspection, and training—as MHBR, providing a benchmark for operational scale.
• Bergen brannvesen: Municipal fire service for Bergen, Norway. A direct statutory peer providing fire prevention, emergency response, and inspection services to a larger urban population, with comparable operational functions and reporting structure to MHBR.
• Vestfold Interkommunale Brannvesen IKS: Inter-municipal fire service IKS in Vestfold, Norway. Provides statutory fire prevention, emergency response, and inspection services across multiple owner municipalities in the same operational and regulatory model as MHBR.
• Trøndelag brann- og redningsvesen IKS: Inter-municipal fire and rescue IKS covering multiple municipalities in Trøndelag, Norway. Operates under the same statutory framework as MHBR with comparable emergency response, fire prevention, and inspection responsibilities across a large geographic area.
• Tromsø brann- og redning: Municipal fire and rescue service for Tromsø. Operates the same statutory mandate as MHBR within a comparably large geographic area, including forest fire response, cold-climate rescue, and preventive inspection services.
• Nordmøre og Romsdal brann- og redning IKS: IKS fire service covering municipalities in the Nordmøre og Romsdal region of Norway. Like MHBR, it is a multi-municipal statutory fire service with emergency response, prevention, and inspection duties targeting a similar rural demographic profile.

Others

• Sør-Øst 110 IKS: Inter-municipal emergency dispatch center (110) serving southeastern Norway. Interfaces directly with MHBR through Alarmsentral Innlandet for emergency call routing and dispatch, making it an operational counterparty rather than a direct competitor.
• Norsk brannvernforening: Norwegian Fire Protection Association. Industry body representing fire safety practitioners, insurers, and public services. Operates alongside MHBR on public education, certification (e.g., warm work), and national fire safety initiatives including branntips.no.
• Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB): Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning. National regulatory authority setting the fire safety framework (Brann- og eksplosjonsvernloven) under which MHBR operates, and providing oversight, training, and grant funding to Norwegian fire services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/midthedmarkbrannogredning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mhbr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MHBR