After studying mechanical engineering, Gempp joined the Berlin Fire Department in 1908. He was given the project of developing a motorized fire extinguishing service, and in 1908 he produced the first engine-powered hose truck. In 1923 he became chief fire commissioner in Berlin.Zenter, Christian and Bedürftig, Friedemann (1991). Encyclopedia of the Third Reich, p. 319. New York: Macmillan.
