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.

[2] On 25 March he was dismissed for presenting evidence that suggested Nazi involvement in the fire.

[3] Gempp asserted that there had been a delay in notifying the fire brigade and that he had been forbidden from making full use of the resources at his disposal.

[4] Other authors state that Gempp took his own life in order to secure his family's pension entitlements, which would have been lost if the judgment against him had become final.