Under the motto - 'Climate, society, technology - everything is changing?' - the 66th annual conference of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) began on Monday in the Ulm Donauhalle.
lively network
Around 650 experts from fire departments, rescue services, and disaster control as well as from scientific institutions, engineering offices, industry, and authorities take part in the three-day event.
The congress aims to convey the current state of science technology and security and to establish and expand a lively network between research and development, manufacturers, and users.
development of the fire service
Gunter Czisch emphasized the city's importance as a location for innovation with a strong sense of tradition
vfdb President Dirk Aschenbrenner addressed the conference issue during his opening speech and also pointed out the great importance of the Magirus city of Ulm for the development of the fire service.
The Mayor of Ulm, Gunter Czisch, emphasized the city's importance as a location for innovation with a strong sense of tradition, "We are honored that we can be the 'blue light capital' for three days."
keynote speech
Wilfried Klenk, State Secretary in the Württemberg Ministry of the Interior, described the event as one of the most important conferences in the industry.
The keynote speech was given by the former mayor of Ulm, Ivo Gönner. He spoke on the topic “Danube – Europe's main road; 2857 kilometers through ten countries”.
COMMAND-X software
The software is an example of the possibilities that digitalization has created in emergency response
During the opening ceremony, vfdb President Dirk Aschenbrenner handed over the right to use the vfdb brand “Safety Made in Germany” to Eurocommand GmbH for the COMMAND-X software.
Since 2015, “Safety Made in Germany” has certified both products and services of demonstrably excellent quality when used in fire, occupational safety, disaster, or civil protection.
COMMAND-X has already been used successfully in many dangerous and major disaster situations, including the major fire in the Emsland district in September 2018. The software is an example of the possibilities that digitalization has created in emergency response to reduce the complexity of the tasks to be able to oversee and control things, said Aschenbrenner.
Focus on vegetation fires
The focus of the first day of the congress was the problem of vegetation fires. The title: “Underestimated Dangers”. The district fire chief of the Rhein-Sieg district, Dirk Engstenberg, reported on the major fire on the railway line in Siegburg.
32 people were injured and several houses were destroyed during the drought there. An embankment fire on the ICE route spread rapidly in the heat and drought.
cooperation and mutual trust
Cooperation and mutual trust were once again the guarantee of the success of the operation
According to Dirk Engstenberg's presentation, 48 fire brigade units from the entire district worked hand in hand, supported by police and other helpers.
In the Rhein-Sieg district, there is a non-police security architecture supported by volunteer fire brigades, in which the emergency services, technical relief organizations, and aid organizations can handle such large-scale operations.
The district fire chief emphasized that cooperation and mutual trust were once again the guarantee of the success of the operation.
fire operation
The head of the fire and disaster control office at the Hanover police department, fire officer Martin Voß, reported a fire operation of even greater magnitude. It was about the deployment of firefighters from Lower Saxony in the forest fire disaster in Sweden almost a year ago.
Despite the lack of experience in the area of operations within the framework of the EU community procedure, all actors worked well together, summarized Martin Voß. The forces deployed provided effective assistance on site.
Operation Findings
“The forest fire operation by a fire brigade unit from Lower Saxony in Sweden was perhaps the first step in aligning the German fire brigades with relief operations in other European countries,” continued Voß, adding “The experiences gained will now be evaluated and discussed in the relevant working groups. Findings can then be incorporated into the training of helpers, the technical equipment of the units, the supply components, and the management of such units.”
Forest fires in Brandenburg
The EU has classified Brandenburg as having the highest risk of forest fires, on a level with the Cote d'Azur
A lecture by Mathias Bialek from the Brandenburg/Havel professional fire department about the serious forest fires in Brandenburg and the additional dangers posed by remnants of World War II ammunition also received great attention.
Mathias Bialek pointed out that the state, with its extensive pine forests, light sandy soils, and low annual rainfall, has the highest number of forest fires of all German states.
The EU has classified Brandenburg as having the highest risk of forest fires, on a level with the Cote d'Azur and parts of Spain, Portugal, and Greece. The speaker presented the burden of ammunition on the country as particularly problematic.
Unpredictable risk in ammunition areas
“The whole of Brandenburg is a suspected area for ammunition,” said Mathias Bialek. His summary, “Fighting fires in areas contaminated with ammunition, for example in forest fires, is a very big challenge. This risk is unpredictable and life-threatening for the firefighters deployed.”
In principle, it is not advisable to fight fires away from areas that have been cleared of ammunition and have been cleared. It is conceivable to create protective strips and routes around a forest fire with the help of recovery vehicles.
changes in fire engine technology
“The inner area would then burn or burn in a controlled manner. The fire department would work outside of that area to make those strips, protect it, and defend it from the safe area,” said Mathias Bialek.
The other lectures on the first day of the congress also covered, among other things, “Terror – not just a problem in crisis areas” and the changes in fire engine technology.