5 May 2022

The trade fair INTERSCHUTZ offers the latest developments for every spectrum of the fire brigade, rescue services, civil protection, and safety.

In addition, many side events guarantee excitement, entertainment, and training opportunities. No matter if users are participants or visitors it is worth being there when the Firefit European Championships, the new Hackthon@INTERSCHUTZ, the Holmatro Rescue Challenge, and the S-GARD SAFETYTOUR take place in Hanover.

FireFit European Championships

Above all, strength, physical condition, and speed are required at the FireFit European Championships. This is where the best international firefighters compete at INTERSCHUTZ. The competitions will take place on all six days of the fair from 20 to 25 June 2022 between 9 am and 5 pm in the outdoor area. As in 2021, the organizers expect starters from all over the world.

On the first four days, the qualifying for the European Championship takes place. The finals are then planned for Friday and Saturday. Every day there will be an honor for the best participants of the day.

Categories and task completion

The qualifying for the European Championship starts in the categories individual, tandem, and relay

European Championship starts in the categories individual, tandem, and relay. Five tasks have to be completed: With a fire hose on their shoulders, they have to climb the steps of the twelve-meter-high HAIX Tower in full gear and with respiratory protection right after the start. Before it goes to the next task, another fire hose must be pulled up.

At the next stops, the firefighters swing the hammer on the impact machine, go through a short slalom course, pick up a filled fire hose and extinguish a target fire before simulating the rescue of people in the final sprint and rescuing an 80-kilogram doll to the finish.

Competition format

As it turned out, the elite in the competition can complete the entire course in less than two minutes.

The FireFit Championships have been held in Canada for almost 30 years. Following this example, the FireFit Championships Europe Tour offers a common competition format for firefighting sports throughout Europe.

Hackathon@INTERSCHUTZ

With a hackathon initiated by the research projects SPELL and PAIRS on the subject of civil protection and civil protection, INTERSCHUTZ is receiving another young and innovative event – the Hackathon@INTERSCHUTZ.

SPELL and PAIRS are two research projects funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) to integrate artificial intelligence into deployment and situation management. That's why the hackathon was established. It brings together hackers from all countries, professions, and age groups. Together, they will be hacking exciting challenges for 40 hours (hall 19).

Goal of Hackathon

The goal of Hackathon@INTERSCHUTZ is to shape the future of civil and disaster protection together

Hackers are supported by various coaches. In the end, extraordinary and creative ideas, prototypes, and business models are expected.

The motto: 40 hours, six challenges, one goal: To shape the future of civil and disaster protection together. In total, there are prizes up to €5,000 to be won. The award ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, June 26 at 11 a.m.

Holmatro Rescue Challenge

Twenty teams from 15 countries will demonstrate their skills in realistic rescue scenarios at the Holmatro Rescue Challenge. Using Holmatro's new Pentheon tools, the aim is to salvage an injured patient from a modern BMW vehicle.

The exact scenario remains confidential until the start of the competition. A group of experienced jury members will assess the performance of the participants and select the overall winners of the event. The competition aims to provide firefighters and rescue workers with a safe and realistic learning environment. Before putting their techniques into practice, each team receives training from Holmatro.

Rewards of Holmatro Rescue Challenge 

The best teams will be rewarded with Holmatro rescue tool sets worth a total of 50,000 euros

The second international Holmatro Rescue Challenge will take place from 20 to 24 June under the Expo roof in the middle of the exhibition grounds. In addition to the honor of winning the challenge, the best teams will be rewarded with Holmatro rescue tool sets worth a total of 50,000 euros.

The best participants in the categories best overall team, best technical team, and best team spirit will be awarded. The award ceremony will take place on Friday, 24 June at 5 pm. 

S-GARD SAFETYTOUR

The S-GARD SAFETYTOUR is about deepening and practicing special firefighting techniques. For this purpose, the company S-GARD is setting up a large live training course in the outdoor area in front of Hall 17. 480 participants have the opportunity to register for the main event. Bookings are open on the event website.

Under realistic conditions, various exercises have to be completed in small groups to be optimally prepared in an emergency.

Program format

Participants will have to wear special protective equipment due to the risk of contamination

The program is divided into two parts: The tasks in the mornings cover the entire fire brigade spectrum. Here, for example, it will be about firefighting on a specially prepared tank car of Deutsche Bahn. The teams operating at this point will have to deal with a flame up to four meters in size.

In another exercise, the teams are concerned with ensuring the slipped load on a means of transport under difficult conditions. Participants will have to wear special protective equipment due to the risk of contamination. In addition, the use of practice foam leads to massive visual obstructions.

Technical assistance

The deployment scenarios in the afternoon are from the field of technical assistance. The focus here is on fast, patient-oriented help for example in the event of a live crash of a vehicle. Cases with e-vehicles are also part of the training.

The participants will get to know the special characteristics of battery fires and how to extinguish them. This task is combined with a mechanical engineering accident. An exciting challenge that must be solved as a team to be able to transport the patient safely to a clinic.

Participation criteria 

The conditions of participation in the S-GARD SAFETYTOUR include that the firefighters must have completed basic firefighting training and respiratory protection training. In addition, a valid respiratory protection suitability G 26.3 is required. In the end, all participants will receive a confirmation of participation.

For visitors who want to slip into the role of a firefighter themselves, S-GARD offers various hands-on activities at INTERSCHUTZ, such as working with hydraulic rescue equipment or exercises to prevent contamination. These so-called "public tasks" can be found in front of hall 17 during the entire duration of the trade fair.