{"id":2842,"date":"2023-09-04T10:44:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T08:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/?p=2842"},"modified":"2023-09-04T10:44:05","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T08:44:05","slug":"putting-out-the-fires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/putting-out-the-fires\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting out the fires"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Colouring book for chil\u00addren on fire protec\u00adtion<\/strong><\/p>\n

The district fire brigade asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion promotes the topic \u201cfire safety educa\u00adtion\u201d also for kinder\u00adgarten chil\u00addren and there\u00adfore publishes a children\u2019s colouring book already in its second edition.<\/p>\n

The book explains the topic with great pictures. In addi\u00adtion, it is supple\u00admented with a memory game, so the little ones can play\u00adfully test what they remember.<\/p>\n

Uhlmann was happy to support this children\u2019s book and memory game with a dona\u00adtion. It will now be made avail\u00adable to local kinder\u00adgartens. There are also some copies for staff members. Anyone who would like a book can pick it up at the recep\u00adtion in Laupheim \u2013 while stocks last.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\nWhen the pager beeps, you need to act fast. In an emer\u00adgency, every second counts. That\u2019s why the first fire depart\u00adment unit has to arrive on the scene within just 10 minutes of being alerted. For the volun\u00adteer fire\u00adfighters who work at Uhlmann, this means that after checking the small device to see where some\u00adthing has happened, they drop every\u00adthing and head off to the fire, acci\u00addent or flood. Between January 2018 and November 2022, 49 people employed by Uhlmann were involved in 88 fire runs, the longest of which lasted 80 hours. Anything less than five hours is charged to the rescue volunteer\u2019s flexi-time account. And even when they\u2019re not out on a rescue mission, the volun\u00adteer comrades still have plenty to do, because they have to prepare them\u00adselves for emer\u00adgen\u00adcies by under\u00adgoing regular training courses and exer\u00adcises, or they help with special oper\u00ada\u00adtions. But all five colleagues who spoke to the pactuell edito\u00adrial team are passionate about their work. All of them empha\u00adsize the unique cama\u00adraderie in their fire depart\u00adments. But they also have their own personal reasons for volun\u00adteering, which they reveal to us here.\n

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Ralf Fischer, Project Manager UP, Squad Leader in the Achstetten Fire Depart\u00adment<\/h3>\n
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Why did you join the fire depart\u00adment?<\/h5>\n

For me, joining the volun\u00adteer fire depart\u00adment at that time was a way to meet people and play an active role in my new commu\u00adnity. Besides, helping people is always worth\u00adwhile.<\/p>\n

What kind of training did you undergo in the fire depart\u00adment?<\/h5>\n

I started out as a squad member and then became a squad leader, which includes using radiotele\u00adphony. I\u2019m also a smoke diver and an engine oper\u00adator, which means I get to drive the fire truck. This gives me special right-of-way priv\u00adi\u00adleges so I can drive through red lights.<\/p>\n

How often are you on the job?<\/h5>\n

About every two months I have to drop every\u00adthing at work and head out. Recently, I spent a total of ten hours attending a house fire. On average, the calls last between one and two hours.<\/p>\n

On one job we were able to find missing persons alive in a corn\u00adfield with the help of drones and thermal imaging cameras.<\/p>\n

And the worst?<\/h5>\n

A suicide.<\/p>\n

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Martin Renz, Project Manager UC, Group Leader in the Laupheim Fire Depart\u00adment<\/h3>\n
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Why did you join the fire depart\u00adment and what keeps you going?<\/h5>\n

I\u2019ve been involved since I was a teenager. And my moti\u00adva\u00adtion is defi\u00adnitely the fantastic cama\u00adraderie we have.<\/p>\n

Have you ever had an assign\u00adment involving Uhlmann?<\/h5>\n

Yes, actu\u00adally several. Once a trans\u00adformer burned, and then there was also a flooding inci\u00addent. And once we had a false alarm. There was also one special call-out we had where we had to hose down one of our own exhi\u00adbi\u00adtion tents all day because it was so hot.<\/p>\n

How many call-outs does the Laupheim Fire Depart\u00adment have each year?<\/h5>\n

About 250. There are over 100 of us but only some are called out depending on the alert level. I have about one call-out a week, stan\u00addard drills every 14 days, and training or e-learning every now and then.<\/p>\n

What kind of qual\u00adi\u00adties does a fire\u00adfighter need to have?  <\/h5>\n

That would defi\u00adnitely be phys\u00adical and mental fitness, and a crim\u00adinal record is a no-go.<\/p>\n

What was your most satis\u00adfying expe\u00adri\u00adence?<\/h5>\n

For me, the best part of being in the fire depart\u00adment is what happens besides the actual missions \u2013 espe\u00adcially the cama\u00adraderie and singing the fire\u00adfighters\u2019 song together. That outweighs every\u00adthing and makes trau\u00admatic expe\u00adri\u00adences, like emer\u00adgen\u00adcies involving chil\u00addren, easier to bear.<\/p>\n

How long was your longest mission?<\/h5>\n

That was a fire at Lako, the Laupheim coconut weaving mill, which is in Uhlmann\u2019s neigh\u00adbor\u00adhood. It lasted twelve hours, but we had to deal with hot spots that kept popping up the whole week.  <\/p>\n

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Andreas Russ, Team Leader Assembly Synchro\u00adni\u00adsa\u00adtion, Commander of the Sch\u00f6neb\u00fcrg Fire Depart\u00adment<\/h3>\n
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Why did you join the fire depart\u00adment?<\/h5>\n

I started as a career changer in 2006. The cama\u00adraderie appealed to me and still keeps me here to this day. And, of course, I have always had a thing about helping others \u2013 and that\u2019s an absolute must-have!<\/p>\n

How do your colleagues feel about it when you get called out on a mission?<\/h5>\n

They\u2019re fine with it. Three of the staff on my team at Uhlmann are also fire\u00adfighters. But as they work for other fire depart\u00adments, our assign\u00adments don\u2019t clash.<\/p>\n

How many call-outs do you get each year?<\/h5>\n

I\u2019d guess between 15 and 20, although most of them have not been during working hours.<\/p>\n

What was the nature of these missions?<\/h5>\n

All kinds of things, really: from rescuing a cat or a parrot stuck in a tree or a dog trapped in a manhole, clearing away downed trees on forest roads, to traffic acci\u00addents, fires and also floods, where I was also on duty for about twelve hours. The worst thing for me were the traffic acci\u00addents. That makes team spirit \u2013 and not just within our own fire depart\u00adment \u2013 and joint activ\u00adi\u00adties all the more impor\u00adtant. In summer we meet every 14 days, and every four weeks in winter.<\/p>\n

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Dominic Ziar\u00adnetzki, Produc\u00adtion Specialist AXITO, Group Leader in the Laupheim Fire Depart\u00adment<\/h3>\n

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Why did you join the fire depart\u00adment and what\u2019s your job there?<\/h5>\n

My father was already a fire\u00adfighter, so I had contact with the fire depart\u00adment from an early age. When we moved to Laupheim, my neighbor took me to the junior fire\u00adfighter group where I completed my basic training and secured the junior fire badge. At the age of 18, I under\u00adwent squad training and, two years later, squad leader training. In 2017, I went on to take the group leader course at the State Fire\u00adfighting Academy in Bruchsal. I\u2019m also a district instructor for engine oper\u00ada\u00adtors.<\/p>\n

Have you ever had an assign\u00adment involving Uhlmann?<\/h5>\n

Just the once, when an elec\u00adtrical appli\u00adance caught fire in the assembly building.<\/p>\n

What was your worst and best expe\u00adri\u00adence in the fire departe\u00adment?<\/h5>\n

The cama\u00adraderie and the team spirit are great. We meet every 14 days for drills to stay fit on all the vehi\u00adcles and equip\u00adment, but we also go on outings together and have a lot of fun. The worst expe\u00adri\u00adence was a serious car acci\u00addent with several fatal\u00adi\u00adties.<\/p>\n

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Frank Thimian, Driver Logis\u00adtics Car Pool, District Youth Leader and Platoon Chief at the Laupheim Fire Depart\u00adment<\/h3>\n
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How did you join the fire depart\u00adment and what is your posi\u00adtion there?<\/h5>\n

I was \u201cdiscov\u00adered\u201d in 1993 by the commander serving at the time while watering the lawn. In 2003, I founded the Achstetten junior fire\u00adfighter group which is the corner\u00adstone of today\u2019s Achstetten Fire Depart\u00adment. As district youth leader, I preside over all 46 junior fire depart\u00adments in the Biberach district \u2013 that\u2019s about 850 members.<\/p>\n

How much time do you devote to your volun\u00adtary work?<\/h5>\n

Besides the missions, it\u2019s about ten hours a week.<\/p>\n

What moti\u00advates you?<\/h5>\n

Around 80 percent of youth fire\u00adfighters actu\u00adally join the fire depart\u00adment after\u00adwards; that\u2019s very moti\u00advating. Plus, my wife is also in the fire depart\u00adment.<\/p>\n

What was your most satis\u00adfying expe\u00adri\u00adence in the fire depart\u00adment?<\/h5>\n

We were called out to an apart\u00adment where a stove had been left on and a small child left unat\u00adtended. I\u2019ll never forget the mother\u2019s happy face once the danger was over.<\/p>\n

What was your worst expe\u00adri\u00adence?<\/h5>\n

That was when my father-in-law\u2019s farm burned down. Fortu\u00adnately, nobody got hurt, but the animals perished. The whole oper\u00ada\u00adtion took 32 hours.<\/p>\n

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Volun\u00adteer fire depart\u00adments are immensely impor\u00adtant, because you only usually find profes\u00adsional fire depart\u00adments in large cities. Anyone who wants to join the volun\u00adteer fire depart\u00adment must be over 18 \u2013 or join the junior fire\u00adfighters. Phys\u00adical fitness is crit\u00adical, as is a will\u00ading\u00adness to partic\u00adi\u00adpate regu\u00adlarly in drills. Basic training lasts 70 hours. After that, fire\u00adfighters can gain further qual\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions, like becoming an engine oper\u00adator (driver), a radio oper\u00adator or a smoke diver. In oper\u00ada\u00adtions, the team is hier\u00adar\u00adchi\u00adcally split up into inci\u00addent commander, divi\u00adsion commander, platoon leader, group leader and squad leader. This means that a super\u00advisor does not have to take care of all emer\u00adgency respon\u00adders during a mission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Image film of the Laupheim Volun\u00adteer Fire Departe\u00adment<\/h2>\n\n