Large-scale disaster exercise: Potsdam simulates stadium roof collapse!

Large-scale disaster exercise: Potsdam simulates stadium roof collapse!

in Brandenburg will be quite turbulent in the coming days. Over 600 helpers from various institutions are ready to fully plunge into the big disaster exercises in Potsdam and Cottbus. On July 5, in just a few days, a realistic partial fall of the roof will be simulated in the Potsdam Karl-Liebknecht Stadium, while a lightning strike on a major event will be re-enacted in Cottbus the day before. As the Borkener Zeitung reports, hundreds of participants are in use to train the processes in the best possible way.

In Potsdam, around 170 emergency services, 50 rescue vehicles and a helicopter are mobilized. During the exercise, around 150 volunteers are acted as injuries and made up according to their role. These volunteers hatch into different roles, such as desperate relatives or people in shock states, in order to make the exercise as realistic as possible. The fire brigade also exerts the liberation of spilled or trapped people. It is important to emphasize the city administrations that this is not a play - the participants do not know what exactly is about them. The aim is to optimize the processes from arrival at the scene of the accident to the promotion of the patient.

big challenge in Cottbus

It also becomes interesting in Cottbus, where over 400 emergency services of emergency services, the Technical Relief Agency (THW), fire brigade and Bundeswehr work together. A whole series of factors are taken into account during the exercise there, including the transport of around 90 injuries to the Medical University of Lausitz - Carl Thiem. As in Potsdam, the focus is on the exact coordination and cooperation of the emergency services. For this purpose, the capacity of the hospitals is also examined, since chief physician of the St. Josefs Hospital emphasizes the need for a closed unit.

The traffic disruptions that are expected in the area of ​​the stadium on the day of exercise should also be kept in mind for all road users. The cost of carrying out both exercises amounts to around 20,000 euros. This intensive preparation has been the first of its kind since 2012, which underlines the relevance of this measure and shows that those responsible have a good knack for being prepared for potential disasters.

The balance sheet after the exercises will show which processes can be improved and where possible weak points exist. It is an important step in order to be able to react optimally to all eventualities in the event of cases. In a world in which disasters cannot be excluded, it is essential that our emergency services are well trained.

If you want to learn more about these exciting exercises, you can look at the detailed reports of the Borkener Zeitung and rbb24 throw.