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

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

Things will be quite turbulent in Brandenburg in the coming days. Over 600 helpers from various institutions are ready to throw themselves fully into the large disaster exercises in Potsdam and Cottbus. On July 5th, in just a few days, a realistic partial collapse of the roof will be simulated in Potsdam's Karl Liebknecht Stadium, while the day before a lightning strike will be recreated at a major event in Cottbus. As the Borkener Zeitung reports, hundreds of people are involved in order to train the procedures in emergency cases in the best possible way.

Around 170 emergency services, 50 rescue vehicles and a helicopter are being mobilized in Potsdam. The exercise will involve about 150 volunteers acting as casualties and wearing make-up to suit their role. These volunteers take on different roles, such as desperate relatives or people in shock, to make the exercise as realistic as possible. The fire department also practices freeing buried or trapped people. It is important for city authorities to emphasize that this is not a play - those involved do not know exactly what to expect. The aim is to optimize the processes from arrival at the scene of the accident to the transport of the patients.

Big challenge in Cottbus

Things will also be interesting in Cottbus, where over 400 emergency services from emergency services, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the fire department and the Bundeswehr work together. The exercise there will take a whole range of factors into account, including the transport of around 90 injured people to the Medical University of Lausitz – Carl Thiem. As in Potsdam, the focus is on the precise coordination and cooperation of the rescue workers. For this purpose, the capacity of the hospitals is also being examined, as the chief physician at St. Josefs Hospital emphasizes the need for a closed unit.

The traffic disruptions expected in the stadium area on practice day should also be kept in mind by all road users. The cost of carrying out both exercises is around 20,000 euros. This intensive preparation is 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 results 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 if the worst comes to the worst. In a world where disasters cannot be ruled out, it is essential that our emergency services are well trained.

If you would like to find out more about these exciting exercises, you can take a look at the detailed reports in the Borkener Zeitung and rbb24.