Large-scale exercise in Spreeauenpark: rescuers train for lightning strikes!

Large-scale exercise in Spreeauenpark: rescuers train for lightning strikes!

When nature unleashes its forces, emergency services are called upon! On July 4, 2025, a comprehensive disaster control exercise under the motto “Severe weather with lightning strikes” will take place in the Spreeauenpark in Cottbus. The exercise, which simulates a major event with around 5,000 guests, aims to test operational readiness and logistics in an emergency. Over 400 emergency services, including emergency services, fire brigade, police, civil protection, THW and the Bundeswehr, will be required in various scenarios. According to niederlausitz-aktuell.de, around 90 “injured people” are planned, who will be made up realistically in order to make the emergency as authentic as possible.

The exercise begins at 12:00 p.m., with an alarm at 4:00 p.m., and is expected to end in the evening hours. The Spreeauenpark remains closed to the public on the day of the practice. Drivers should also prepare for disruptions in road traffic and partial closures of the Sandower triangle and Tierpark car parks. From an organizational point of view, everything has been thought of: the “injured” will be transported to the Medical University of Lausitz – Carl Thiem, and the use of helicopters and several ambulances is also planned.

Emergency services combine their forces

One of the objectives of this exercise is to test the communication and medical structures in such large operations. This type of exercise has proven to be indispensable, as the experiences from the attack on Berlin's Breitscheidplatz and the train accident in Bad Aibling show. The need for well-trained emergency services is becoming more and more relevant, so an authentic mass casualty incident (MANV) exercise is essential to develop the necessary skills and promote stress-resistant teamwork, according to fraunhofer-iao.de.

There is also a similar scenario in another exercise in Hann. Münden on the program: A mass casualty incident occurred in the forest near Uschlag on May 23, 2023. Here a lost group of hikers fell into a ravine. The rescue service of the ASB district association Göttingen-Land and the volunteer fire brigades from the region took part in this exercise. Here too, the focus was on cooperation between the various disaster control units and the efficient care of the “injured” - a goal that is just as important as in Cottbus, emphasizes hna.de.

Preparation is everything

Of particular note is the need to carefully plan and carry out exercises such as these. The DRK's newly published volume on the topic practices standards and consistent procedures to improve the quality of the exercises. Authentic injury patterns and a detailed debriefing are essential to learn from the exercises. The structure of the exercises allows responders to continually optimize their skills, from initial patient triage through to transport and follow-up. A central concern remains patient-oriented evaluation, which makes the success of the measures measurable.

Overall, the planned practice day in Cottbus shows how important it is to prepare for extreme scenarios. Those responsible are convinced that such exercises strengthen the emergency services to meet the challenges of emergencies and guarantee the best possible help to citizens in emergencies.