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Disaster exercise in Cottbus: lightning strike simulated, 90 injured!
On July 4, 2025, Cottbus will simulate a lightning strike at a festival with over 400 emergency services participating in a disaster exercise.
Disaster exercise in Cottbus: lightning strike simulated, 90 injured!
Today, July 4, 2025, a comprehensive disaster control exercise began in Cottbus, aimed at a simulated lightning strike during a festival. The emergency should be realistically simulated by a large number of emergency services and medical experts. Over 400 people, including members of the fire department, the Technical Relief Agency (THW), the police and the Bundeswehr, are on duty to test the processes in such a critical situation. This is reported by the Borken newspaper.
The aim of the exercise is to treat and rescue a total of approximately 90 injured “victims”. The challenge lies not only in supply, but also in efficient communication between the various units. Ingolf Zellmann, head of the Lausitz control center, emphasizes that such exercises are crucial in preparing emergency services for real scenarios.
Realistic operations
The exercise is expected to last into the evening hours and traffic disruptions have already been reported. The emergency services have to rehearse all possible procedures, from lightning strikes to transporting the injured to the Medical University of Lausitz - Carl Thiem. Eckhard Nagel, Chairman of the Board of the Medical University, emphasized the immense importance of this exercise for the medical care of seriously injured people. According to the RBB24 After the exercise, the concepts are revised to incorporate the knowledge gained.
However, the planned exercise in Cottbus is only part of a series of disaster exercises that are to take place in various cities in Brandenburg this year. For example, next Saturday, July 5, 2025, the partial collapse of a roof will be simulated in Potsdam's Karl Liebknecht Stadium. Around 170 emergency services as well as 50 rescue vehicles and a helicopter will be deployed here. The volunteers who portray the injured are given realistic make-up so that the situation appears as authentic as possible.
A day of practice under the motto preparation
The city authorities make it clear that these exercises are not a theatrical performance, but rather serious rehearsals intended to prepare the emergency services for an emergency. The details of the operation are unknown to those involved in order to actually test and optimize the coordination in a real application. After the exercise has been completed, a comprehensive assessment is made and suggestions for improvement were already formulated in the planning phase.
Overall, the exercise in Cottbus shows how important it is to be well prepared in order to be able to act quickly and efficiently in the event of a crisis. Such exercises are crucial to the safety of citizens and the effectiveness of emergency responders when it matters most. The experience gained is not only evaluated, but will also be incorporated into the training and deployment concepts in the future.