Volunteering saves life: DRK use with a devastating forest fire!

Volunteering saves life: DRK use with a devastating forest fire!

Gohrischheide, Deutschland - The region around Gohrischheide has had a hard time in the past few weeks. A dangerous forest fire, which broke out on July 1, ensured massive evacuations and a comprehensive use of emergency services from various organizations. On July 5, even disaster alarm was triggered when the flames spread quickly, and the situation around 1000 hectares of fire finally required communication across borders.

as the Day 24 were not only on site, but also the federal police and the Bundeswehr. Over 600 emergency services were mobilized to fight the flames and bring the citizens to safety. The situation about a nursing home for severely disabled people who had to be evacuated was particularly worrying. The use of extinguishing helicopters was also necessary to throw off the 144,000 liters of extinguishing water.

voluntary support in disaster protection

Right in the middle: Mattes Brähmig, 40-year-old father and hired in the DRK for over 15 years, was crucial as the train driver of a disaster protection. He coordinated the communication between the operations management and the DRK units and took responsibility for the medical care of the fire fighters and the care of the evacuated residents. He is particularly remembered by Wednesday evening during the evacuation - a time full of challenges due to the acute danger that also threatened for nearby biosgas systems.

like the DRK Sachsen , the emergency services had to react creatively to the situation, especially due to the vacation time, which reduced some strength. A good knack for personnel planning turned out to be gold value here. Brähig emphasized the need that concepts have to be checked and adapted regularly to be prepared in crisis situations.

future of forest fires and preventive measures

The development of recent years speaks volumes: the vegetation fires have increased in Germany and they are a challenge for forest -owned, forestry administrations and the fire brigades. According to the fva bw are diverse-from hot summer to beetle infestation. Prevention is becoming increasingly important, and with projects such as "Waldbrand - Climate - Resilience", recommendations for action are being developed to reduce forest fire risks and optimize cooperation between forest and fire brigade.

The recent events in Gohrischheide have shown that volunteering and the punch of the organizations are decisive. It is to be hoped that teachings will be drawn from these fires in order to be better prepared for future crisis situations, because nature cannot be ignored - there is something!