Operation at the Bismarck Tower: Rescuers find missing children after a balloon crash

Operation at the Bismarck Tower: Rescuers find missing children after a balloon crash

On September 11, 2025, an exciting exercise took place in the forest area at the Bismarck Tower in Hildburghausen, which put the fire brigade and rescue dog team to the test. This scenario involved a fictional hot air balloon crash in which five children disappeared. A total of around 30 emergency services and 14 rescue dogs took part in this exercise to demonstrate their skills in an emergency. As the IN Thuringia Reportedly, preparations began as early as 5:30 p.m. when the children were placed in various hiding places.

The first emergency services arrived at 6:15 p.m. at the latest, including a command vehicle and a drone unit. The incident commander received a concerned report from a mother about the missing children. From 6:30 p.m., operations management was organized and the search area was divided into different sections. At this moment, modern technology came into play: drones with thermal imaging and rescue dogs were used to support the search.

Successful search for the missing children

The first child was located with a drone at 6:46 p.m. A short time later, at 6:53 p.m. and 6:58 p.m., the rescue dogs reported success by discovering two more children in the bushes. The last child was found on the Bismarck Tower at 7:18 p.m. This exercise impressively demonstrated how effective the cooperation of modern technology and the skills of rescue dogs is, as well as the regional one Winnweiler fire department informed about it.

An important aspect of these exercises is the constant improvement of operational structures. The Hildburghausen fire department and the rescue dog team are therefore planning regular joint exercises. These not only serve to refresh your knowledge, but also to get to know the different units better so that you can react even faster and more efficiently in an emergency.

The example from the region

A look at other exercises shows that the commitment to security in the region is high. 70 rescue dogs and their owners recently tested various scenarios in impassable terrain under the direction of the THW and various fire departments in Schwalmstadt. One example was the search for a missing senior citizen, whose success was made clear by the barking of the dogs, which in turn shows how important regular and well-organized exercises are for operational effectiveness. The reported about this HNA.

The Hildburghausen Fire Department offers everyone who would like to volunteer the opportunity to get involved. Those interested can contact by emailpresse@feuerwehr-hildburghausen.deturn around. Such initiatives are key to strengthening community and security in the region, and successful exercises like this show that good hands are being used here.