Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel took the opportunity to attend the handover of the vehicles in person and emphasized: "Our firefighters literally go through fire for us. They are ready 365 days a year to risk their lives in the event of a fire or disaster. To do this, they need modern and practical equipment. I am delighted that we have now received two modern and versatile vehicles for our comrades from the volunteer fire brigades in Gebhardshagen and Ringelheim."

The Lower Saxony Minister of the Interior and Sport, Boris Pistorius, and the President of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, Christoph Unger, were also present at the handover on Hildesheim's market square.

The vehicles handed over are Mercedes Benz Atego fire-fighting vehicles. These are optimized for use in major emergencies and disasters. Thanks to their all-wheel drive, they are suitable for off-road use, have extensive technical equipment (e.g. power generator, two pumps, chainsaw), are equipped with a 1,000 liter extinguishing agent tank and have a total of 300 meters of hoses on board for transporting water over long distances. The procurement costs per vehicle amount to 223,000 euros.