On Friday, June 24, the forest fire team received a request from the state of Brandenburg. This volunteer unit is involved in disaster control in the city of Salzgitter. The unit's core competence lies in fighting vegetation fires, for example forest fires. The team has built up a very good reputation at local and supra-local level over several years thanks to its wide-ranging training portfolio. This good reputation has now paid off.
The request from the state of Brandenburg was complied with. The overall incident commander on duty at the Salzgitter professional fire department released the unit for deployment in accordance with the request. The members of the team loaded two fire department buses and a trailer with the necessary equipment early on Saturday morning and set off for Brandenburg at around 4.30 am.
Once on site, the team leaders received a briefing and instructions from the "Technical Operations Command". A short time later, the team began fighting the fire.
In addition to the forest fire team, forces from @fire and the SKV unit (special forces vegetation firefighting) were also deployed. All three units stand out with their yellow turnout gear. It was the first joint deployment of the three special units. According to Mr. Detlef Maushake (unit leader of the forest fire team), the cross-organizational cooperation was very effective and comradely.
What is the difference between "normal firefighting units" and vegetation firefighting units?
In the public perception, the fire department extinguishes forest fires with a large number of vehicles, hoses and water.
However, the forest fires of the recent past have shown that the fire departments need to be more broadly based. In this respect, specialized knowledge is required, which units such as the forest fire team have in relation to a forest or wildfire. Factors such as humidity, wind direction, ground conditions and terrain are the tactical 1x1 of these units. They manage with very little water and hose material. Embers are removed with hoes, shovels and the use of water backpacks. The targeted use of counter-fires can also significantly improve the success of the operation. The expert advice provided by the Salzgitter firefighters was also greatly appreciated by the local incident command.
All external emergency services were warmly welcomed and looked after by the Brandenburg comrades and the local population. Brandenburg's Minister of the Interior, Michael Stübgen, also came to see the effectiveness of the unit from Salzgitter.
The two-day operation ended on Sunday, June 26 at around 3:00 pm. The emergency services returned home at around 22:00.