Whether in the case of wildfires or storm damage, the fire brigades in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are having to respond more and more frequently. Often with outdated technology. An investment program worth millions should bring gradual improvements.
Schwerin/Malchin (dpa/mv) – With the support of the state, the state’s volunteer fire brigades are preparing for the new challenges posed by climate change. On Friday, 16 more fire departments will receive new fire-fighting vehicles that are equipped with modern fire-fighting and rescue technology and also have fire-fighting water on board for quick response.
“The vehicles were developed together with the Austrian manufacturer and tailored precisely to the needs of our area,” said Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Minister of the Interior, Christian level (SPD). As of Friday, 151 fire departments in the state had such emergency vehicles, which, according to the minister, are now also attracting interest in other federal states and abroad.
As the President of the State Fire Brigade Association, Hannes Möller, said, the firefighters have had very good experiences with the vehicles during their operations. “We are grateful to the state for the financial support. It’s the right premium to reduce the large investment backlog. But it has to go on,” warned Möller. In some weirs, fire engines from GDR production are still in use.
Depending on the financial resources of the supporting municipalities, the state will assume 70 to 80 percent of the acquisition costs. The mass ordering of 265 identical fire engines by the state also made a preferential price possible, Level explained. The state had reserved 50 million euros from previous budget surpluses for financing. The “Sustainable Fire Brigade” program, which was also launched in 2020 as a reaction to the devastating forest fire in Lübtheen (Ludwigslust-Parchim district) in 2019, is to be completed in 2023 with the delivery of the remaining vehicles.
According to the level, the money will also be used to purchase eleven larger tank extinguishing vehicles, which could also be used in difficult terrain, for example in forest fires, as they are currently raging in Brandenburg and Saxony. Eight of these robust Tatra trains have already been delivered to the districts. In the event of greater danger, they could be used in a concentrated manner at the scene of the fire, saidleve. The purchase of around 40 larger fire engines for medium-sized towns and 12 additionally financed ladder trucks is also planned.
The technical upgrade is urgently needed, said fire brigade association chief Möller. “The comrades are increasingly challenged and confronted with new tasks,” he said. They have to go out more and more often to clean up storm damage or to put out wildfires and forest fires. “The consequences of climate change are also becoming increasingly noticeable for the fire brigades. Some fire services in the country had to be deployed more frequently in the first half of the year than in the whole of 2021.”
According to the association, almost 26,000 firefighters are active in 947 volunteer fire departments throughout Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. As can be seen from the statistics of the State Office for Fire Protection and Disaster Management, volunteers and professional fire brigades deployed more than 20,000 times last year. Almost 6,000 times after a fire alarm, a good 14,000 times for assistance.
