Forest and field fires are almost the order of the day in this dry and hot summer in Hesse. How are the fire brigades in the country managing to cope with the increasing consequences of climate change?
Kassel (dpa/lhe) – The dry and hot summer this year means constant stress for the firefighters in Hesse: In practically all regions, they have had to move out to forest, field and embankment fires in the past few days and weeks, sometimes for many hours carry out extinguishing work. Especially for the members of the approximately 2,600 volunteer fire brigades in the state, who work in addition to this voluntary work, this is an increased burden, says the managing director of the State Fire Brigade Association of Hesse, Harald Popp, the German Press Agency.
He assumes that the tasks are likely to increase with ongoing climate change and current developments such as the expected gas shortage this winter. This could lead to power outages, which could limit telecommunications, for example, but also the supply of food or fuel to the population. “Under certain circumstances, this will pose completely new challenges for civil protection,” said Popp. In his view, every individual should therefore follow the recommendation of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance to stockpile a certain amount of food and water.
Just last week, a large forest fire near Cölbe in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district kept the volunteer fire brigades in the area busy for many hours, at times around 400 emergency services were on site, nine of them were injured by smoke gas. Impassable terrain that vehicles could not access, no direct access to extinguishing water so that hoses had to be laid, heat and winds that caused the fire to change direction – all of this made the operation physically demanding and also dangerous for them Firefighters, like Popp said.
He therefore finds it particularly reprehensible when fires are set willfully, as is suspected to be the cause of a series of fires around Heusenstamm in southern Hesse in the past few days. The lives of other people could also be endangered here if the flames spread to residential buildings, for example. Such cases must therefore be consistently pursued and punished, demanded the managing director of the state fire brigade association.
The fact that so many emergency services helped with the forest fire near Cölbe, which stretches over 50 to 60 football pitches, is thanks to the cooperation of the fire services, as Popp made clear: If there are no forces or extinguishing water, there will be a follow-up alarm and fire brigades will come from neighboring towns – in the case of Cölbe -Schönstadt also with tankers – to support the fire. Farmers also brought water barrels for the extinguishing work. This procedure is currently proving to be particularly important, because due to the holiday season and many cases of illness, fewer emergency services than usual are available in an emergency, as Popp says.
The fact that the firefighters are currently under greater pressure can also be felt by their employers, for example if the employees are able to show up later or not at all for work the next day after a night’s work at a fire scene. Here, understanding and support is required, also on the part of colleagues, who may have to lend a hand for a firefighter who is absent from the workplace. In order to recognize companies that offer a fire brigade-friendly working environment and release the employees concerned if necessary, the “Partner of the Fire Brigade” award has been presented for some time. It has already been awarded to around 1,300 companies across Hessen, said Popp.
But not only more fires due to the increasing drought in the summer months, but also heavy rain events with flooding are likely to keep the fire brigades busy in the coming years. Even if Hesse is in a good position compared to the rest of the country, from Popp’s point of view it would be important to purchase even more special vehicles and equipment, especially for forest fires and flood operations.
The Hessian Ministry of the Interior sees the federal state as already well prepared: since 2008, more than 70 million euros have been invested in the extensive equipment and technical modernization of the Hessian civil protection system, the ministry explains. Thanks to an equipment offensive, the number of state vehicles used in civil protection more than doubled from 278 to over 700 during this period. “The country always keeps an eye on the changing deployment situations and areas of responsibility. The challenges posed by ongoing climate change are also taken into account.”
In recent years, resources have therefore primarily been procured to fight forest fires and to fight heavy rain and flood events, including around 26 flood protection equipment vehicles, nine equipment vehicle divers for the water rescue units and 426 forest fire response sets, which have been handed over to the units across the board , according to the ministry.