Dresden/Leipzig/Chemnitz (dpa/sn) – the fire brigade and police in Saxony are preparing for numerous operations on New Year’s Eve. The police have taken nationwide measures to ensure the highest possible availability of emergency services, said a spokeswoman for the Saxony police at the request of the German Press Agency. In addition, the riot police support the five police departments with all available forces.
The fire brigade team in Dresden has observed that after the past two years, which were heavily influenced by the restrictions caused by the pandemic, this year many people are being drawn outside again and lots of fireworks are being bought, a spokesman for the city said. “For this reason, we expect the busiest night of the year.” The warm weather will also contribute to more people being out and about at the turn of the year. With a view to a high volume of operations, among other things, an additional ambulance will be available, it said.
In order to avoid fires and accidents, the police and fire brigade warned, among other things, against carelessly lighting fireworks. Unauthorized and self-made firecrackers also pose a danger to themselves and others.
If there are larger and longer-lasting operations in Chemnitz with a high number of injuries, a special task force is ready, said a spokeswoman for the city. The local fire brigade also expects a large number of operations at the turn of the year.
The Leipzig regulatory office announced that it would make changes to the traffic routing on New Year’s Eve. The office, the police and the fire brigade agreed on this in order to ensure a peaceful and undisturbed night. For example, access roads at the Connewitzer Kreuz in the south of the city would be closed from 9 p.m. Riots broke out there on New Year’s Eve 2019.