Large-scale fire drills at SCHMIDT GmbH
Large cities have professional fire departments. Smaller ones rely on volunteer fire departments. This is also the case in Delbrück and its 9 districts. To ensure that everything runs smoothly in an emergency, volunteer fire departments in particular need the opportunity to practice. SCHMIDT GmbH made itself available for two large-scale exercises in April/May. While the adults were able to contribute and expand their know-how in April, the youth fire departments were also in demand in May.
April – major exercise with 150 firefighters
The general conditions: 12 employees are missing after a simulated full fire during welding work in the production halls. The production halls are filled with smoke because – according to the assumption – a door could not be closed when the fire alarm system was triggered. Six people, played by employees, are able to escape to the outside via the roof as planned. A further six people, played by dummies, remain in the building. The smoke is simulated by a smoke machine.
First on the scene: the Boke fire brigade. Breathing apparatus wearers enter the production halls to rescue people. The building is extinguished from the outside. A roll-off container with 5,000 liters of water serves as an intermediate storage tank for the extinguishing water. Supplies are pumped in by the machine wagons from the bore wells specially constructed for this purpose. In addition, a shuttle service is set up to a nearby pond. A total of 150 firefighters are involved in the large-scale exercise.
Firefighters from the Delbrück fire brigade during the major exercise.
Ralf Depenbusch, fire safety officer at SCHMIDT GmbH, and Mike Achtzehn, one of our active firefighters in the Boke fire brigade, after the operation.
May – the youth fire department goes into action
For the “volunteer fire department” to work, it also needs committed young people. In Delbrück and its districts, things are looking pretty good. There has been a youth fire department since 1998, which children from the age of 12 can join.
In order to get the youngsters in shape, those responsible have come up with a kind of “professional fire brigade day”, which starts the evening before – including night operations. The highlight, however, is the large-scale exercise at SCHMIDT GmbH, which is structured in a similar way to the adults.
The youth fire department extinguishes SCHMIDT production hall.
The simulated smoke looks real and demands a lot of courage from the young firefighters.
A smoke-filled hall with dummies that need to be rescued. The halls are on fire and need to be extinguished. From the first to the last fire engine to arrive – everyone acts as if it were an emergency. First a briefing. Then the first firefighters, accompanied by adults, crawl into the smoke-filled Hall 1 to rescue the trapped “people”. “Water march” is the order of the day along the other halls.
The highlight: the turntable ladder. This is also used, even though no real people have to be rescued from the roof during this exercise.
The large-scale exercise of the youth fire departments comes to an end with a bratwurst or two and cool drinks. After all, anyone who shows so much commitment must also be rewarded, because the youngsters should be inspired to take up the hobby in the long term. Team spirit, community and selfless commitment for the common good – that’s what the fire department is all about. After all, we are all happy when someone is there to help in an emergency.
Large contingent of youth firefighters from the Delbrück fire brigade on the premises of SCHMIDT GmbH.