Focus on climate crisis
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Reporting on climate change is one of the major journalistic challenges of our time. The climate crisis is also one of the most important issues of humanity for SPIEGEL. For this reason, we support an international initiative that seeks to take a look this week: "Covering Climate Now" has been initiated by the Columbia Journalism Review and the Canadian newspaper "The Nation", with more than 200 media companies worldwide including the Guardian, El País, La Repubblica, The Times of India, Bloomberg or Vanity Fair. SPIEGEL is dedicating the cover story of the current issue to the climate crisis this week and every day pays special attention to mirror.de
On 5 January 2019 it starts snowing in Upper Bavaria at night. Many residents are happy at first: finally snow for skiing, even if it is a little wet. No 24 hours later, first counties report school failures due to snow-covered roads.
On January 11, a flagged column with vehicles from the fire brigade and Technical Relief Agency (THW) set in motion to get a grip on the snow catastrophe. In the end, 38,000 firefighters will be on site, plus THW and the Bundeswehr. They have cleared the roads, freed roofs from a load weighing tons, ensured the supply and de-iced radio masts.
A few months later it starts to burn in the Mecklenburg Lübtheen. First, there are only six hectares. But since it has not rained for weeks, the fire spreads rapidly. The fire becomes the biggest forest fire in the history of the country. 5,000 forces are being pulled together, fighting nonstop against the flames.
Hardly counted are the stakes of the fire brigade during heavy rain, storms, flash floods, floods or forest fires: The extreme weather phenomena have become a challenge for the fire fighters. They are usually the first to be called.
One million volunteers
And there are likely to be more missions: Weather experts and climate researchers consider the weather extremes as an indicator of climate change. Nobody knows exactly when to reckon with a hot spring or a flood, says climate expert and Managing Director of the Munich Re Foundation, Thomas Loster: "It's like football: you do not know when the club will be champion He will be champion several times. "
Especially in rural areas, the federal fire service system is under massive pressure. While in the cities around 100 professional fire brigades are equipped with civil servants, in rural areas there are around one million volunteers in 23,000 fire brigades. And they are increasingly dealing with heavy weather events.
However, the climate crisis does not hit the fire departments completely unprepared. Politicians and firefighters have already shaken up two centuries of events: After the biggest fire in the history of the Federal Republic in the Lüneburg Heath in 1975 and the Elbe flood in 2002, Tanklöschwagen was bought, and the weirs also invested in training their members. Over the years, however, the verve has diminished. "We have forgotten a lot here," says fire department president Hartmut Ziebs.
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Now it is being retrofitted in a hurry, both in equipment and in training - because the fire brigades desperately need suitable vehicles, lighter clothing and aids such as extinguisher bags and Löscherspsche.
So Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania wants to support its communities with 50 million euros for the next few years so that at least the oldest vehicles can be renewed. There is also money for new small appliances and protective clothing. In Saxony-Anhalt, the Ministry of the Interior intends to co-finance 14 vehicles in the coming year, especially for forest and area fires. Millions have already been invested in the equipment in Brandenburg.
Also, the federal government, actually not responsible, is required and has increased the budget for civil defense to 100 million euros. The supply of civil protection units of the countries with - but only intended for war - special vehicles, however, is sluggish: So have been delivered by the 306 missing extinguishing vehicles for civil protection only about 40, of the planned 94 hose car yet.
Dependent on employer support
But equipment and training are only part of the problem anyway. Because the fire brigades are lacking in the countryside above all to members. This has to do on the one hand with the rural exodus, on the other hand, but also with the many commuters. They are not available at their place of residence during the day - and when an alarm goes off on site, too few firefighters are nearby.
In addition, employers are legally obliged to indemnify firefighters for missions. But not all companies are enthusiastic about it - certainly not when the volunteer work takes several days. And that can quickly be the case in forest fires and other large-scale situations.
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Firefighters Hartmut Ziebs therefore demands a relief for the fire brigades: "Legislators - at provincial level - have to consider what the original tasks of the fire brigade are: Does the volunteer fire department have to remove the oil on the road - or the road maintenance? Voluntary fire departments often have to open doors because there are helpless people behind it - is not that up to the police? "
However, in the provincial diets other solutions are debated: support fire brigades that are used across communities, incentives such as bonuses for volunteers or even more full-time staff.
