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Herbert Szukalsky in action: "The most important thing is our lemon tea"
Photo: Brigitte Hiss / DRK / DRK Landesverband Berliner Rotes Kreuz
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Szukalsky, it's freezing cold outside.
Who do you currently meet on the streets of Berlin when you are out and about at night with your heat bus?
Herbert Szukalsky: There
are still a surprising number of people.
We have mostly known them since the start of the heat bus season in November, they have their fixed places.
They are those who do not want to leave their place despite the extreme cold.
Usually we take a bus, but because of the cold we have expanded our range, currently there are up to ten vehicles on the road every night.
Since it got so cold, we have received so many calls for help that we would otherwise hardly be able to cope with them.
SPIEGEL:
How dangerous is it to spend the night outside now?
Szukalsky:
It can quickly become life-threatening.
Our ultimate goal is always to get people to the emergency shelters.
Especially when you are drunk you do not notice when you are cooling down.
People just don't wake up the next morning.
But many refuse the offer.
SPIEGEL:
For what reason?
Szukalsky:
The emergency shelters are not particularly popular.
Homeless people have to share their room with several other people, they fear being robbed.
Many have also experienced violence there.
And then there is Corona and the fear of infection.
In the meantime, some accommodations have introduced rapid tests, and nobody comes in without a negative smear.
That gives a bit of security, but of course you can't keep your distance.
“A lot of them just walk around in sneakers.
That is fatal at these temperatures. "
Herbert Szukalsky
SPIEGEL:
What first aid do you have with you in your bus?
Szukalsky:
The most important thing is our lemon tea.
We serve it to contact you.
This is how you start a conversation.
We get an overview of what people need: Do they have sleeping mats or do they only sleep on cardboard?
Are you missing a thick jacket?
Most of the time, the homeless need winter-proof shoes, we never have enough of them.
Many just walk around in sneakers.
That is fatal at these temperatures.
SPIEGEL:
Extreme temperatures in the minus range are once again announced for this weekend, with temperatures as low as -15 degrees at night.
Are you worried about the homeless?
Szukalsky:
We always do that.
You can get hypothermic even at plus degrees, while drunk everything below ten degrees outside temperature can be life-threatening.
But in this extreme cold it can become critical particularly quickly.
We recently had a case like this.
We received a phone call that a homeless man was leaning against a wall in a side street, drunk.
We'll be there soon, and that was a good thing.
If we had come later, we would have had to call the ambulance.
The man was already hypothermic, urinated in his pants and was quite drunk.
SPIEGEL:
What do you do in such a case?
Szukalsky:
We were able to take the man to an emergency shelter.
Of course, we also have to protect ourselves on such journeys.
We have masks, gloves and disinfectants on board.
There is also a pad on the seats that is replaced after every trip.
We thought for a long time whether we could even drive this winter because of Corona.
But so far nobody from the team has been infected, also thanks to our strict hygiene concept.
SPIEGEL:
Is the city of Berlin doing enough for the homeless at these temperatures?
Szukalsky:
When it got so cold last week, there were 200 places in an emergency shelter from one day to the next.
Overall, the offer has improved in recent years.
When we started with the heat bus over ten years ago, things looked different.
Nevertheless, it has to be said that there are hardly any offers for disabled people.
For example, for those who are in a wheelchair or who need special care.
There is no place for them, they are left out.
Even in this extreme cold.
SPIEGEL:
How should I behave myself if I now see a homeless person on the street?
Szukalsky:
It is best to speak to people and ask them what they need and whether they would accept help.
If you don't want that, it helps to just give us a call.
We cannot search every street, we cannot look into every doorway.
We depend on the help of the population because we cannot search every street or look into every doorway.
The DRK heat bus in Berlin can be reached daily from 6 p.m. on 030/600 300 1010, we are on the way until after midnight.
There are similar offers in many cities.
So if you see a homeless man on the street, and not just in these extreme temperatures: please give us a call!
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