The corona virus poses new challenges for the BRK's water savers. State President Ilse Aigner also knows this - when she visited the BRK water rescue station in Münsingen, she strengthened her back to the volunteers.
Calling Münsing - Ilse Aigner a water rat does not necessarily result in a criminal complaint for insult. From 2001 to 2009, the President of the Bavarian State Parliament was the State Chair of the Bavarian Red Cross's Water Rescue Service (BRK). To the day, the 55-year-old is personally involved when it comes to the issues of voluntary rescue workers or basically learning to swim. Aigner did this once again on Friday, at the BRK water rescue station on the Ambach recreation area (municipality of Münsing) to find out about the volunteers' preparations for the 2020 bathing season.
Münsing: Ilse Aigner finds out about preparations for the bathing season
The guard station on the eastern shore of Lake Starnberg is open from May to October on all weekends and on public holidays. Every real estate agent would charge a million markup for the view from the large windows of the building inaugurated in 2017 and the Alpine chain - but the water savers are not on site to enjoy the postcard landscape. On the contrary: your work, which requires well-founded training, high concentration and numerous individual skills, is a lot of work. Probably a lot more this year than usual, because due to the corona pandemic, holidaymakers are less drawn to Lake Garda and to the lake around the corner. "These holidays are challenging us all", Aigner predicted and appealed to tourists and day trippers to "be extremely careful". The water temperature in Lake Starnberg is currently 16 degrees, "anyone who climbs in should assess their strength correctly," said the President of the Landtag. Because in the event of an emergency, “every operation is also a risk for the rescue workers”.
"There is no protection for us in the water," emphasized Ingo Roeske, Vice-President and Local Chairman of the Wolfratshauser Wasserwacht, with a view of the corona virus. “Nobody can be pulled out of the water at a distance of one and a half meters,” Aigner illustrated. She pointed out: An action triggered by recklessness becomes an additional danger for the volunteer rescuers in these times; if they become infected, they have to be quarantined for two weeks and gaps in other duty and duty plans. Not to mention the course of the disease.
"There is no protection for us in the water"
"We are facing major challenges," said the State Chairman of the Bavarian Water Guard, Member of the State Parliament, Thomas Huber. Behind him and almost 70,000 active water rescuers in the Free State are busy weeks in which a sophisticated hygiene protection concept has been developed "and 556 local groups have been trained," said Huber. Because the nasty virus not only lurks on the water, but of course also on land. "That's why the top priority is to keep your distance," Roeske dictated to the press representatives in the blocks. This applies to bathers on the lakeshore and to patients: "We have to protect not only those who come to the guard station with a graze, but also those who are already being treated for a graze in the medical room." That is why the smaller one has to look after himself Aches and pains, maybe be patient for a short moment.
"We have concepts," emphasized the head of Wolfratshauser Wasserwacht, but in order for them to be fully effective, people need to "respect" each other. Roeske: "Please also think of us, we are volunteers."
“I am here today to support our volunteers. I know about the great commitment of the many men and women who make our vacation in Bavaria safer, ”Aigner broke a lance for the active. The easing of the lockdown would lead to "a lot of people coming to the lakes and mountains" in the next few weeks. But everyone has a high level of responsibility for themselves and others: “We don't want to become a second Ischgl. We want as much freedom and as much security as possible. Let us help with caution and consideration so that our water and mountain volunteers do not reach their limits, ”said the 55-year-old.
Ilse Aigner learned to swim in the fire pond in Unterwertach
Aigner, Huber and the member of the state parliament, Martin Bachhuber, were able to convince themselves of the effectiveness of the emergency services on Friday with a simulated rescue operation. When and where did the President of the Landtag learn to swim? As a little girl, Aigner told our newspaper that she splashed around in the swimming pond in her parents' garden. "I really learned it at the age of seven or eight in the fire pond in Unterwertach." Even today she remembers "the cloudy water" and "the frog that suddenly sat on my shoulder". The fun of the cool water did not spoil her either.
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