As of: February 5, 2024, 7:02 a.m
By: Peter Schiebel
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Welcome to the MTA course: District fire officer Helmut Schweickart (front right) and district fire inspector Maximilian Wastian (front left) welcomed the 63 participants in the Starnberg district office.
© District Fire Inspectorate
The first basic block course for prospective firefighters has started in the Starnberg district.
63 women and men are taking part - and should be ready for action in just under three months.
So far, the training has lasted two years.
The new concept is particularly interesting for career changers.
District
– District fire inspector Maximilian Wastian speaks of an “absolute novelty in the district”.
While each of the 43 volunteer fire departments was previously responsible for training prospective firefighters, there is now a district-wide offer for “modular squad training,” or MTA for short.
Behind this is the basic training for firefighters.
The participants learn everything they need to know about extinguishing fires, are trained in technical assistance and gain insight into many other topics such as vehicle knowledge, fall protection and legal principles.
Last week, the first 63 participants started the MTA according to the new concept.
“At the request of many commanders and managers in the district, the district fire inspection took on the topic of MTA training,” reports Wastian.
The previous training system meant an enormous amount of time for each individual fire department, with sometimes low numbers of participants and led to very different levels of training.
There are small local fire departments with just one vehicle, but also those whose fleet is in the double digits.
Another problem: The MTA previously took two years, which was particularly unattractive for newcomers.
“Anyone who decides to join the fire department wants to help and get to work as quickly as possible,” says Wastian.
Against this background, as head of district training, he set up a project group in the summer of 2023 and, after numerous discussions with the armed forces, developed a curriculum.
“A course has been created that enables people to enter the alarm and response service after three months,” he says.
And: “It is guaranteed that there will again be a uniform level of training among firefighters.”
The concept includes theme evenings at the district fire inspection as well as theme evenings and Saturdays at 22 of the 43 fire departments in the district.
“Some locations are not suitable for teaching because, for example, there are no classrooms of the required size,” explains Wastian.
The fact that the commanders voted almost unanimously in favor of the new training at a general meeting last fall was “a great sign of the solidarity within the fire departments.”
The 63 participants of the first MTA course were welcomed by Wastian and district fire officer Helmut Schweickart at the Starnberg district office.
They are divided into groups West, North and East by region.
A second course is scheduled to follow in the fall.
There are a maximum of 90 places per course.
That's about as many as completed their training in a whole year under the old concept.