On a weekend in April, the fire brigade service of grades 9 and 10 took three fire engines to Munich, where we were able to visit the fire station of the Munich Volunteer Fire Brigade, Department Stadtmitte 2. Altsalemer Kevin Rothgänger, who took a liking to the fire brigade service during his time at boarding school, is now the department commander there and had invited us along. After about a four-hour drive, we – 19 students from the ninth and tenth grades and our three supervisors – were welcomed at the Munich-Schwabing fire station. After moving into our rooms in the fire station, we were given a guided tour of the building, equipment, vehicles, etc. We then had dinner together with our supervisors. Over dinner with the supervisors and a few members of the volunteer fire department, we got to know Kevin Rothgänger and a few comrades from Munich. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Kevin once again for making this visit possible.

On Saturday, we got active ourselves. We started with a tour of the Munich professional fire department and the integrated control center. We then carried out exercises at four different stations. Together with comrades from the Munich Youth Fire Brigade, we were divided into groups.  At the stations, which were supervised by members of the volunteer fire department, we practiced rescuing people from a smoking building, rescuing a dog from a manhole and setting up a ladder and climbing to the second floor. The highlight was the station for which we drove to the nearby Olympic Park and practiced a so-called "open water firefighting attack" at the Olympic Lake. This involves practicing drawing water from a lake, including setting up the hose lines to the scene of the fire. At the end of the day, the whole group went up the Olympia Tower, from where we could enjoy the breathtaking view.

On Sunday, we drove back to Salem after breakfast. Everyone learned a lot during this time and it was a varied experience. Last but not least, it was a good opportunity to get to know each other better.

Photos: Madeleine Arnold