German Fire Protection Association (VFDB) News

Scientists from the Institute for Fire and Disaster Protection in Heyrothsberge near Magdeburg have proven in a recent study that dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) penetrates through walls without any problems.  As the researchers report in detail in an article in the magazine of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) (issue 2/2020), various building materials were examined. A clear passage of CO gas was detected. The concentrations detected were relevant from a to...

Because of the ongoing drought, the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) has once again warned of the increasing risk of forest fires.  There are severe precipitation deficits, especially in the west, in the middle, and parts of northern and eastern Germany, said the vfdb Forest Fire Expert, Fire Director - Dr. Ulrich Cimolino.  Meteorological findings “The previous forecasts do not give any reason to give the all-clear,” said Dr. Ulrich Cimolin...

Drones are increasingly becoming valuable helpers in averting danger.  “Whether for exploring confusing deployment sites, forest fires or searching for missing people – the range of possibilities is becoming ever larger,” emphasized the President of the Expert Network for Protection, Rescue and Security (vfdb), Dirk Aschenbrenner in Dortmund.  rules for unmanned aircraft The German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ) is currently working with the vfdb on a comprehensive s...

In an open letter to the federal government, the state governments, and several members of the Bundestag, the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) suggested a digitalization pact for hazard prevention. The Corona crisis, which Germany has managed well so far thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, still shows clearly that there are significant gaps, when it comes to digitalization. economic stimulus package “Too many processes are still carried out analogou...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) is celebrating its 70th anniversary. It was founded on May 22, 1950 in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt to further develop German fire protection scientifically and technically.  “Over the past seven decades, we have succeeded in creating an internationally renowned network of experts for protection, rescue, and security,” says vfdb President Dirk Aschenbrenner. “Whether in fire protection or technical assista...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) has closed an important gap in the recording and evaluation of building fires.  A comprehensive report on fire damage statistics is available, in which the fire events are statistically described on more than 500 pages and the effectiveness of fire protection measures is examined and presented. Over 5,000 building fire operations were taken into account nationwide. fires and fire brigade operations “The publication...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) has warned of the extreme danger of forest and vegetation fires. “The major fire in Gummersbach and the moor fire in Emsland show how quickly, even in the spring, even the smallest beginnings can develop into a highly precarious situation within a short period of time,” said vfdb President, Dirk Aschenbrenner. He adds, “We still remember the devastating fires last year with horror. That's why the first major f...

INTERSCHUTZ, which was scheduled for June 2020, will be postponed by one year. This is the mutual decision of the organizers and partners of the trade fair for fire and rescue services, civil protection, safety and security. The reason is the coronavirus, which directly affects both exhibitors and visitors of INTERSCHUTZ and requires them to be available for duty at other locations. INTERSCHUTZ will now take place from 14 to 19 June 2021 in Hannover. About three months before the actual start o...

According to the President of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), Dirk Aschenbrenner, federal, state, and local authorities must use uniform data material when dealing with the Corona crisis.  So far, the selection has been left to each of the participating institutions themselves.  uniform data material “There are already very good maps that clearly show the documented cases of infection (COVID-19) in Germany based on the current data from the...

The last INTERSCHUTZ was five years ago, and a lot has happened since then. The megatrends of digital transformation, urbanization and demographic and climate change mean that societies worldwide – and the fire, rescue and civil protection services charged with safeguarding them – now face greater and often different challenges than just five years ago. Consequently, INTERSCHUTZ is now even more important than when last staged in 2015. "It is in times of change such as these that th...

Topics such as digitalization and robotics are increasingly finding their way into fire departments, disaster control and rescue services. This was pointed out by Albrecht Broemme, member of the executive board of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb).  At an event on the occasion of the INTERSCHUTZ 2020 trade fair, which is about 100 days away, Broemme said on Thursday (March 5) in Hamburg: “We must not lose touch.” At the same time, he pointe...

The German Rescue Robotics Center e.V. (DRZ), Dortmund, will be at INTERSCHUTZ with two of its creations. They are technical assistance robots, designed to safeguard first responders from hazards on the job They don’t have proper names yet, so for now their engineer creators are simply calling them D2 and D3 technical assistance robots. "We’ll be changing that at INTERSCHUTZ, if not sooner, I promise!" said Robert Grafe. AI-based robotics rescue system The German Rescue Robotics C...

Sascha Pomp has always been passionate about the fire service and the work it does. Having served as a crew chief and equipment maintenance officer in Halstenbek, Schleswig-Holstein, he has a thorough understanding of what is involved – including the problems. And one of the main problem areas he encountered was equipment management, a task which back then, in the 1980s, was still intensely manual, involving logbooks, file cards and various other paper records. So he rolled up his sleeves...

The German Fire Brigade Association (DFV) and the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) have expressed concern about Federal Health Minister - Jens Spahn's plans to reform emergency care.  “Germany has one of the most exemplary rescue service systems in Europe, which many people even envy us for,” said the Presidents of DFV and vfdb, Hartmut Ziebs and Dirk Aschenbrenner, on the sidelines of the DFV Federal Congress on Thursday in Berlin. This well-rehe...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection eV (vfdb) has presented the working principle of water mist in a leaflet. At the same time, the different water mist technologies are described. The experts provide an overview of the basics and possible applications as well as the limitations of water mist extinguishing systems. The distinction from other extinguishing technologies such as sprinkler systems, water spray extinguishing systems, and gas extinguishing systems is also expl...

Together with fire brigades, industry, and science, the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) has developed nationwide national fire damage statistics. This provides a meaningful minimum basis for fire events in Germany. To date, more than 5,000 missions have been recorded. The statistics, which close a gap in German fire protection, will continue to be updated. The statistical data helps to investigate the effectiveness of (technical) fire protection measures. fire da...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) and the German Fire Brigade Association reacted with incomprehension to the prejudgment of the London Fire Brigade in connection with the Grenfell Tower fire in London. 72 people died in the disaster two years ago.  In numerous media reports, the fire brigade has now been blamed for the deaths of numerous people due to alleged serious errors of a 'systematic nature', citing the previously announced investigation report...

According to the President of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), Dirk Aschenbrenner, fire departments, disaster control, and rescue services are facing major new challenges. “The reason is the diverse global changes. Climate, society, technology – everything is changing,” said Dirk Aschenbrenner at the REAS powered by INTERSCHUTZ trade fair in Montichiari, Italy. In addition to the use of innovative technology with many new opportunities throu...

Technical change, climatic changes, and social developments mean new challenges for the fire brigades, rescue services, and disaster control in the future. This is the conclusion of the 66th annual conference of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), which ended in Ulm. Around 650 experts from home and abroad spent three days finding out about the current state of science technology and security. digital technology What became particularly clear was the realizatio...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection has warned of the currently increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. “Fire departments and rescue services had to be deployed several times on recent hot days to bring people with symptoms of poisoning to clinics,” says vfdb President - Dirk Aschenbrenner.  'CO makes KO' initiative Dirk Aschenbrenner adds, “The cause of the accidents was mainly gas boilers for producing hot water. At the same time, he refer...

AFAC19 powered by INTERSCHUTZ is the biggest-ever edition of the event. This is due in part to the first-time inclusion of the national conference of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) in the AFAC program, which also includes the Australian Disaster Resilience Conference. The high-caliber Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Forum will once again cover all the latest research findings on natural catastrophes and resilience, while a German group pavilion with 11 companies will also be...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) has criticized the rapid approval of electric scooters on public roads. “Experiences so far with the so-called e-scooters have shown that the legislature urgently needs to make improvements,” said vfdb President Dirk Aschenbrenner.  At the same time, Aschenbrenner called for fire departments and rescue services to be involved in assessing the risk potential well in advance of the introduction of new technol...

According to the experiences of the German Fire Brigade Association (DFV) and the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), fire extinguishing sprays correspond to the state of the art and have been successfully tested in practice over many years.  The DFV as the umbrella organization of volunteer, professional and company fire departments and the vfdb as an expert network for protection, rescue and safety therefore recommend their use in the event of normal fire risk...

Fire engines and other emergency vehicles can also meet the requirements of the Euro VI emissions standard. According to the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), existing exemptions that still allow EU standard V for such vehicles will no longer be necessary in the future.  Extensive experience from the fire departments in Berlin, Hamburg and Hanover has shown that there are no significant performance restrictions in driving and operational operations, said...

Every year in Germany, an average of 20 people die and around 150 are injured in fires in social facilities. Jörg Wilms-Vahrenhorst from the Federal Association of Technical Fire Protection pointed this out on Tuesday, at the annual conference of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) in Ulm.  He referred to statistics from the German Patient Protection Foundation. The risk of loss of life in a fire for nursing home residents is around five times highe...

Without progressive digitalization and networking, an efficient fire department and a modern rescue service will no longer be conceivable in the future.  Several speakers pointed this out on the second day of the annual conference of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) in Ulm. Only the use of digital possibilities helps rescuers in all areas to keep up with the requirements, according to the conclusion. challenges The challenges continue to increase. As one...

Under the motto - 'Climate, society, technology - everything is changing?' - the 66th annual conference of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) began on Monday in the Ulm Donauhalle.  lively network Around 650 experts from fire departments, rescue services, and disaster control as well as from scientific institutions, engineering offices, industry, and authorities take part in the three-day event. The congress aims to convey the current state of science tech...

New technology and strategies are urgently required if rescue services are to meet the enormous challenges they encounter in the modern world. Demographic change, the need for well-trained specialist personnel and responding to major incidents and disasters are just some of the keynote themes that demand answers. At INTERSCHUTZ 2020 manufacturers, suppliers, rescue services and training institutes will present their solutions and ideas for future-fit rescue services. At the same time, INTERSCHU...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) has warned against misuse of the emergency number - 112.  “Anyone who willfully or thoughtlessly places additional burden on the operations control centers with unnecessary conversations will, in the worst case scenario, risk human lives,” said vfdb President - Dirk Aschenbrenner on the occasion of the European Emergency Call 112 Day on February 11th. The date was set ten years ago by the European Parliament, t...

When a trade fair decides on a lead theme, that is just the beginning. It is then up to exhibitors to take the next steps by breathing life into the lead theme – by featuring it at their stands, providing hands-on demos and sparking dialogue. "We are absolutely delighted at the early, strong commitment of our exhibiting partners and companies at INTERSCHUTZ 2020," says Martin Folkerts, Global Director of INTERSCHUTZ at the Deutsche Messe group of companies. "Our exhibitors are in the proc...