According to the President of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), Dirk Aschenbrenner, the operational conditions for fire departments and rescue services and disaster control are changing more and more rapidly.
“Innovative solutions are urgently needed in order to keep up with developments and remain efficient,” said Dirk Aschenbrenner at a virtual specialist conference. It is, therefore, important to recognize the need, develop solutions and integrate them into practice.
lack of financial resources
The vfdb president pointed out that the resources are not infinitely available
“The operational scenarios are becoming more complex – for example due to new technologies, building materials and processes,” says Dirk Aschenbrenner, who is also Head of the Dortmund fire department.
He adds, “The number of cases and the severity of events are increasing, just think of the current pandemic, forest fires and climate-related storms.”
Social and cultural change requires adjustments
Social and cultural change also requires adjustments. The vfdb president pointed out that the resources are not infinitely available.
In addition to the lack of skilled personnel, there is also a lack of financial resources, for example, to constantly expand the capacities of the rescue service.
Development of new technologies
Industry and business are driving the development of new technologies. Their application to avert danger must be examined.
Aschenbrenner cited thermal imaging technology as an example. At the same time, however, the solutions would have to be developed for specific tasks, which in turn would then be implemented by the industry.
Innovation “Telenotarzt” - a positive example
Aschenbrenner sees the innovation “Telenotarzt” as a positive example of this development.
Aschenbrenner sees the innovation “Telenotarzt” as a positive example of this development. This makes it possible to compensate for the “emergency doctor” resource, which is sometimes not available or not available quickly enough, and at the same time strengthens the competence of the emergency paramedic.
The emergency doctor is then on-site virtually, the effort is reduced and the cost-effectiveness is improved. The concept was carefully developed as part of a research project and has already been tested at pilot locations. Implementation on a large scale is now underway in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Implementing digital and robotic technologies
Dirk Aschenbrenner named the Institute for Fire and Rescue Technology (IFR) and the German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ) in Dortmund as important drivers for promoting innovations for civil emergency response. In addition, the vfdb, with its more than 3,000 members, offers an excellent network of experts for protection, rescue, and security.
Aschenbrenner regretted that the implementation of existing research results in the area of security was not or only inadequately supported. The necessary infrastructure for implementing digital and robotic technologies is also not available or only partially available. Likewise, the procurement and maintenance of new technologies are inadequately budgeted.
“The necessary framework conditions – for example, the definition of interfaces and standards – do not exist, and many fire departments lack the necessary specialists who can promote and support the introduction of new technologies,” criticized the expert.
