Quick action in case of danger

37 clinics, 29 institutes, around 1,300 beds and around 450,000 patients a year and about 8,400 employees - that, in a nutshell, is Bonn University Hospital (UKB). Ambulances and rescue vehicles drive in and out, and rescue helicopters also land frequently. The university hospital also has its own fire department: a plant fire department. If there's ever a fire, it's particularly important to act quickly. One of the reasons for this is that many of the patients would not be able to get themselves to safety in an emergency.

The plant fire department, which is part of the Bonn professional fire department, has around 50 officers.

Help also in the neighborhood

The modern fire station, in which two fire engines, a turntable ladder and a multipurpose vehicle are available to the emergency services, has been in existence for a good three years. The basis for the facility is a cooperation agreement between UKB and the city of Bonn and the requirements of the district government. The population in the surrounding area also benefits from the plant fire department. If there is an alarm in the immediate neighborhood, the hospital firefighters are also quickly on the scene.

"The establishment of the site fire department not only means optimal protection for our patients and employees around the clock - we are also pleased that, starting from the Venusberg Campus, the people in our neighborhood not only receive the fastest possible medical assistance, but also optimal help in fire and other fire emergencies," the city of Bonn quotes the Medical Director and Chairman of the Board at UKB, Prof. Wolfgang Holzgreve.

117 years of experience

Hospital fire departments of various designs are not uncommon in Germany. For example, in the Bavarian town of Haar near Munich, the fire department at the kbo-Isar-Amper-Klinikum has now existed for 117 years.

"Our fire department consists exclusively of employees of the clinic. The comrades perform the work in the plant fire department in addition to their job," explains clinic spokesman Henner Lüttecke. "Every firefighter receives a radio alarm receiver after passing basic training and can thus be alerted from home, at work or in the immediate vicinity. After being alerted by the Munich-Land Fire Department Operations Center, the comrades make their way to the fire station on foot, by bicycle or car to change clothes and staff the emergency vehicles."

Exchange at INTERSCHUTZ

There are about 60 hospital fire departments in Germany, as reported by the Plant Fire Department Association (WFVD). Nevertheless, they are rather less known to the public than plant fire departments in industry, industrial parks or airports.

At INTERSCHUTZ, the WFD will provide information about the work of the fire departments and the association at a large booth (Hall 13/H19 ). "With us, experts meet professional colleagues and can exchange ideas," says booth project manager Reinhold Bücher. Currently - the association emphasizes - all players are facing unprecedented challenges.

"Accelerating climate change poses existential threats," it says in a brief. "The need to strengthen and further develop measures for civil protection and protection of critical infrastructure is coming to the fore. At the same time, digital development is continuously opening up new possibilities for hazard prevention and defense."