High-rise building fire drill conducted in Hattingen

On Saturday, January 18th, a significant fire exercise took place at Unicorn Tower, Hattingen. The event, which saw the activation of the fire alarm system, was meticulously planned and involved a large number of deployment forces.

Extensive preparation was carried out before the exercise, with approximately 65 forces on-site. This included professional personnel from the fire department Hattingen, as well as voluntary units Mitte and Nord, and external assistance from the volunteer fire departments of Blankenstein and Holthausen, and specialized units from the Ennepe-Ruhr district.

To ensure smooth logistics, a depot for personnel and material was set up two floors below the affected area. As the exercise progressed, a depot team was gradually called up from the depot floor to search for and rescue missing persons in the fire area.

The fire department Hattingen has developed a concept for high-rise fire fighting, and this exercise served as an opportunity to test its feasibility. The concept relied on the use of staircases for logistics, as elevators were not to be used in case of fire.

Visible flames and smoke were observed on the seventh floor. Two teams in heavy breathing apparatus were initially sent to the affected floor. A safety team was also deployed to rescue an injured firefighter during the exercise.

Water supply to the building was established, and EN district's deployment vehicle ELW2 was also deployed. The watch at Wildhagen was staffed by forces from the Niederwenigern fire station during the exercise.

Tomas Stanke, head of the fire department Hattingen, was satisfied with the exercise result. He stated that it served as a "door opener" for future large-scale exercises. The insights gained will be implemented in further exercises to improve the department's readiness and response to high-rise fires.

For inquiries, Jens Herkstroeter can be contacted at the Feuerwehr Hattingen Press Office. The exercise marked a significant step forward in Hattingen's efforts to ensure the safety of its high-rise buildings in the event of a fire.