On 15 June, Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) handed over a fire demonstration container to the Gießen District Fire Brigade Association. SWG had spent 220 hours dismantling the container and preparing it for use at public events.
A faulty kettle or an overheated deep fryer can easily turn into a source of fire. Once they catch fire, the flames often spread rapidly and ignite curtains, furniture and carpets. Horst Münch, who was present at the handover of the fire demonstration container last Saturday afternoon in his role as 1st Chairman of the Giessen District Fire Brigade Association, explained: "If you follow a few basic rules, you can minimise the risk of a fire in your own four walls. However, if an emergency does occur, you need to act correctly and quickly." In future, the volunteer fire brigades in the district of Giessen will be able to clearly demonstrate where hidden dangers lurk and how tenants or homeowners should react in the event of a fire. On 15 June, Stadtwerke Giessen (SWG) sponsors Stephanie Orlik from the SWG Marketing & Sales department and Sina Volbrecht, an apprentice electronics technician for industrial engineering, presented a so-called fire demonstration container and a symbolic donation cheque to Horst Münch, Michael Weber, who has been 1st Chairman of the Giessen District Fire Brigade Association for several days, and Frank Müller, Secretary of the District Fire Brigade Association - the fourth highlight of the 75 good deeds in SWG's anniversary year.
Demonstrating an emergency
In future, the interior of the large red steel box can be furnished like a typical living room or children's room. A tipped-over candle or an exploding aerosol can can be used to realistically demonstrate what causes a house fire and what happens in the minutes after it breaks out. Horst Münch promised after the handover: "We will make the fire demonstration container available to all volunteer fire brigades in the district for events in future."
The desire to put a demonstration container into service has existed among the fire services in the region for some time. The Buseck volunteer fire brigade even had the basis for building the container - a suitable steel frame. However, it was clear to all those responsible that an elaborate conversion and extension would be necessary, which would require a great deal of time and money. "We often sat together and thought about how we could manage the task," explained Michael Weber. Sina Volbrecht, herself a member of the Trohe volunteer fire brigade, and Stephanie Orlik were aware of this. "As part of our 'Fire brigade of the future' competition, I am in regular contact with the district's fire brigades, which is how I found out about the plans," explained Stephanie Orlik. Together with Sina Volbrecht, she therefore proposed the expansion of the container as one of the 75 good deeds. Over the past weeks and months, the team led by Stephan Walter, master locksmith at SWG, and Ralf Schlesinger, head of the workshop area at SWG, prepared the steel frame and clad it with metal panels. Michael Hamisch then took over the painting work. "Our Technical Services department invested around 220 hours in the project. We are proud of the result and are pleased to be able to provide a good service to the fire brigades," emphasised Ralf Schlesinger.
Once the container was completed, the interior still had to be fitted with furniture. A task in which the godmothers of good deeds Sina Volbrecht and Stephanie Orlik supported the volunteer fire brigades. "Without the help of Stadtwerke, who provided their technical expertise and a large number of hours, it is possible that only the steel scaffolding would still be standing at the Buseck volunteer fire brigade today. A big thank you to SWG for their commitment," said Frank Müller.