Brandenburg's forest in flames: helicopter instead of fire aircraft!

Brandenburg's forest in flames: helicopter instead of fire aircraft!

In Brandenburg, the forest fires have already used more space this season than in the entire previous forest fire season. In view of this alarming situation, the state government has decided to use helicopters for fire fighting. Interior Minister René Wilke (non -party, for SPD) said in the state parliament that extinguishing aircraft was not optimal for combating forest fires and that firefighters share this view. "Helicopters can be used in the short term and more flexible," says Wilke. This flexibility enables targeted use of the extinguishing water containers, which is of crucial importance in the current situation. This also became clear in a large forest fire in the Gohrischheide in Saxony, where helicopters were successfully used for fire fighting.

However, the discussion about the appropriate extinguishing methods polarizes. While the ** AfD faction ** considers the purchase of extinguishing aircraft to be cost-effective and able to transport larger quantities of extinguishing water, at the same time it demands that helicopters only use helicopter due to their high operating costs. Wilke's rejection of an application from the AfD to purchase fire aircraft was found in the state parliament.

technical requirements and challenges

Wilke also emphasized that Brandenburg was technically well positioned in fire protection and referred to 34 specially designed tank fire vehicles, 21 of which are currently being procured. In addition, the state government plans to introduce three automated fire engines. Brandenburg is to classify in Germany due to dry soils and the high stress of fighting as the federal state with the highest risk of forest fire in Germany. The need for a climate -adapted conversion of the forest and the creation of fire protection strips are pointed out.

The SPD parliamentary group leader Björn Lüttmann also called for more financial resources from the federal government to save fighting and pointed out the need for autonomous and remote-controlled fire engines. These could offer crucial advantages in particular in contaminated forests. A new armored command center of the Brandenburg fire brigade, which can control a fire -fighting robot and floor manipulator, are further technical progress in fire fighting.

air -supported fire -fighting dogs

In many cases, the air -supported fire -fighting method is the only way to effectively combat forest fires, especially in difficult to access terrain. Despite the existing helicopters, the number of fire -fighting aircraft in Germany is rated as comparatively low. In contrast, countries such as the United States and some European countries have significantly larger fleets of fire -fighting aircraft.

In Bavaria, for example, hobby silots support fire monitoring by reporting smoke developments. In the future, surveillance satellites and drones will also play a role in the early detection of forest fires. At the University of Erlangen is already being researched on drone systems for rapid fire.