When last weekend the radio detectors of the DLRG water rescue group in the Offenbach district beeped loudly with the alarm message “Accident involving two passenger ships on the Main”, the reaction was unusually restrained: 24 emergency services from all over the district, mostly managers, had already gathered at a school in Mühlheim to practice an emergency in a management simulation.
Separated by several rooms and communicating via radio, the situation report from the first rescue vehicle finally arrived at the fictitious control center. A collision was seen on the Main with around 1,000 people affected, each represented by an index card with name, address and other information, such as injuries. Without visual contact to the colleagues, the operations management organized the exercise using other fictitious forces until each individual patient card had found its way from the water to the hospital or to a care center.
Marius Müller, head of operations at the DLRG in the Offenbach district, described the fact that this management simulation was not an everyday scenario: “We usually work closely with the fire brigade and other aid organizations in such disasters. We have now deliberately chosen an extreme scenario, we have gone one level higher to uncover the limits and critical points.” Six hours after the start of the exercise, Tobias Killian, who had prepared the simulation with seven helpers, and Stefanie Müller, the DLRG disaster protection Officers, a positive balance “We are definitely well prepared for emergencies on and in the water”.
For the spring training offensive of the DLRG, there was also diligent practice at the other locations: In Seligenstadt, for example, boat training took place on the Main with three boats around Easter, new boat drivers were instructed in the flood boat and surf lifeboat. The interested passers-by did not have to worry about the people who jumped overboard: the current rescuers practiced swimming and quickly taking patients into the lifeboat when the current increased.
In the next few weeks, the DLRG and the fire brigade will carry out joint sonar training at the bathing lake in Rodgau in order to be able to quickly identify people on the bottom of the lake in an emergency. In order to be able to take good care of people rescued from the water, the DLRG provides medical training in the district association. In April, 12 proud lifeguards completed the medical training course A and received their certificate as medical assistants.
Bernd Marquard, chairman of the district association, sees the DLRG in a good position: “Thanks to the many training courses and exercises in the first four months of the year, we are ready for a hot summer season. Of course we appeal to people to be careful in and around the water, especially not to go swimming alone and to wear life jackets when doing water sports.”
If you are interested in the DLRG and would like to try your hand at a lifeguard badge, for example, you can go to the website
kv-offenbach-land.dlrg.de inform about this.
(Text: PM DLRG Offenbach)
