Lifesaving in focus
The production of two fire brigade films in Enzkreis reserved surprises for everyone. The films of the Ludwigsburg University of Public Administration can be seen here.
Photo: Stefan Friedrich
What is it like to work in the fire department, what does a behind-the-scenes look at in the fire station look like? Together with the students of the Ludwigsburg University of Public Administration, the Enzkreis fire brigade produced two videos revealing this.
The productions “Ehrenamt für die Gesellschaft” and “Freunde für’s Leben” were created with the support of the author Jürgen von Bülow. They were presented on Saturday at the Rex cinema in Pforzheim.
What’s behind the movies? In 2019, the Enzkreis fire brigade association had already launched its future 2030 strategy and developed a work program for the next few years, which will be implemented in various project groups.
Even professionals are amazed by the work of the fire brigade
One such group deals with the positioning of the fire brigade as an important municipal institution. The idea for a film was born quickly. The first interviews with 25 university students were held in September 2021.
The students developed the scripts together with screenwriter Jürgen von Bülow. Filming finally took place in Knittlingen in April. The students were supported by cameraman Michael Arnieri, who also took care of post-production.
Von Bülow and Arnieri were also present at the film presentation on Saturday. In a panel discussion, they answered questions about production and intention.
Working with the fire brigade was a first for Bülow: “I found some very exciting things.” However, the preparation for the shoot was time-consuming, as was the subsequent work.
Documentation of a “large community” from the Enzkreis fire brigade
The experience will help students in their careers. The key result is “that projects must be prepared, have a short duration in which they take place and therefore must be followed up”.
While I am flattered to be credited with directing these films, the truth is that Arnieri did the creative work. “He set up the framing, the tracking shots and everything else.”
In terms of dramaturgy, Arnieri also “did a really great trick” by assembling the firefighters’ responses “in such a way that he can see that it’s a great community.” Now he feels a little safer in his apartment than he does.
“Film projects are obviously one of the highlights of the future 2030 strategy,” said the president of the Enzkreis fire brigade association, Markus Haberstroh, during the screening of the films.
He knew? 96 percent of firefighters work voluntarily
“Through the productions, some of this work becomes visible,” he stressed. For him too, the making of the films was “extremely exciting”: the work lasted all day, even with the repetition of various scenes.
Above all, he thanked the students who delved into the background and learned many details about the work of the fire brigade. “I didn’t know that around 96 percent of classmates work on a voluntary basis,” said student Aileen Desiree Stolz. She wanted to work on the film out of curiosity: “To see how such a production is born”.
What does the University of Administration itself have to do with the fire brigade? “A great deal,” said Birgit Schenk, a professor of computer science and administrative organization, who oversaw the film’s project. Firefighters are “a voluntary task which is actually a mandatory task”.
However, in training it is “not actually addressed” as a municipal task. That is why the collaboration with the Enzkreis fire brigade was so important for this film project.
