Bad Tölz (dpa / lby) - The mountain rescue service in Bavaria sharply criticized the presentation of the cave rescue from 2014 in the TV two-part series "Giant thing - every hour counts". As a lot of feedback showed, the impression was created that it was a documentation, said Klaus Burger, regional manager of the Chiemgau mountain rescue service and at the time part of the operations team. However, the representation does not reflect the rescue will and competence of the mountain rescuers. "The mountain rescue service is put in the wrong light, which our highly motivated volunteer women and men didn't deserve," said Burger on Friday.
At Pentecost 2014, a rockfall seriously injured a researcher in the Riesending Cave near Berchtesgaden. In a spectacular operation with 700 helpers - cave climbers from five countries and members of numerous organizations - the rescue was successful.
In the feature film broadcast on ARD on Wednesday, the mountain rescue operations manager is shown as hesitant and overwhelmed; Above all, he seems to be interested in the good image of the mountain rescue service.
"In no way" does the film reflect reality, says Thomas Küblbeck from the Marktschellenberg Mountain Rescue Service, former regional manager and head of operations during the operation. The spokesman for the mountain rescue service, Roland Ampenberger, criticizes that a black and white world is being drawn at the expense of the mountain rescue service and its volunteers.
"We ask ourselves what the motivation is here and what the message of the film is ultimately supposed to be when there is a claim to reality, but at the same time an entire organization is discredited in order to create tension," says Ampenberger. "We are concerned that the description of this rescue operation will have anything but a positive effect on the motivation of our emergency services, but especially on all volunteers from other aid organizations." The mountain rescue team also received support online. "I found it impossible and cheeky how the mountain rescue service was portrayed in this film," commented a user on Facebook.
