Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - According to an expert, more fire-fighting helicopters must be available more quickly in order to be better prepared in dangerous situations such as the forest fires of the past few days in many parts of Germany. Additional helicopters are needed, they would have to be available much earlier for the operations management and the coordination between the authorities involved urgently needs to be improved, said the chairman of the working group in the German Fire Brigade Association, Ulrich Cimolino, the German Press Agency on Friday.
It happens again and again that a piece of forest or a field is already ablaze over a large area and still has to be discussed "for hours" about a requested helicopter. "This is not modern security," criticized Cimolino. The WDR had previously reported.
In the past few days, the fire brigade had also fought numerous forest fires in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the Sauerland, the extinguishing work sometimes took several days.
Cimolino spoke of an "authority Mikado". In some federal states, forms still have to be filled out even in such emergencies. No fire brigade in Germany has its own fire-fighting helicopters, they would be requested from the federal police or the armed forces, the expert described. These are much more flexible and multifunctional than firefighting aircraft.
"The planes can only drop water and observe a bit from the air." On the other hand, the helicopters could also act in a targeted manner in impassable terrain and at mountain incisions - not only taking up and dropping fire-fighting water, but also transporting personnel and material.
There are 16 regulations in 16 federal states, and in some cases there are also several different specifications within the individual states. The federal structure makes it complicated. The fire chief appealed that a "reasonable line-up" was needed urgently and quickly.
He gave an example: If a forest in North Rhine-Westphalia burns and requires a fire-fighting helicopter, the operations manager contacts the control center, which then contacts the district government, which in turn contacts the Ministry of the Interior. "There you can see who can fly - the state police, the federal police or the armed forces."
In North Rhine-Westphalia it is actually quite quick, even if the process takes one to two hours. In other federal states it takes much longer and in some places forms have to be filled out. Instead of preventing the flames from spreading, a lot of time is wasted. In this way, the expectations of the population cannot be met.
