Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to your state association, the supply of extinguishing water is becoming an increasing challenge for the fire brigades, especially in the case of large, area and vegetation problems. Large amounts of water are needed to fight such fires, said association chairman Karsten Utterodt on Tuesday of the German Press Agency. This could become a problem, especially in smaller towns, because they usually only have one main water pipe from which extinguishing water can be taken. Working together with farms, for example, who could help with water transport, is becoming increasingly important for the fire brigades in such fires.
The situation with the extinguishing water is currently different in the case of persistent drought and low water in rivers in Thuringia, said Utterodt. "Of course there is still fire water." Especially in the cities, which usually have a water ring main, the supply works even with the current drought. Municipalities are legally obliged to provide fire-fighting water.
In addition to the pipe network for the drinking water supply, extinguishing ponds and cisterns are the most important water suppliers. However, the extinguishing ponds would also have to be maintained regularly and the construction of cisterns would have to be taken into account when planning new development areas. From the point of view of the head of the association, there are omissions here, especially in rural areas. The fire brigades are also allowed to take extinguishing water from rivers, streams and lakes, and taking it from swimming pools is also allowed. However, around the course of the Ilm, the situation is currently problematic due to low water.
In the case of a major fire in Bothenheiligen (Unstrut-Hainich district) in mid-July, the extinguishing work was made more difficult by the fact that the water had temporarily run out. Farmers then used tankers to bring in new extinguishing water.
