Black smoke and cries for help: Rottweil fire department in emergency response!

Black smoke and cries for help: Rottweil fire department in emergency response!

On October 26, 2025, the Rottweil fire department carried out an impressive annual exercise that was entirely dedicated to realistic operational preparation. The exercise took place at BDT Automation GmbH, which made its premises available for the campaign. The qualities of the emergency services and the interaction between various organizations were the focus of the event.

The exercise involved a simulated fire alarm scenario characterized by “black smoke” coming from a garage and an office building, which was attributed to open fire doors. At the same time, the air was filled with desperate cries for help from the “trapped” people. The emergency services were alerted at 2 p.m. with the keyword “fire alarm.” Ready after just three minutes, the first firefighters arrived at the scene.

The emergency is in full swing

City Fire Chief Frank Müller quickly raised the alarm to B4, indicating a building fire, and later to B5 when he recognized the potential danger to numerous people. A full alarm was sounded and almost 100 emergency services and 19 vehicles from the Rottweil fire department arrived. The German Red Cross was also on site with eight people and three vehicles to care for the injured.

Rescuing people proved to be challenging. The use of a turntable ladder and aerial work platform was necessary, with the firefighters laying hoses for the interior attack and establishing a hose connection to the Neckar to ensure that sufficient fire-fighting water was available. Spectators, including Mayor Christian Ruf, watched with fascination as the emergency services worked under high pressure.

A lot of skill was required when the rescue of the people was in full swing. Some emergency services used extension ladders, and the tactical leader Tobias Weiß assisted City Fire Chief Müller with the coordination. After about 40 minutes, a “fire out” was finally announced, but before the clean-up work could begin, it was ensured that no one was left in the building.

Preparation for upcoming challenges

Such exercises are important not only in Rottweiler's operational calendar, but also in other regions where firefighters regularly prepare for unusual scenarios. This was also the case on September 24th, where various height rescues and technical assistance were practiced. The autumnal and dark days are just around the corner, and the need for intensive practice is emphasized by those responsible, as Christian Schwanke explains: Practical exercises will soon become less frequent and the emergency services will have to prepare for theoretical scenarios.

The importance of such realistic training scenarios is underlined by the concept of operational training, which has been developed since 2004. It offers fire and rescue services the opportunity to train under realistic conditions and gain important experience. Each exercise is followed by a debriefing for reflection in order to further improve quality and optimally prepare the emergency services for real challenges. As the experiences of the last few years show, the positive feedback from participants is unmistakable: this type of training can be life-saving.

The Rottweil fire department shows once again that it stands up for the safety of citizens with a high level of professionalism and commitment and is well equipped to act correctly in an emergency.

For more information about the fire brigade's exercises and their preparations, visit the website of Schwarzwälder Bote, Lokaldirekt and Einsatztraining.