Crisis exercise in Oberhausen: Fire brigade tests new emergency concepts

Crisis exercise in Oberhausen: Fire brigade tests new emergency concepts

On Saturday, October 25, 2025, a large-scale exercise involving around 120 emergency services took place in Oberhausen, which was organized by the fire department and various aid organizations. The aim was to test and further develop the concept of emergency call and information points (NIP), which are intended to act as contact points for the population, especially in the event of disruptions to the 112 emergency call line or power outages. Fire department head Michael Jehn and the head of the civil defense and disaster control department, Martin Götzke, welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of these initiatives.

The exercise not only included the commissioning of the NIP and logistical coordination, but also ensuring barrier-free accessibility and primary medical care at the 14 designated locations in the city. At these points, citizens have to cover a maximum distance of 1,500 to 1,800 meters. This ensures that help is available quickly in an emergency.

Lighthouses and offers for citizens

Particularly noteworthy are the so-called lighthouses, which become active during power outages lasting more than four hours. Four main locations were defined for this: the Schmachtendorf comprehensive school, the Sophie-Scholl-Gymnasium, the Osterfeld comprehensive school and the Hans-Böckler vocational college. Here people can make emergency calls, obtain information, report missing persons, receive primary medical care and charge their cell phones and crank radios.

These locations are occupied on a voluntary basis by the aid organizations, with the support of the city administration during particularly long events. In order to ensure consistent communication, the communication channels between the contact points and the fire brigade, rescue service and police forces were secured. These measures are crucial to ensure a rapid and coordinated response to crisis situations. Localclick.eu reports on the successful content of this exercise.

Preparation is everything – advice for self-care

The city of Oberhausen not only provides citizens with information points, but also offers a comprehensive crisis guide for self-preparation. An important aspect of this is the recommendation to keep a stockpile for personal emergencies and extreme situations. It is recommended that you take care of yourself for at least three days, ideally even ten days. These individual supplies should take personal needs into account and be tailored precisely to food intolerances and preferences. You can find information about this in the guide from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance bbk.bund.de.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone involved, especially the volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure the safety and support of the community. Such exercises are essential in order to be optimally prepared for possible crisis situations and to maintain the necessary infrastructure. Support the volunteers because they make a big difference in times when every second counts oh-stadtmagazin.de.