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8 Career at the Düsseldorf Airport Fire Department tive influence of joint training on team cohesion. Practising for emergencies In addition to regular duty sports, the rescuers’ daily routine also includes the daily exercises organised by the manage- ment team. Here, individual manoeuvres such as handling the spineboard and patient stretcher or transferring from the turn- table ladder to the basket stretcher are practised time and time again. Larger scenarios are also repeated. These include rescuing patients from vehicles involved in accidents, techni- cal and medical rescue in the event of accidents at work in- volving airport workers or treating circulatory problems or em- bolisms in flight passengers. This is where the work at the airport differs somewhat from the regular rescue service out- side. The focus is on practising operational situations that oc- cur more frequently in the operational area. For example, the probability of embolisms or cardiovascular problems is higher for travellers at airports. But environmental protection opera- tions, such as fuel spillages, are also included. Communication test passed Despite its specialised area of operation, Düsseldorf Airport’s fire and rescue station is by no means isolated. From time to time, the airport team also responds to incidents in the city area when there is free capacity. On the other hand, close co- operation with the city’s professional fire brigade and interna- tional airlines in joint exercises is part of day-to-day business. Düsseldorf is one of five designated emergency airports in Germany for international emergencies. This means that the communication challenge must be met in an emergency. The ability to cooperate recently passed an extreme reality test during the pandemic, when the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the nearby district of Heinsberg and the tra- ditional Düsseldorf carnival was categorised as a “super- spreader event” by SPD MP Karl Lauterbach. “At the time, we had the same number of deployments as the number of passengers continued to fall,” recalls Frank Salomon, “We were on high alert so as not to make any mistakes and of course took every report that patients with symptoms were approaching very seriously. Today we know that the biggest challenge was the procurement of materials.” The experience gained from this flows directly into the organisation of the sto- rage of materials such as protective masks and disinfectants. As the transport of infectious patients is the responsibility of the municipal fire service, there are also co-operative exerci- ses for this scenario. A current example: the simulation of the arrival of a patient from Ireland on board the aircraft of a Nor- wegian airline. After the aircraft arrives, the patient is trans- ported to the infection ward at Düsseldorf University Hospital in the municipal fire brigade’s infection rescue vehicle. “Howe- ver, only the infection is simulated here,” explains Frank Salo- mon, “the arrival of the aircraft, the corresponding logistics and communication, the transfer of the patient, the transport - it all takes place in reality. Otherwise the whole exercise ma- kes no sense.” Following the fire at Düsseldorf Airport in 1996, Düsseldorf Airport is one of the pioneers in terms of fire protection at air- ports. The airport fire service plays its part by ensuring that the team is well equipped and trained for deployment at all times. “Nevertheless, the rescue service can never really be- come routine, even at the airport,” the chief fire inspector points out, because “even after many years on the job, fates still get to you. But making a real difference with our work is also a reason why many firefighters have been fascinated by the profession since childhood.” A real opportunity, to make your dream job a reality: The team is looking for reinforcements!