Fire detectors in corridors make false alarms easier
Fire alarms in the corridors of the initial reception facility for refugees in Suhl are one reason for frequent false alarms in the facility, according to the Ministry of Migration. It is very easy to set off the detectors undetected, a spokesperson for the ministry told the German Press Agency. "Such fire alarms cannot be permanently monitored." The situation is different in the state's two smaller initial reception facilities in Hermsdorf and Eisenberg.
According to the spokesperson, the fire alarms in the refugee accommodation in Hermsdorf and Eisenberg are located in places where there is a greater risk of the person or persons setting them off being seen. "In the smaller facilities, the fire alarms are easier to see or check, which makes misuse more difficult," said the spokesperson. He did not provide any further details.
In the chronically overcrowded refugee home in Suhl, firefighters are repeatedly called out due to false alarms. The state administration's internal situation reports on the security situation in the facility contain references to such operations on an almost daily basis.
For example, the report from November 13, which is available to dpa, states that the fire alarm system was triggered manually three days earlier at 10.38 pm. When they arrived on site, the fire department was unable to detect any source of danger. Consequence: "Reset the system". There are identical entries for November 3, 4 and 9 in the comparable documents also available to dpa.
For the refugee homes in Eisenberg and Hermsdorf, on the other hand, such entries on the triggering of the fire alarm systems there are much rarer in the state administration's situation reports. Reports of fights or other physical altercations are also found more frequently in the documents for Suhl than for the other two refugee reception sites. For years, local politicians in Suhl have been calling on the state to do something to reduce the number of false alarms at the initial reception facility there, as these incidents place a heavy burden on the emergency services.
According to the ministry, another reason why special incidents occur much more frequently in Suhl than in Eisenberg or Hermsdorf is the sheer size of the facility in southern Thuringia - and the fact that the facility has been overcrowded for months. In Hermsdorf and Eisenberg, there are not as many people from as many different countries living together as in Suhl, said the ministry spokesperson. This reduces the potential for conflict. "In addition, these two facilities are usually the second accommodation station, so the residents are no longer directly in the conditions during the flight."
The initial reception center in Suhl is designed for regular operation with around 800 people, but most recently around 1400 people lived there. An even higher occupancy rate is actually prohibited by the applicable fire protection regulations, but has also occurred at times. The initial reception facilities in Hermsdorf and Eisenberg were built for significantly fewer people, but were also recently filled to capacity. According to previous information from the Ministry of Migration, this is around 700 people in Hermsdorf and around 130 people in Eisenberg.
In Hermsdorf in particular, however, the accommodation conditions are extremely difficult despite the relatively low total number of people living there. The refugees there live in a former logistics hall, where they have hardly any privacy.
Despite the frequent false alarms caused by fire detectors in the Suhl facility, the situation is significantly better in the smaller initial reception facilities in Hermsdorf and Eisenberg. Refugees in these smaller facilities have a lower likelihood of setting off the fire alarms due to their placement and easier visibility.
The high number of refugees in Suhl, leading to overcrowding and cultural differences, likely contributes to the higher frequency of false alarms and special incidents compared to the smaller facilities in Eisenberg and Hermsdorf. [Migration, Refugees]
Source: www.dpa.com
