Après l'incendie de la lande à Meppen - La Bundeswehr reprend les opérations de lutte contre les incendies.
Six ans après l'incendie de tourbe sur le site de la Wehrtechnische Dienststelle (WTD) 91, les Forces armées allemandes reprennent les opérations de tir à grande échelle à partir du 1er août. Le service pourra utiliser l'ensemble de la zone de tir, a annoncé un porte-parole.
À la suite de l'incendie de plus de quatre semaines dans la tourbière de Tinner Dose, les Forces armées allemandes ont présenté un concept d'amélioration de la protection contre les incendies. Les opérations ont été progressivement reprises.
Amélioration de l'équipement
Les Forces armées allemandes ont investi environ 15 millions d'euros pour améliorer l'équipement de la WTD 91. Des mesures ont également été prises pour la conservation de la nature, notamment l'acquisition de véhicules spécialisés tels que des engins de lutte contre les incendies de tourbe et de pompage, une excavatrice protégée, des véhicules de récupération blindés et des drones de reconnaissance. Des puits supplémentaires ont été creusés pour approvisionner mieux les forces déployées en eau de lutte contre les incendies.
Il y a maintenant une coopération plus étroite avec le district d'Emsland et les municipalités voisines, a déclaré un porte-parole. During the fire, smoke was so dense that a state of disaster was declared in adjacent communities. Evacuation of two communities was even considered at one point, with smoke plumes visible from satellites and reportedly detected in Hamburg.
Échange renforcé entre les Forces armées et le district
Aujourd'hui, il y a une "liaison directe" entre la WTD 91 et le district en cas d'urgence, a déclaré un porte-parole du district d'Emsland. Par exemple, une équipe de gestion de crise peut être activée immédiatement depuis le centre de contrôle ouvert 24h/24.
"According to our assessment, there is a more intensive exchange between the district (services d'urgence) and WTD compared to the time before the peat fire," the spokesperson explained. Towards the end of the year, there will be a large exercise involving the Armed Forces fire brigade, units of the district fire brigade, and the fire brigades of the communities bordering the Armed Forces premises in Sögel, Meppen, Haren, and Lathen.
Erreurs dans la lutte contre l'incendie
The fire started on September 3, 2018, following rocket tests. From the "Tiger" helicopter, 70-mm rockets were fired on the training ground over several days, igniting the fire in the exceptionally dry peat. The smoldering fire was finally extinguished on October 10, 2018.
Mistakes were made in fighting the fire, according to a damage analysis by the Ministry of Defense after the fire. One of two fire-fighting crawlers was in repair during the test, and the second broke down during the firefighting operation, causing delays. Rising winds also fanned the flames.
Étude sur la restauration de la tourbière
Misjudgments by the responsible personnel at the test site also exacerbated the situation. Initially, the seriousness of the situation was not recognized, and the public was not adequately informed. Only belatedly did the service request support from the district and the Technical Relief Agency. At times, there were 1,700 deployment forces from the Armed Forces, civilian fire departments from all of Lower Saxony, and the Technical Relief Agency on site.
The fire also destroyed valuable peatlands. Therefore, a working group for addressing environmental damages after the peat fire (AKAUM) was established, with representatives from the German Armed Forces, the state of Lower Saxony, the district, and the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). This working group meets several times a year, as stated by the district spokesperson.
The aim is to coordinate the topics of shooting range use, nature conservation, and fire protection as harmoniously as possible. The working group has commissioned a potential study on renaturation. Results are not expected until the next two and a half years.
The German Armed Forces had to consider evacuating two communities due to the dense smoke from the peat fire, as stated in the crisis management discussions. After significant improvements in fire protection measures and equipment, the need for evacuation during future incidents at WTD 91 seems to be minimized.
