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Mainz Fire Department: Tremendous stress in the fight against the hidden!
The Mainz fire department is often faced with extreme challenges. Volunteer and professional fire departments respond to emergencies and psychological stress.
Mainz Fire Department: Tremendous stress in the fight against the hidden!
The Mainz fire department is exposed to high pressure not only during fires, but also in a variety of extreme situations. The emergency services repeatedly have to act in the event of suicides, suicide attempts and urgent emergency door openings tagesschau.de reports. In the big city, where anonymity is widespread, it often happens that firefighters discover dead people who have been deceased for weeks or even months.
A particularly worrying aspect is the high frequency of emergency door openings, which are requested every two to three days. Alarms are often triggered by calls from concerned neighbors. These operations put an enormous strain on the approximately 600 members of the city fire department, which includes both professional and volunteer firefighters.
Emotional stress on the emergency services
The missions are often emotionally challenging. It is not uncommon for firefighters to be confronted with frightening scenes such as finding suicide victims or even body parts. The realization that a life cannot be saved leaves a deep chasm in the emotional well-being of emergency responders. These stresses often have to be dealt with, which is why firefighters are encouraged to discuss their experiences as a team.
A high number of emergency calls, even for less urgent reasons, increases the stress for volunteers. They are often on constant alert and are forced to interrupt their free time or professional activities for missions. Passers-by who film operations and spread them on social media are also particular stress factors. These additional challenges come on top of the already high burden on firefighters.
Mental health in focus
The need for psychosocial support for firefighters is undisputed. According to a study published on the website of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, many emergency services are particularly affected by the experiences and need professional help to deal with the traumatological consequences. The document also describes how the emotional challenges of fire service can have a significant impact on members' quality of life, particularly if they are not adequately addressed.
In summary, it can be said that the operations of the Mainz fire department go far beyond extinguishing fires. Every day they fight against the darkness of fate in a big city, and the burdens that result from this are immense. The firefighters are not only on duty as rescuers, but also as people with their own fears and challenges, which makes the need for support systems in their daily work all the more urgent.