Particularly formative for Fire Chief Cattarius was the multitude of vegetation fires that occurred due to the long drought periods last summer. In stark contrast, Cattarius recalls a winter storm in April of last year, when trees fell due to the weight of the snow. During this event, a tree fell on the railway line between Wustweiler and Dirmingen. A passenger train collided with the tree, and the fire department had to carry out the evacuation of the train on the railway line. With the still relatively new firefighting drone, numerous missing persons were searched for and successfully found throughout the district last year, which pleases Cattarius greatly. In total, 34 people were rescued during operations by the Illingen fire department. Unfortunately, one person was recovered deceased. However, six firefighters were injured during the service, which Cattarius regrets. "Our goal is to keep this number as low as possible, which we strive for through good training," says Cattarius. It also shows that firefighting service is often not an easy task and that our comrades volunteer and risk their health. Overall, the Illingen fire department can look back on an impressive total of 3,099 hours spent on operations last year.
The fire department can be very satisfied with the number of members. "The total strength of the Illingen fire department is quite stable at 207 people. What pleases me especially is the number of children in the children's fire brigade. Last year, this increased significantly to 27 children. It's great that we can inspire many children with the 'Hobby Fire Brigade'," said Cattarius. The youth fire brigade also records a constant number of members, with 89 youths, including 17 female youths among them. Currently, 74 comrades are part of the senior department.
Like all of us, the Illingen fire department was able to increasingly come to terms with the Corona pandemic in 2022. Mandated protective measures were reduced, and the camaraderie and social life could once again take place in the fire districts. Although the fire department is a state organization, it has, like any other club, a strong camaraderie and friendships among its members, which suffered significantly during the pandemic. Groups had to be formed to prevent mixing of the emergency personnel. Training and education had to take place partially virtually. Likewise, festivals and other social activities had to be suspended. All the more, all fire districts were able to resume their social life after the spring. The fire department festivals, which are of great importance to community life in the villages, were finally able to take place again and achieved tremendous success, which makes us very happy. Finally, the fire department could draw attention not only during an emergency but also again be at the center of social life.
How does Sascha Cattarius look to the future for the current year? "If the political promises are finally fulfilled this year and we begin construction on the two urgently needed fire stations, we will be very well positioned for the future. Technically, the Illingen fire department is well equipped, and we have an extremely motivated team, along with a very well-functioning training program. The youth in the children’s and youth fire brigades also allow me to look to the future with confidence. We would gladly welcome more lateral entrants, that is, people who join the fire department without having previously been in a youth division. Anyone who is interested in an exciting and very varied hobby should not hesitate and can simply contact their local fire district to try it out. Women are also very welcome. Overall, we look calmly at the challenges that await us in 2023," Illingen fire chief Sascha Cattarius concluded in the conversation.
