Emsland celebrates new disaster control hall and modern emergency vehicles!

Emsland celebrates new disaster control hall and modern emergency vehicles!

On May 20, 2025, an important thank you event by the Emsland district took place at the fire service headquarters (FTZ) in Sögel. Around 280 guests, including members of the fire department, the German Red Cross (DRK), the Malteser Relief Service and the German Life Saving Society, came together to celebrate the opening of the new vehicle and disaster control hall. This new building, which was built between January 2024 and April 2025, covers a floor area of ​​675 m² and offers five double parking spaces for emergency vehicles as well as a high-bay system for disaster prevention materials.

The construction costs amounted to around 1.4 million euros. The event also saw the launch of new vehicles used by the various organizations, including the Land Fire and Disaster Management Platoon. This fleet includes personnel transport vehicles, logistics equipment vehicles, command and communications vehicles and a trailer. What is particularly noteworthy is that the sixth command platoon in Lower Saxony will be stationed in the Emsland district, whose planned location includes the German Red Cross in Meppen.

New vehicles and their functions

In order to further improve operational readiness, an additional vehicle hall will be built in Meppen, which is expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2025. The new vehicles also include the federal vehicle LF KatS, which is assigned to the Lathen local fire department. Furthermore, a UTV (Utility Task Vehicle) will be stationed at the Hilkenbrook fire department, which can be used for exploration in difficult-to-access terrain and to fight vegetation fires. The UTV is equipped with a special extinguishing system and was purchased together with a trailer.

In parallel to the developments in Emsland, the state of Lower Saxony is investing in new vehicles and systems to avert danger in the Diepholz district. District fire chief Michael Wessels presented the latest projects to the technical committee for civil protection, traffic and safety, including the new mobile traffic monitoring system “Totti”. This system is used flexibly to measure speed on various roads in the district.

Security measures

Since the system was launched on July 1, the measure has been positively received by residents. For example, in an 80 zone in Düversbruch, a driver was clocked at 128 kilometers per hour, which underlines the need for such measures. In addition, a new extinguishing system, the skid unit, was presented, which has an extinguishing capacity of 50,000 liters per minute. The cost of this system also amounts to 1.4 million euros and it will be stationed at the fire department in Drebber.

Another important step towards greater safety is the introduction of new uniform fire brigade clothing in Lower Saxony. After 63 years, firefighters receive modern dark blue uniforms with the Lower Saxony horse as an emblem. There will also be women's cuts to promote the integration of female members into the fire department.

Overall, it can be seen that considerable efforts are being made in both the Emsland and Diepholz districts to improve the safety infrastructure of the fire departments and to implement new technologies to avert danger. These developments were made possible by extensive investments that ultimately serve to protect the population.