Fire brigade
In the Meuse-Rhine Euregion, fire brigades have been working closely together for many years to provide residents with rapid and effective assistance, regardless of which side of the border the incident occurs. Whether it concerns technical assistance, fighting a major fire, or dealing with hazardous substances, clear agreements and solid cooperation are essential.
Firefighting across borders
Fire brigades have many tasks and are not only deployed in the event of a fire, but can also be called upon in the event of an accident. Consider, for example, a serious accident in which the vehicle is severely damaged and the occupants cannot get out of the vehicle. In such situations, the fire brigade comes to the rescue with the help of special tools to free those involved from their precarious position.
In a border region such as the Meuse-Rhine Euregion, the nearest fire station is not always located in the country you are in, but just across the border. It is then often arranged by the dispatch centers that assistance is provided by the service that can arrive first, even if it comes from abroad. This ensures quick help, which is important when every second counts!
Cooperation during major incidents
In addition, within the framework of the EMRIC collaboration, agreements have been made between the fire brigades to provide assistance in the event of major incidents. An example of this is a major fire in the High Fens in Belgium, where the German emergency services came to help extinguish the fire. Another example is the fire in the port of Maastricht, where both German measurement teams and fire trucks helped to bring the fire under control.
Well organized
A lot is alread happening in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine with regards to the fire brigades. Various agreements between border municipalities regulate the daily firefighting. In the event of large-scale incidents, the Emric plan comes into effect. This is a generic Euregional assistance plan, which must guarantee rapid assistance regardless of the language and origin of the emergency service. This plan also includes technical assistance.
Focus group Pompiers
All agreements in the field of fire-fighting and technical assistance are made in the Focusgroup Pompiers. This group meets at least 4 times a year and has been doing so for many years. The group includes the South Limburg Fire Brigade (NL), the Fire Brigade of the city of Aachen (D), the Kreisbrandmeister of the Städteregion Aachen (D), the Kreisbrandmeister of the Kreis Heinsberg (D), the Kreisbrandmeister of the Kreis Düren (D), the safety zones East Limburg (B) and the regions in Liège (B) and the German-speaking Community (B).
The focus group has set up the following subgroups:
- CBRN (hazardous agents)
The measurement methods in the Meuse-Rhine Euregio differ in the three countries. That is why it is so important to work together on this topic as well. This is done in the CBRN working group. Because when hazardous substances are released, it is very important to measure, interpret, advise on the measures to be taken, carry out appropriate actions and inform the neighbouring regions.
With regard to informing each other about an incident involving hazardous substances, it has been agreed within EMRIC that the control room in the affected area or areas will always be informed, plus one control room per country, which will then forward the report to the other control rooms in its country. These initial reports are made using webapplication. The incident can then be followed on the crisis management systems of the region where the incident occurred.
- Divers
The Divers working group includes specialists in this field. They prepare the joint rescue and recovery operations in and on the water. This involves looking at the possibilities of cross-border assistance in the event of water accidents, where foreign diving teams can provide increased capacity and possible relief.
- Digital reconnaissance
Almost all EMRIC partners now use digital reconnaissance to support various firefighting tasks. The Digital Reconnaissance Working Group is taking stock of what tools are available, such as drones or firefighting robots, and what developments there are in the three countries, both in technical terms and in terms of laws and regulations.
- Materials
The Materials working group discusses which materials are available from the partners in EMRIC. Detailed lists are made that not only state what is available, but also state the travel time and construction time, how much space the equipment requires and what may be needed on site. This material list has been included in the web application used by the control centres for Euregional requests for assistance.
- Wildfires
Wildfires are becoming more and more common, and within EMRIC there is a working group that deals with this topic. This working group examines which forms of vegetation grow in EMRIC's working area and which materials are available at the collaborating partners. The aim is of course to be able to help each other as quickly and adequately as possible.
The assistance agreements that have been made or will be made in these groups will be included in the Emric document.
News and stories
Forest fire exercise Kreis Heinsberg
Two firefighter colleagues took part in a large-scale forest fire exercise in Kreis Heinsberg in April. Curious about their impressions? Read on below!
EMRIC Wildfires Network Day in Eupen
On 15 May, the first wildfires network day took place in Eupen. Firefighters from the three countries met there to share knowledge, experience and practical examples around tackling wildfires. Read a...
Meeting focus group Infectious diseases
On Wednesday 29 January 2025, the Infectious Disease Control Focus Group met at the Gesundheitsamt in Aachen. At this meeting, 19 members were present.