The current situation at the Jena-Isserstedt volunteer fire department

The City of Jena provides information on the current status of the volunteer fire department in the Isserstedt district. This is due to recent reports in the local press which require further clarification.

The city of Jena has decided to temporarily not alert the Isserstedt volunteer fire department and the associated youth fire department if necessary.

The background to this decision

For around two years, there has been increasing tension and conflict within the Isserstedt volunteer fire department. These have manifested themselves in a rougher tone and repeated arguments between comrades, including during operations and training measures.

In the spring of this year, instructions were disregarded during a major operation, resulting in danger to themselves and others. As a result, the city of Jena initiated an internal investigation, which is still ongoing.

Last weekend, the situation escalated again at a local event, where there was an altercation between members of the fire brigade. In view of the incidents and the overall picture, the city of Jena decided to temporarily not alert the active Isserstedt fire brigade. Thanks to the joint call-out with Lützeroda and the operational readiness of the surrounding fire brigades, this situation can be compensated for.

Purpose of the measure

The sole purpose of this measure is to ensure the safety of all those involved and to maintain reliable and orderly operations. It is intended to prevent existing conflicts from being carried over into the operational area, thereby impairing the operational capability or even the safety of the comrades.

Ensuring fire protection

The operational readiness in Isserstedt is still guaranteed:

- Between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., the Jena professional fire department will provide basic protection.

- From 5 p.m. onwards, the Lützeroda volunteer fire department, with which Isserstedt already forms a joint response team, will be alerted.

Although the response times in Isserstedt are sometimes slightly longer, the statutory response time is generally adhered to. This means that danger prevention for the population is still ensured.

Next steps

The municipal administration assumes that the internal investigation will be completed in the near future. Measures will then be introduced to rectify the current situation. The aim is to ensure the operational capability and camaraderie in the fire brigade in the long term.

Youth fire brigade

The youth fire department is also affected by the measure. The background to this is that the existing tensions from the active fire brigade could have an impact on the work of the next generation. The city of Jena wants to prevent conflicts from being transferred to children and young people.

Outlook

The city administration emphasizes that the current measures are not easy. However, they have been taken to ensure the safety of the population and the emergency services. The aim remains to return the Isserstedt volunteer fire department to active duty as quickly as possible. Contrary to what has been reported in the local press, no fire brigade is being "thrown out". On the other hand, although Jena's professional fire department has significantly more personnel, this does not mean that a challenging area such as Isserstedt, with its industrial estate and the B7 federal highway, can be lightly taken over by the firefighters in addition to their numerous daily tasks. Jena's mayor and head of safety, Benjamin Koppe, and fire department head Nick Ludwig are working on a quick solution with the aim of providing safety and relief for everyone involved.