Operational exercise in the Göschwitz industrial estate

Around 42 firefighters from the Winzerla, Göschwitz, Lobeda and Leutra volunteer fire departments carried out a joint training exercise in the Göschwitz industrial estate on Wednesday evening, November 12, 2025. Kontinent Spedition GmbH served as the training location; a warehouse was set up there to represent the reported scenario - a room fire. On site, it was explicitly a planned, controlled training situation, not an actual hazardous situation.

The alarm reached the emergency services at 17:20. The incident command team from the professional fire department was the first to arrive at the scene, confirmed the reported situation and provided technical support for the training. The following forces had to locate and rescue three missing persons (training dummies) in the smoke-filled hall and coordinate firefighting with several nozzles. Two fire engines, a fire engine and a turntable ladder were deployed. The entire exercise lasted around one and a half hours.

There was a particular focus on door opening training: the training was carried out on a complex door model that simulates realistic resistance and scenarios. The aim was to improve the safe and effective procedure for opening locked or blocked doors - a skill that can be crucial in many emergency situations.

The incident command was coordinated by Florian, platoon leader of the southern fire department, who can look back on more than 20 years of experience in the volunteer fire department. He drew a fundamentally positive conclusion, but at the same time pointed out points that could be further improved: "Training sessions like today's are very important because they allow us to realistically test and further develop procedures. Mistakes are not a flaw, but an opportunity for improvement. I'm particularly pleased with how well the diverse team worked together - that shows how strong we are as a team."

The instructors from the professional fire department, including Michael Fischer, Ingolf Helbig and Benjamin Ratz, who had prepared the scenario, were also satisfied with the execution and emphasized the value of practical exercises for the professional development of the emergency services. "A realistic environment is crucial for the quality of our training. The opportunity to train on a commercial site creates conditions that come very close to a real operation - we would like to expressly thank Kontinent Spedition GmbH for this."

The joint operational simulation underlines the importance of continuous training, smooth communication and well-rehearsed processes for the professional and volunteer fire departments. Regular training like this makes a significant contribution to safety in Jena and also strengthens the cohesion of the emergency services.