Firefighters from Lugoj Visit Jena

Four firefighters from Lugoj, Jena’s sister city in Romania, visited Jena from September 21 to 26 for a professional exchange.

The delegation included General Lucian Mihoc, as well as Mirel Coman, Valentin Colesnic, and Cristi Ciulavu.
On Wednesday, Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche and Deputy Mayor Benjamin Koppe welcomed the guests. Also present were Nick Ludwig, chief of the Jena Fire Department, and Roland Döpel. Roland Döpel built up and maintained the cooperation between the fire departments of both cities for many years and has since retired. Starting this year, the project has been managed by Nils Blamberg and André Volkmann of the Jena Fire Department.

The guests have a comprehensive professional itinerary. They toured the Jena fire stations, viewing their vehicles and equipment, and observed the daily routine of a fire crew on duty. They also gained insight into training at the professional fire department. In addition, they visited the Thuringian State Fire and Disaster Protection School in Bad Köstritz, the fire department in Neustadt an der Orla, and the Hohenwarte Reservoir.

The city partnership between Jena and Lugoj has existed since 1983. The fire departments of both cities have been working closely together for about 25 years. Since then, the Jena Fire Department—primarily through Roland Döpel—has donated three tanker trucks, a turntable ladder, a fire engine, a minibus, as well as technical equipment and protective gear to their colleagues in Lugoj. In addition to technical support, the focus is on professional exchange and mutual training. Of particular note is training in firefighting in road tunnels, which will be further intensified in the future.

v.l.n.r.: Nils Blamberg, Roland Döpel, André Volkmann, Nick Ludwig (alle Feuerwehr Jena), Mirel Coman, Lucian Mihoc, Oberbürgermeister Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, Valentin Colesnic, Cristi Ciulavu, Bürgermeister Benajmin Koppe