Kaiserslautern military community works together during ammonia leak exercise

A large-scale exercise took place in Kaiserslautern Nov. 22, involving firefighting and disaster response units from the City of Kaiserslautern, the German Red Cross, Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, the 86th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department and the Rodenbach Volunteer Fire Department.

The exercise scenario was a simulated hazardous material spill with several injured individuals. Emergency services of both nations worked closely together to manage the situation, rescue the injured, cordon off the danger zone, and decontaminate those affected. Representatives of the Bundeswehr County liaison command and the state police observed the exercise and gathered valuable insight for future joint operations.

The aim of the exercise was to further strengthen cooperation between German and American forces, particularly in the initial phase of deployment, and to optimize coordination in the event of a real-world incident.

All exercise objectives were fully achieved, and a detailed evaluation and analysis will take place to ensure that insights gained can be incorporated into future operations and improvements. The team drew a positive conclusion that the exercise went smoothly and underlined the importance of partnership-based cooperation between the organizations involved.

Ramstein Fire Chief Kenneth Helgerson expressed his gratitude to both teams, who met for a snack together after the exercise. He summarized the good cooperation with the words: “We may not speak the same language, but we have the same goals and are less different than we think.”

Mr. Mike Kopp, Head of Ope-rations at the Kaisers-lautern Fire Department, expressed similar sentiments. “I would also like to thank both teams for their excellent cooperation and am pleased at how professionally the entire exercise was carried out.”