WIESBADEN, Germany – On June 24, Col. Troy Danderson, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, visited the City of Wiesbaden’s Fire Department for a routine information exchange and to discuss current capabilities with interim Fire Chief Dirk Schwarz and U.S. liaison officer Sven Janneck.
The City of Wiesbaden Fire Department is a vital emergency support partner of USAG Wiesbaden. In addition to collaborating with the garrison’s fire department on fire and rescue operations, they also handle emergency call dispatching duties for all fire and medical emergencies across the city. It also coordinates pre-hospital emergency care, including ambulance services and patient transport to medical facilities.
To strengthen collaboration and address outstanding issues, information exchanges happen routinely between the garrison and host nation emergency response partners on multiple levels to ensure effective cooperation.
Collis Jeppesen, garrison deputy fire chief, and Karin Morrell, assistant fire chief for prevention, joined Col. Danderson for their visit at Fire Station 1 in downtown Wiesbaden, home to the fire brigade’s command team and the central dispatch center.
The visit focused on discussing emergency dispatch procedures and capabilities. Wiesbaden’s Fire Department serves over 300,000 residents through three professional fire stations staffed by 300 firefighters, as well as 20 volunteer fire stations with 650 volunteers. With seven rescue stations, housing a total of 31 ambulances, three hospitals with emergency rooms, and one pediatric emergency room – Wiesbaden offers extensive rescue resources.
“The topic of emergency calls is very prominent in our community,” Danderson said. “In addition to our internal emergency numbers for the Military Police and DES, it’s especially important for those living off-post to know the German emergency number, 112. Some community members have concerns about making an emergency call in English.”
The fire brigade’s central dispatch center directly accommodates U.S. citizens living in the area with features many Americans may not be aware of.
“To increase accessibility, callers can also dial 911 on their cell phones and be automatically redirected to us. This improves safety in stressful situations where the caller might not remember the European emergency number – 112,” said Schwarz.
The highest priority of the dispatchers is to localize the caller and send adequate help. This ensures that personnel arrive on scene even if the phone call gets interrupted. To achieve this, a technique called Advanced Mobile Location (AML) can be used to submit the caller’s smartphone GPS or Wi-Fi data right into the dispatch for localization. As soon as the caller’s location is known, the dispatcher assesses the incident.
“Our control center operates using a standardized query software with a catalog of questions. The system, called ProQA, was developed in the U.S. In medical emergencies, precise symptom queries allow us to generate reports and dispatch [additional] qualified help, may it be the fire department or an ambulance or an emergency doctor,” Schwarz explained, as the team showcased the dispatch center’s structures and processes.
The dispatch center handles more than 300,000 emergency calls annually, resulting in approximately 100,000 fire and rescue deployments. To overcome language barriers, the dispatchers can use a special feature.
“Our staff undergoes regular medical training and are skilled in handling emergency calls in foreign languages. English is widely spoken in our department, and with just one click, our emergency call system can switch to English. This simplifies communication and ensures that assistance is provided quickly and accurately,” said Janneck, emphasizing the high training standards and professionalism of their team.
Part of the demonstration included observing dispatcher Patricia Hardt while she handled a live emergency query at her desk.
“Our system is highly capable. We can assess various symptoms in English and even provide precise instructions over the phone for situations like childbirth or cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” Hardt said. “As soon as sufficient information is available, help can be dispatched simultaneously, even while the caller is still on the line. This saves valuable time.”
In the fire department’s courtyard, Schwarz led the final portion of the visit by showcasing a special vehicle – Command Vehicle 2 (Einsatzleitwagen 2). Equipped with a communication system similar to the central dispatch center, the vehicle specializes in managing larger incidents.
“This command vehicle provides space to lead emergencies on-site and communicate with central dispatch,” Janneck said. “Maintaining resiliency is crucial and having multiple fallback solutions ensures we can continue dispatching and communicating with our units under any conditions.”
Expressing his gratitude for the department’s ongoing coordination with the garrison, Danderson reiterated, “It’s reassuring to know we have such a capable mission partner at our side during the worst situations. The team does an excellent job overcoming challenges and providing adequate help. Their resilience and preparedness to act under all circumstances are truly impressive.”
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