Page 26 - Best of STIL 2018 English

A job with highs and lows
Salzgitter AG also trains firefighters, industrial divers and high angle rescuers. A visit to the plant fire department in Salzgitter
The plant fire department has existed for as long as steel has been produced in Salzgitter – and this year
it is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Right from day one, the department has been staffed with full-time firemen, and today firewomen, entrusted with safeguarding the iron and steel works. Including the Ilsenburg site, there are currently 126 members of staff employed
by the plant fire department at Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH. Peiner Träger GmbH has its own plant fire department.
The members of these fire ser- vices are a prime example of the varied and exciting opportunities that the Group can offer individu- als with a leaning towards highly specialized career paths. Steffen Müller-Bell is a case in point. He is a specialist among the specialists
– the 33-year-old is one of 15 high angle rescuers from the plant fire department in Salzgitter.
High angle rescuers scale cranes and towers, and abseil into shafts and pits to save lives. The job demands special abilities and a pronounced sense of responsibility. This is not a job for risk-takers, as rescue personnel should always maintain a healthy respect for heights. Anything else would be reckless. “That’s not something you can learn, you just have to possess that ability inherently,” says Steffen Müller-Bell.
Anyone who wants to become a firefighter can apply to the plant fire department in Salzgitter. The job
is included in the Group’s training range, and four people are current- ly training within the program, including a young woman. “The training takes three years, and the additional paramedic course adds another three years on top,” says Thomas Düerkop, Head of the plant fire department. Most of the women and men in his team had previously
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been active in the steel works, and being familiar with the process-
es and production work flows is certainly valuable experience. In the past, previous vocational training
in industry was a prerequisite for taking the firefighter training, which lasted 18 to 24 months. Since 2016, however, interested young people have been able to apply straight out of school, which means the youngest candidates are already submitting applications at an age of just 16 or 17. “Most of the appli- cants, however, fail the physical and the stress tests,” Thomas Düerkop remarks. Fitness and a stable mental condition are essential for this job, as firefighters may have to carry un- conscious people out of the danger zone in emergency situations – so keeping a cool head is essential.
In addition, depending on the de- ployment, a firefighter has to carry equipment weighing up to 30 kilos, and more.
Steffen Müller-Bell started his training as a firefighter in 2007. For two years he was fascinated
by the sight of high angle rescuers going about their work. He then took part in trial training himself and opted to do the full additional training course in 2010. Important disciplines here include materi-
al, equipment and rope handling know-how, fastening techniques, knot skills and the operation of rope hoists. These are all vital skills, as high angle rescuers hang over huge drops on ropes which they are usually responsible for fastening themselves. Steffen Müller-Bell also mentions how essential “trust in the equipment” is for his job - and how this is something that requires practice.
When Steffen Müller-Bell puts on his personal protective equipment, he has carabiners, eyelets, loops and pulleys hanging on his belt – typical equipment for a high angle rescuer, and kit which reflects the job’s sim-
Training for emergency: High angle rescuers abseil down from a roughly 100-meter blast furnace gas meter on the steel mill