Wipfelfeuer is not only the descrip­tion for dynam­i­cally spread­ing fires in and above tree­tops, but also the eponym for the largest special­ist sympo­sium in the field of vege­ta­tion fire­fight­ing in German-speak­ing coun­tries, which has been organ­ised by @fire at inter­vals of two to three years for over 15 years.

The sympo­sium offers space for lectures on oper­a­tional tactics and tech­nol­ogy in vege­ta­tion fire­fight­ing, work­shops and simu­la­tion games as well as for national and inter­na­tional exchange on oper­a­tional expe­ri­ences. Special features of vege­ta­tion fire­fight­ing, such as danger­ous work in impass­able terrain, oper­a­tions with a lack of resources, as well as the diffi­cult situ­a­tion assess­ment and the diffi­cult tacti­cal approach, are regu­larly the focus here. The topics vary from the use of hand tools to the use of the air force.

Partic­i­pants bene­fit from the current state of knowl­edge and the exchanged expe­ri­ences and can inte­grate this into the oper­a­tional plan­ning of their fire brigade or aid organ­i­sa­tion or pass it on to author­i­ties such as forestry offices.

The exchange of expe­ri­ences in partic­u­lar makes it possi­ble to draw conclu­sions for future oper­a­tions from the successes and fail­ures of past vege­ta­tion fires. Climate change, which is already affect­ing vege­ta­tion fires in number and type, high­lights the impor­tance of such an event.

In addi­tion to speak­ers from vari­ous coun­tries and repre­sen­ta­tives of vehi­cle manu­fac­tur­ers, body builders and suppli­ers of tech­ni­cal equip­ment, more than 350 partic­i­pants took part in the expert lectures at the last event.

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    @fire Unimog

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    Prac­ti­cal demon­stra­tion exercise

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    Wipfelfeuergelände

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    Tech­ni­cal lecture by @fire

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    Infor­ma­tion stands

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    Lecture on vege­ta­tion firefighting