A Bundeswehrsoldier observes a USAG Bavaria firefighter during training at the Installation Management Command Europe Fire and Emergency Services Regional Training Center July 8, at USAG Ansbach, Germany.
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Bundeswehrsoldiers after completion of breathing apparatus stress test at the Installation Management Command Europe Fire and Emergency Services Regional Training Center July 8, at USAG Ansbach, Germany.
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Bundeswehrsoldiers during the breathing apparatus stress test at the Installation Management Command Europe Fire and Emergency Services Regional Training Center July 8, at USAG Ansbach, Germany.
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ANSBACH, Germany — German soldiers assigned to a helicopter regiment completed annual training July 8 at the IMCOM-Europe Fire Training Center, located at the U.S. Army Garrison here.
Jonas Urschel, the regiment’s fire protection NCOIC, or the Brandschutzhauptfeldwebel der Bundeswehr, and a 15-member team from the Bundeswehr’s 1st Transport Helicopter Regiment 30, completed their annual stress tests with a breathing apparatus.
The individual training, a mandatory requirement for military firefighters of the German Armed Forces, was completed in a single day — a logistical advantage that Urschel said would be difficult to replicate elsewhere.
“The Fire Training Center, with training officers Alexander Gernhard and Jürgen Schwab, is a great thing for us,” Urschel said. “Our colleagues are very supportive. The coordination is uncomplicated and with little bureaucracy. We work together in a friendly and collegial manner.”
Urschel emphasized the value of training alongside U.S. Army personnel, noting the benefits of the well-equipped aircraft cell and firehouse at the Ansbach facility.
Without access to the IMCOM-Europe Fire Training Center, his team would be required to travel to a Bundeswehr training facility in northern Germany — a trip that would extend the process to three or four days and require enormous logistical coordination and resources.
“In Ansbach, we can complete the training workload in one day,” Urschel said.
He added that the U.S. Army and Bundeswehr fire training centers are equal in quality and share the same standards and goals. Still, the close partnership at Ansbach offers unique advantages in convenience and cooperation.
“Without the U.S. Army and this Fire Training Center, we would not be able to accomplish much,” Urschel said.
The entire team expressed satisfaction with the training environment and praised the professionalism and hospitality of their U.S. Army counterparts at the Ansbach facility.
About the Fire Fighting Training Center
Ansbach is home to the Installation Management Command Europe Fire and Emergency Services Regional Training Center, the only one of its kind in Europe.
Representatives of Emergency Services Directorates and Fire Chiefs from Army Garrisons across IMCOM-Europe meet regularly at the Training Center in Ansbach on Urlas Kaserne to tour the facilities and plan training as well as to take part in or observe certification training of U.S. and German firefighters.
The center was designed for hands-on training and academic instruction. Visitors learn about the different training opportunities, observe and refresh their firefighting and rescue skills in a variety of training scenarios including fire ground operations, breaching and rescue operations, equipment maintenance, hazardous materials response and emergency communications procedures.
The center also has IMCOM-Europe’s only Fire Scenario Simulator, capable of creating an array of emergency situations digitally — and realistically — to train firefighters and emergency personnel. Fire and rescue training is a required part of firefighters’ annual performance testing and certification.
