{"id":527635,"date":"2025-07-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=527635"},"modified":"2025-07-12T10:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T10:52:12","slug":"city-of-wiesbaden-fire-department-showcases-bilingual-emergency-dispatch-capabilities-garrison-coordination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=527635","title":{"rendered":"City of Wiesbaden Fire Department showcases bilingual emergency dispatch capabilities, garrison coordination"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Wiesbaden Fire Department dispatcher Patricia Hardt demonstrates the capabilities of the ProQA standardized query system at the City of Wiesbaden\u2019s Fire Station 1 in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 26, 2025. The system can seamlessly switch between German and English and provides step-by-step guidance for situations such as childbirth and CPR.
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WIESBADEN, Germany \u2013 On June 24, Col. Troy Danderson, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, visited the City of Wiesbaden\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The City of Wiesbaden Fire Department is a vital emergency support partner of USAG Wiesbaden. In addition to collaborating with the garrison\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\n From left: Karin Morrell, assistant fire chief for prevention; Collis Jeppesen, deputy fire chief of the U.S. Fire Department; Col. Troy Danderson, Commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden; Dirk Schwarz, Wiesbaden fire chief; and Sven Janneck, U.S. liaison officer at the Wiesbaden Fire Department participate in a meeting at the City of Wiesbaden\u2019s Fire Station 1 in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 26, 2025.
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\n Wiesbaden Fire Chief Dirk Schwarz showcases the Command Vehicle 2 (Einsatzleitwagen 2), to Col. Troy Danderson, Commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden; Collis Jeppesen, deputy fire chief of the U.S. Fire Department; and Karin Morrell, assistant fire chief for prevention, during a meeting at the City of Wiesbaden\u2019s Fire Station 1 in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 26, 2025. The Einsatzleitwagen 2 is equipped with communication systems similar to the department\u2019s central dispatch.
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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\u2019s command team and the central dispatch center.<\/p>\n

The visit focused on discussing emergency dispatch procedures and capabilities. Wiesbaden\u2019s 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 \u2013 Wiesbaden offers extensive rescue resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe topic of emergency calls is very prominent in our community,\u201d Danderson said. \u201cIn addition to our internal emergency numbers for the Military Police and DES, it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The fire brigade\u2019s central dispatch center directly accommodates U.S. citizens living in the area with features many Americans may not be aware of.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo 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 \u2013 112,\u201d said Schwarz.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s smartphone GPS or Wi-Fi data right into the dispatch for localization. As soon as the caller\u2019s location is known, the dispatcher assesses the incident.<\/p>\n

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\n Wiesbaden Fire Chief Dirk Schwarz and U.S. Liaison Officer Sven Janneck explain organizational structures and procedures to Col. Troy Danderson, Commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden;, Collis Jeppesen, deputy fire chief of the U.S. Fire Department;, and Karin Morrell, assistant fire chief for prevention during a meeting at the City of Wiesbaden\u2019s Fire Station 1 in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 26, 2025.
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\u201cOur 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,\u201d Schwarz explained, as the team showcased the dispatch center\u2019s structures and processes.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur 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,\u201d said Janneck, emphasizing the high training standards and professionalism of their team.<\/p>\n

Part of the demonstration included observing dispatcher Patricia Hardt while she handled a live emergency query at her desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur 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,\u201d Hardt said. \u201cAs soon as sufficient information is available, help can be dispatched simultaneously, even while the caller is still on the line. This saves valuable time.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the fire department\u2019s courtyard, Schwarz led the final portion of the visit by showcasing a special vehicle \u2013 Command Vehicle 2 (Einsatzleitwagen 2). Equipped with a communication system similar to the central dispatch center, the vehicle specializes in managing larger incidents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis command vehicle provides space to lead emergencies on-site and communicate with central dispatch,\u201d Janneck said. \u201cMaintaining resiliency is crucial and having multiple fallback solutions ensures we can continue dispatching and communicating with our units under any conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Sven Janneck, U.S. liaison officer at the Wiesbaden Fire Department, briefs U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Commander Col. Troy Danderson on the features and functions of the department\u2019s Command Vehicle 2 (Einsatzleitwagen 2), while seated in the vehicle\u2019s meeting room during a meeting at the City of Wiesbaden\u2019s Fire Station 1 in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 26, 2025.
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Expressing his gratitude for the department\u2019s ongoing coordination with the garrison, Danderson reiterated, \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wiesbaden Fire Department dispatcher Patricia Hardt demonstrates the capabilities of the ProQA standardized query system at the City of Wiesbaden\u2019s Fire Station 1 in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 26, 2025. The system can seamlessly switch between German and English and provides step-by-step guidance for situations such as childbirth and CPR. (Photo Credit: Christopher Serbent) VIEW ORIGINAL […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":527637,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-527635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=527635"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":527643,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527635\/revisions\/527643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/527637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=527635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=527635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=527635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}