They had been ready to help people since 7 a.m. this morning, but the volunteers from the fire brigade in Gieten mainly drank a lot of coffee. Despite code orange and forecasts of slippery conditions and snowdrifts, the firefighters did not have to go outside once for an emergency.
Several fire stations in Drenthe were fully staffed due to the weather forecast of slippery conditions and snow. In Gieten there was a whole team ready to respond where necessary.
“Mainly so that we save time compared to having to come to the barracks from home,” says post manager Edwin Veldman. “Instead of taking ten minutes, you can be somewhere within four minutes.”
However, the pager on which notifications come in remained silent. No traffic accidents, no collapsed roofs, no resuscitations. And so the men didn’t have to go out until now.
“I think people went a little better prepared,” says Veldman. “A lot was predicted, but it turned out not to be so bad. So we went home at 12.30 pm. We can drive back from there if something happens.”
Gieten does have a spotless barracks again, because the men have cleaned both inside and outside. “We did some shopping, some administration, sprinkled salt, shoveled snow, cleaned up the canteen and of course had lots of coffee,” says firefighter Niels Mensingh.
Other firefighters have their laptops with them and are currently working. Whether they work from home or from the barracks makes little difference.
The volunteer firefighters are not good at sitting still, so they decide to drive on spec. Armed with snow plows, they go from door to door to clear the garden paths of the elderly.
“This is beautiful,” Hennie Hovenkamp calls from her door frame. The older lady doesn’t like to go outside in this weather, she says. “That snow is so heavy. I tried to remove it myself, but I just can’t.”
She was initially shocked that the fire brigade was at her door, but is now very happy with her clean garden path. “For a moment I thought: oh dear, what’s going on. But then I saw them sliding and I thought: beautiful.”