A plant tour, turntable ladder training and trip with the SuperDragon through the steep curve - the Wennigloh Fire-Fighting Team (Arnsberg Fire Department) was overjoyed about its exceptional visit to Magirus in Ulm last weekend. As part of the Conrad Dietrich Magirus Award 2015, the crew members had won the first-ever Special Prize for Social Commitment for their joint fire drill with mentally disabled men.
Magirus marketing manager Tobias Knebel welcomed the eleven crew members of the Wennigloh Fire-Fighting Team on Friday, 8 April in Ulm and first invited them to enjoy lunch together. They subsequently took an exclusive plant tour and could view turntable ladder production, tank pumper manufacture and the new Magirus Experience Centre, including the company's own collection of classic vehicles. At the following visit to the Ulm Fire Department, the crew members talked shop with other professionals about the practical use of the Magirus fire engines. The first day was rounded off by a guided tour of the city and dinner.
Saturday, the visitors spent the whole day at the Fire Fighter Academy. At the Magirus training and seminar centre, knowledge, skills and abilities can continuously be advanced. “The Fire Fighter Academy is an important part of our ‘Serving Heroes’ mentality. This is where firefighters from around the world increase their know-how in order to get the most out of their Magirus equipment. We continually adapt our courses to current requirements and are very pleased that we can pass on a small part of our experience to the winners of the special prize,” Knebel said.
The Wennigloh team was able to test the optimal operation of the articulated arm turntable ladder with the M32L-AT telescoping part, and the M55L turntable ladder with 55 metre working height. They then used the AluFire 3 training fire-fighting vehicle to practice ideal vehicle operation up to professional handling of the pump. The best part of the day was the ride on the SuperDragon X8 airport fire-fighting vehicle. They travelled the centre’s own steep curve at over 100 km/h, a successful conclusion of the eventful two days. And because their departure was not planned until Sunday, they still had enough time to climb the world’s highest church tower: the Ulm Münster.
"We had an exciting weekend in Ulm and learned some important tricks at the Magirus Fire Fighter Academy. It is a lot of fun to exchange information with others in the field, and it’s obvious that manufacturing fire-fighting vehicles for Magirus is more than just a job. The absolute highlight for me was the ride in the SuperDragon. When you go into the steep curve, it’s an indescribable feeling and a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Nikolai Schulte from the Wennigloh Fire-Fighting Team (Arnsberg Fire Department).
The winners of the Conrad Dietrich Magirus Special Prize 2015 will redeem the second part of the prize, an exclusive driving safety training, in Bielefeld, Germany, later in the year. Due to the proximity to their home location, the participants not only have the opportunity to train with their own fire truck, but can also take the training with their private vehicles. This is an important aspect, because especially during the trip to the fire station after an alarm, safety rules are often neglected.
