19 rescues, it is a "fabulous feat" and yet … – City of Solothurn – Solothurn

When the Solothurn firefighters arrived with the 60 people available at the Wengistrasse fire, there was more than one thing: save! "There was almost no self-rescue, so we had to get the residents out." The desperate people who jumped had done so before the firefighters arrived, and even the child was already This has lived contrary to previous speculations and has been brought to the hospital.

But inside, it was about life and death. "In total, we counted 19 rescues, which is a tremendous feat," said the commander in response to the praise of his forces. Some of them were protected by ladders, but most of them were taken out of the corridor under respiratory protection. "An escape device was used, a kind of bag that slips over the person's head to rescue and provides him with fresh air." In contrast, there was no existing protective cushion – due to the fire on the ground floor, the heat was immediately in the front large area. Boris Anderegg; "The device would have broken instantly. And with the scales, we were faster. "

"You can not train that"

Once outside, the fight for survival began for some of the rescued. "Our staff also participated in the resuscitation and supported the rescue teams," Anderegg said. The trained firefighters experienced a change of emotion: there all was in vain, "we could find someone." The sorrow of the lost life alternated with the moments of happiness of wiedergeonnenes.Gglücksmomenten of wiedergewonnenes.

To treat it was the first commandment. "We did the mission reporting with the care team." Talk to each other, intercept the mood, "do not let people hang", such is the reaction of the commander. And in the afternoon, most would have come together to work together. Because these extremely stressful moments, "you can not train something like that," recognizes the commander, who even participates in the training, to the limits of preparation.

Huge sympathy

Boris Anderegg and his people do not feel left alone anyway. "There are a lot of positive emotions, the sympathy of the population is huge, the firefighters have not forgotten us," he said gratefully for his support. Because after such events, we also wonder: Have we done everything right? For Boris Anderegg, there is no doubt: "Yes, everything worked." The alert, the operational plan, the deployed forces, the procedure. And yet …

No explanation for the smoke

In fact, it was an ordinary chamber fire for the commander. But the fire on the ground floor had insidious and fatal consequences. "Anyone who has three or four breaths when the smoke is thick is losing consciousness." Therefore, his advice, if smoke is detected at the door: "Immediately close the doors of the room, go to the window and make yourself feel." The house of Wengistrasse 40 was burned – And the development of the smoke does not favor specifically, the building was created according to common fire safety rules of the time. But one of the fire chiefs recommends one thing: "Activate a fire alarm.It is already 30 francs to have."

This is also recommended by Thomas Fluri, fire protection expert at the Solothurn Building Insurance Association (SGV). The installation would constitute a "rescue measure", but it is not mandatory in Switzerland. According to Fluri, as there are few wounded in Switzerland, there is an average of 20 deaths per year. Another tip from the expert: Do not put a shoe frame in the stairwell because: "A stairway is the most important rescue and rescue route." In most cases, rescue is by the stairwell, explains Fluri. These should – if the doors of the apartment are closed at least – not be filled with smoke.

"Doors are usually designed to withstand half an hour of normal fire, even if they are made of wood." Fluri can not say what's wrong with the specific case in Solothurn. "The fire is tragic. Something should not work, otherwise fewer people would have been hurt. "The scary: Sleeping is barely woken up by a fire." If the smoke gets into the bedroom, the danger is big, "says Fluri." In sleep, humans can not smell and inhale the flue gases, he is unconscious after a few breaths. "

Due to the ongoing investigation, the building insurance can not provide any additional information, explains on request the SGV director, Markus Schüpbach. For example, questions about the property and how such smoke might develop remain unanswered. It is necessary to wait for the investigation report, says Schüpbach, who also speaks of a tragic event. However, one could already assume that the property – like thousands of others in the township – had been demolished by the SGV. The canton, which has rented four apartments for people from the asylum zone in the building concerned, explains on request that it only leases infrastructure in which mandatory fire protection requirements would be met.