Ausgabe zur A+A 2019

Ausg.Nr._18/2019 21 Crisis Management Robotics, drones, modern fire engines When the sites of fires or natural catastrophes become too dan- gerous for humans, robots come in handy. As they did during a fire in the marl caves south of Maastricht in July 2017. A farmer had stored hay there, which had caught fire. As there was a risk of the caves collapsing, help- ers were unable to enter. The fire brigade in Aachen contacted the CHEMPARK site fire brigade in Leverkusen to request the Ma- nipulator, a remote-controlled ro- bot. This special device provided essential images from inside the caves, which gave the fire brigade an overview of the fire. Drones also play an increasingly important role in the evaluation of an event or in the continuous mon- itoring of plants. “They allow us to quickly and easily take pictures at great heights or in areas that are difficult to access,” explains Joachim Beyer, Head of Security at Currenta-CHEMPARK & Safety (CPS). “We regularly use drones for inspection flights and to obtain thermal images. These in turn help us collect data with which we can optimise our plants.” Germany’s first turbine fire engine will be in use at Currenta at the end of 2019. A high-performance en- gine produces a fine extinguishing mist that sprays up to 150 metres and is intended specifically for providing aid in industrial fires in the chemicals industry. “It achieves the same results with less extinguishing agents and less water — this contributes to more sustainability and improves the fire brigade’s performance,” sum- marises Hummel. Digital aids and autonomous technologies Digitalisation increasingly helps us determine the causes of crises. According to a 2019 survey con- ducted by the Crisis Navigator — Institute for Crisis Research, part of the University of Kiel (Krisennavigator — Institut für Krisenforschung, ein Spin-off der Univeristät Kiel), crisis managers are increasingly dealing with data integrity breaches, blackouts, IT outages as well as public back- lash and online protests. At the same time, more and more digital products and technologies open up new opportunities for provid- ing extensive information and op- timised organisation. In the event of an evacuation, for example, site fire brigades have to be sure that everyone has left the site. Only when this has been confirmed can they fully start fire-fighting measures, for exam- ple. To do so, Currenta relies on a new, electronic logbook that registers when employees en- ter or leave the works premises. This is recorded quite simply via a digital system that requires each employee to hold a special identification card up to a reading device. This procedure has been in place at CHEMPARK Dormagen since December 2018. New digital tools allow users to quickly achieve — and maintain — information superiority. Pre- stored text modules allow users to create press releases within minutes. With the aid of alarm servers, crisis unit members can be notified by mouse click. “The future promises autonomous drones that can independently probe a situation,” forecasts Hum- mel. “Self-driving vehicles will allow us to evaluate information as soon as we are on our way to the emergency location, saving valuable time. And artificial intel- ligence is sure to open up whole new potential, such as exploration systems.” Exoskeletons — stabilis- ing and power assisting elements — promise improved protective functions and new options of use, such as lifting larger loads. And sometimes, coloured pens and paper are all you need: When handling disasters, conventional aids continue to play an impor- tant role. “Paper and coloured markers are still immensely popu- lar,” says BYK-Chemie Head of Technology Jetten. “Anyone can use them and they still work, even if the power’s out. Where are the servers located that are under threat from cyber attacks, which areas are at risk during fires or in the event of substance release, where do the water, sewage or electricity pipes run. Visualis- ing is of central importance, as this way, everyone can see at a glance what effects an event may have on the site or its surround- ings.” The communications that are based on the situation image are also important and must be clear, comprehensible and void of speculation. After all, a special- ist for communications must be able to immediately understand a statement just as well as an IT or environmental expert. New obligations for SMEs The draft of the new DIN ISO standard 22320 (Security and Resilience — Emergency Manage- ment — Guidelines for Incident Management), which was sub- mitted in August 2018, requires small and mid-sized companies to fulfil obligations with regard to crisis management, too. “In future, businesses that would like to obtain certification will have to prove a corresponding organisa- tional structure and employ quali- fied staff,” says Henkel’s Director of Fire Brigade, Raimund Bücher. “This of course means they need to have the necessary budgets.” The human risk factor When danger sends adrenaline shooting into our blood, our ac- tions are impaired. Our brains seem to become sluggish — ra- tional thoughts are no longer pos- sible, our memory performance flags and deliberate actions are difficult. The more times a per- son has been through this, the quicker they can bridge this cha- otic phase. “Continuous drills train routines, which we can then access quickly in the event of danger,” says Jetten. Which is why he and his colleagues rely on what he calls circuit training. This means realistic drills with vari- ous requirements that have been set up on the works premises. “The changing roles within the individual positions sharpen our awareness of the different per- spectives people have in the ex- act same situation. It allows us to stage everything as realistically as possible—with the police, fire bri- gade and emergency responders.” Raising public awareness However, crises don't stop at the works gate. “Standards, legis- lation and internal drills alone don’t cut it. It is extremely impor- tant to raise public awareness, so that they react adequately in an emergency,” emphasises Rai- mund Bücher. Which is why North Rhine-Westphalia introduced a state-wide alert day in 2018. On alert day, the sirens are tested and trial alert notifications are sent out, for example using the Nina alert app, the federal emer- gency information and notifica- tion app (Nina stands for Notfall- Informations- und Nachrichten App, emergency information and notification app). Drills are carried out across re- gions, as well. “LÜKEX stands for ‘Länderübergreifende Krisen- managementübung’ (cross-state crisis management drill),” the ex- pert explains. “The realistic drills aim to improve the management of national crises.” This involves organisations at the governmen- tal and state level. In addition, the fire brigade and organisations such as the German Red Cross (Deutsche Rote Kreuz, DRK), the Maltese Help Organisation (Mal- teser Hilfsdienst) and the ASB Workers’ Samaritan Federation are important helpers in inform- ing the broader public. Crisis management — a topic with seemingly endless facets. At A+A 2019, experts are on hand to an- swer questions and engage in discussion. Because one thing is certain: we can only manage cri- ses if we are willing to find solu- tions together.  Text & Image: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Messeplatz Stockumer Kirchstraße 61 D-40474 Düsseldorf