Volunteer fire departments are indispensable for fire protection, technical assistance and disaster control, especially in rural areas, given that there are only around 100 professional fire departments in the whole of Germany. There is also a volunteer fire department in Piding in Upper Bavaria. It responds to 80 to 100 incidents every year, one of the main areas of operation being the A8 Munich-Salzburg highway. Of the almost one hundred active firefighters, 39 also wear breathing apparatus.

In order to fulfill the tasks of a volunteer fire department, a lot has been invested in equipment and facilities. In addition to several modern emergency vehicles, the construction of a new fire station began in 2021. This also required a new breathing apparatus workshop (ASW). They finally found what they were looking for with MiniTec sales partner “BAS Vertriebs GmbH Brand- und Arbeitsschutz” from Planegg near Munich. In cooperation with BAS's regional sales representative, MiniTec took care of the entire “respiratory protection workshop” project based on the modular profile system, from the initial discussions to the 3D design, implementation, installation and commissioning on site.

Perfectly installed
The focus of the new respiratory protection workshop is the so-called black area, where contaminated breathing apparatus and the associated masks are cleaned and disinfected after use. Thanks to the flexibility of the MiniTec modular profile system, the respiratory protection workshop could be ideally adapted to the spatial conditions and requirements of the fire department in order to realize an ergonomic workflow. MiniTec also supplied various cylinder trolleys and roller tables to ensure optimum logistics within the new fire station. The furniture elements from the product range for the furnishing of breathing apparatus workshops are easy to clean and are also characterized by high durability and longevity.

Peter Haiker, 2nd commander of the Piding volunteer fire department and responsible for the project, was extremely pleased with the collaboration with MiniTec: “The workshop has become a real gem, especially because of the MiniTec furniture. We will definitely be proud to show it off if anyone comes to see it and recommend MiniTec to others.”