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Heat chaos in outdoor pools: aggression and rescue operations at a record high!
In Eimsbüttel, there were overcrowded outdoor pools and increased aggression on hot summer days - the heat wave caused chaos.
Heat chaos in outdoor pools: aggression and rescue operations at a record high!
It's summer and temperatures are rising dramatically in Germany. Germany's outdoor pools are under enormous pressure during this heat wave. How Mercury reported that the Bäderland Hamburg recorded an incredible 80,000 visitors on the first hot weekend in July, July 1st and 2nd. This crowd also brought 80 rescue operations in just 48 hours. A spokesman for the Bäderland, Michael Dietel, even spoke of 80 to 100 missions, which usually take place over several weeks.
In order to cope with the heat and the rush, some indoor swimming pools temporarily closed their doors. In the Kaifu baths in Eimsbüttel, 11,000 people streamed in on a single day. In order to ease the situation, the Bäderland even opened two outdoor pools unscheduled and informed the public via social media.
Heat-related aggression
But it's not just the overcrowding that causes dissatisfaction. How bnn.de Reportedly, the heat also leads to an increase in aggression and acts of violence. Stress hormones such as vasopressin are increasingly released, especially at temperatures above 30 degrees. These hormones can make people more irritable and impulsive. There was also an incident in Satteldorf, Baden-Württemberg: visitors stormed a kiosk, forcing employees to lock the doors out of fear for their safety. Mayor Thomas Haas reacted quickly and had barbed wire installed on fences while he planned a security detail for the weekends.
However, tempers are not only frayed in Satteldorf. In Hesse, nine girls were sexually harassed in an outdoor swimming pool on July 1st. The police identified four Syrian men as suspects. The mayor of Gelnhausen, Christian Litzinger, said that “when temperatures are high, tempers are sometimes frayed,” which caused him a shitstorm on the Internet. Despite his intention not to trivialize the actions, many felt hurt by his statement.
Violence and aggression in the outdoor pool
The police are now increasingly having to deal with aggressive visitors to outdoor pools, often due to the crowding in queues and the general heat wave. An example of this was an incident at the Sandweier lido, where a drunk woman insulted a lifeguard and attacked him with a glass bottle. Fortunately, the lifeguard was uninjured.
Experts such as psychology professor Hanns-Christian Gunga confirm that high temperatures not only depress people's moods, but can also have a strong impact on their behavior. Studies show that during heat waves not only does the potential for aggression increase, but also more crimes are committed. Nevertheless, there was no significant increase in patients due to the heat at the Karlsruhe Municipal Hospital, indicating that people deal with the trials and tribulations of a heat wave differently.
Now, with a new heat wave expected from July 18th and promising temperatures of up to 34 degrees in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, it remains to be seen whether outdoor pools can meet the challenges of the situation without the mood completely changing.