Chaos in Heikendorf: Chemical accident at Mottowoche ensures emergency exercise!

On June 16, 2025, an emergency exercise on the chemical accident with 250 emergency services took place in Heikendorf to train crisis management.
On June 16, 2025, an emergency exercise on the chemical accident with 250 emergency services took place in Heikendorf to train crisis management. (Symbolbild/MND)

Chaos in Heikendorf: Chemical accident at Mottowoche ensures emergency exercise!

Heikendorf, Deutschland - in Heikendorf, a picturesque place in the Plön district, there was a comprehensive emergency exercise today, which mobilized around 250 emergency services. The Heinrich Heine School served as a practice for a scenario that sounds like a bad film: a chemical accident caused by drunk high school graduates during their motted week. [NDR.de reports that ...] (https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/notfall-ueben-in-heikendorf-szenario-mit-mi-mit- Regionkielnews2924.html)

A number of injuries had to be taken care of, including numerous students who became contaminated with sulfuric acid. While the emergency services were busy taking care of the supposed injuries, the raised parents who were waiting for their children in front of the school also had to be looked after. Such exercises are of crucial importance to train the interaction of various aid organizations in an emergency. The next step is now evaluating the observations to identify and fix possible weaknesses.

The value of emergency exercises

Why are such exercises important? Crisis and emergency exercises are an essential part of crisis management. Crisis-und-notfallmanagement.de explains that ... The aim of these exercises is to test processes and communication structures. They offer the emergency services involved the opportunity to obtain routine in dealing with crisis situations, which alleviates the fear of wrong decisions. By identifying problems in the communication chain during the exercises, weaknesses can be recognized and eliminated.

The different types of exercises include the plan exercise, the theoretical scenarios treated, and the full exercise, in which external organizations such as the police and fire brigade are actively involved. Such taverns are time and costly, but provide valuable knowledge for everyone involved.

a variety of emergency services

Around 250 emergency services were involved in the current exercise in Heikendorf, which shows how seriously the situation is taken. The success of this exercise will later be shown in practice, because regular exercises are essential to increase efficiency in an emergency. Similar to an emergency exercise at Erfurt Airport, which included 145 emergency services where different institutions worked, it is important that all actors are well prepared and know their roles in the event of a crisis. [thueringen112.de reports that…] (https://thueringen112.de/2019/11/145- Dienstkraefte-an-notfallueben-am-flughafen-erfurt-weimar-beintigigt/)

The emergency services, including the fire brigade, emergency services and police, had to carry out both human rescue and fire fighting during this exercise and secure the accident site - just as it could be the case in reality.

Finally, it can be said that emergency exercises such as the one carried out today in Heikendorf are essential in order to be able to react better to crisis situations in the future. Because with a good hand and the right preparation you can keep a cool head even in the greatest need.

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OrtHeikendorf, Deutschland
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