With FireToolBox, we have found a way to share our
15 years of experience in fighting wildfires.
Our instructors are themselves active in fire departments or in forestry and regularly take part in standardized training courses both in Germany and abroad.
The FireToolBox team of instructors has been carrying out specialist training courses in Germany for years and is in perpetual exchange of experience with our national and international partners in order to maintain a constantly evolving level of expertise.
Across borders: Our know-how.
What do we learn from the Bombeiros Voluntários Cruz Branca?
Our instructors provide us with valuable knowledge in Portugal. In in-depth theory sessions and hands-on training exercises, we are learning about many different aspects of wildland firefighting.
We expanded our knowledge of the behavior and spread of fires, meteorological factors, different approaches to firefighting and the structures of incident command in vegetation fires.
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Why Portugal is crucial for our training
We chose to partner with Portugal because of our personal connections with the fire department and our long-standing partnership.
Portugal is one of the European countries that is regularly affected by wildfires and the Portuguese fire services have exceptional experience in fighting wildfires.
Our Portuguese colleagues show us how to manage large-scale operations with maximum efficiency and minimal equipment. This valuable knowledge helps us to constantly improve our firefighting skills and methods.
Portuguese guests in our fire fighting family
At FireToolBox, we firmly believe that shared learning has no boundaries. That's why we are proud to offer our Portuguese colleagues the opportunity to come to Germany through our nationwide contacts and learn a lot about our techniques in structure firefighting or technical rescue.
We were already able to successfully host an exchange in 2022, which is repeated on a regular basis.
This not only promotes cooperation, but also enriches us all with valuable knowledge and experience that helps to advance our mission of protecting and ensuring the safety of our emergency services.
In January 2024, two of our exchange participants were honored by the Portuguese Fire Brigade League on behalf of the entire team for their outstanding contributions to the Portuguese fire services.
This honor fills us with great pride. We would like to express our gratitude to all the supporters who helped us with this exchange.
Why did you create FireToolBox?
"Together with my team, we decided to set up a new platform for firefighters after the wildfire years of 2018 and 2019. My experience from Europe and the USA, as well as the regional operational experience of our instructors, are essential for adapting tactics and standards to today's needs.
With FireToolBox, we have managed to respond to regional specifics and offer our customers training at the same level. The continuous training of trainers is another important part of my work."
What exactly do tactics, technique and training mean to you?
"It is important that the purchased material is used for practice and that it is not left unused on the vehicles or in the warehouse. Purchasing alone is not enough to be able to combat forest fire situations in the future.
So it means first being clear about what the regional problems are and how I can counteract them with appropriate tactics and the resulting acquisition of technology. However, the focus must be on training the emergency services, who have to use the technology and equipment effectively."
Fighting wildfires in the future - what do you wish for?
"The chiefs of our fire departments have to understand that the number of fires may increase both regionally and nationwide. Forest and wildfires are getting bigger and require more and more resources. It will not always be enough to get there and put them out.
Forecasts and predictions must be made on the basis of fire factors. Resources must be used in a targeted and safe manner and the " wildfire" toolbox must be filled with further useful operational tactics and solutions.
We need to think outside the box and learn from our neighbors. This network is important in order to deal with these issues in the long term and stay up to date."
In episode 12 of R.SH's Blaulicht podcast, Louis shares further impressions of his training in the USA.
