Sarex is a regular large-scale exercise organised by the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS). Several simulated emergency scenarios are played out, including the rescue of seriously injured people on stricken ships, the search for missing persons in the water and the recovery of sinking boats.
A total of nine sea rescue units as well as ships from the German Federal Police, helicopters from the naval aviation and the ADAC air rescue service were involved in the challenging exercises this time. The speciality: The scenarios are only communicated to the crews with the respective "alert" in order to create the most realistic operating conditions possible and prepare the rescue teams for extreme situations.
Realistic deployment scenarios
"We deliberately push our crews to their limits during these exercises," explains Niklas Deeken, Head of the DGzRS rescue service. "This is the only way we can ensure that they are as well prepared as possible in an emergency."
The operations were coordinated via a specially set up exercise control centre, which was manned by staff from the DGzRS maritime rescue control centre. In order not to interfere with regular maritime radio traffic, the emergency services used special code words during the exercise. The sea rescuers' decades of experience show that accidents and disasters are possible at any time. Constant training is therefore crucial for successful deployment in an emergency.
Intensive training days
Last Thursday, the participating crews took turns training important manoeuvres and skills in the harbour on board and on land. These included the transfer of shipwrecked persons from ship to ship, rescue from confined spaces, internationally standardised SAR deployment procedures such as search patterns and command tasks as well as technical navigation. The Federal Maritime Police made its training ship "Eschwege" available for these training units. First aid and casualty transport were also important components of the exercises.
Challenging experiences for the emergency services
For foreman and skipper Jens Lietzow from the Heiligenhafen volunteer centre, it was his first time taking part in an SAREx: "Fortunately, we rarely experience missions with seriously injured people. But here we had to deal with exactly that - deciding who needed help first in a cramped ship. It was so realistic that we completely forgot it was an exercise."
This authenticity was made possible, among other things, by the professional injury actors from the Emergency Training Group (ETG) of I.S.A.R. Germany. They portrayed realistic injury patterns and reacted accordingly to the treatment measures of the sea rescuers, which significantly enhanced the character of the exercise.
Extensive fleet in use
Numerous DGzRS units took part in the SAREx Neustadt. These included the rescue cruisers NIS RANDERS (Darßer Ort/Prerow station), FELIX SAND (Grömitz station) and FRITZ KNACK (Maasholm station). From the volunteer stations, the rescue boats WOLFGANG WIESE (Timmendorf/Poel station), HANS INGWERSEN (currently Heiligenhafen station), JÜRGEN HORST (Schilksee station) and HENRICH WUPPESAHL (Neustadt/Holstein station) were deployed. The fleet was supplemented by the training boat MERVI and the training ship CARLO SCHNEIDER from the DGzRS training fleet.
Cooperation with other organisations is a central component of SAREx, as different authorities and organisations have to work hand in hand in an emergency.
Regular drills for emergencies
The DGzRS usually organises the SAREx twice a year - once in the North Sea and once in the Baltic Sea. These comprehensive exercises have been an integral part of the sea rescuers' training concept since 2012. Larger exercises of this kind have also taken place off Rügen, in the Eckernförde Bay, off Büsum and Wilhelmshaven in recent years. The SAREx is managed by the DGzRS Maritime Rescue Academy and serves to optimise cooperation between the various units and organisations. In addition to searching for and rescuing shipwrecked persons, treating the injured and towing distressed vessels, the sea rescuers train above all in communicating with many parties and dealing with complex situations.
