Firefighter 'learned a lot' from Germany trip

Michael Wyldbore-Wood (left) spent a week with Osnabrück Fire Department

A Derbyshire firefighter who has returned from a foreign exchange trip to Germany said he "learned a lot" from the experience.

Michael Wyldbore-Wood spent a week with the fire service in the Lower Saxony city of Osnabrück.

The station manager told the BBC he had brought "a lot" back to Derbyshire about how German firefighters operate.

"It is different how they do things but firefighters across the world are all the same breed," he said.

The Derbyshire station manager took part in a range of training activities

Derby has been twinned with Osnabrück since 1976 - an arrangement established to create business links and promote tourism between the two cities.

Mr Wyldbore-Wood met the city's lord mayor, was shown the regional control centre and explained the administrative and organisational structure of the fire service back in Derbyshire.

He was also invited on a range of exercises, including rope training, electric vehicle fires and incidents in high-rise buildings.

"The biggest thing over there was they have a combined fire and ambulance service - you might be a firefighter on station and next shift a paramedic," he said.

"But it is similar as well - firefighters here in Derbyshire could go over there and soon slip in."

Osnabrück has been twinned with Derby since 1976

Mr Wyldbore-Wood said he took part in the trip because he had never visited Germany and knew he would plenty.

Speaking about the voluntary units in Germany, he said there was a "real sense of community sprit" and children were introduced to the service from the age of six.

"We have it with our cadets but that's from age 14 - if we can learn from the Germans and bridge that gap there'll be benefits all round," he said.

A station manager from Osnabrück is planning to come over to Derbyshire next year as part of the same exchange.

"I've suggested he comes over in the summer to minimise the wet weather... we'll show him the whole gambit of Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service and I'm sure he'll take something away from it," he said.

A station manager from Osnabrück is set to come to Derbyshire next year as part of the exchange