Christine Eixenberger was awarded the German Fire Service Medal of Honor for her leading role in the successful ZDF series “Marie Fangs Feuer”. Eixenberger played “a firefighter like we would like to see in everyday life: hands-on, natural and ready for action,” praised the President of the German Fire Brigade Association, Karl-Heinz Banse. He presented the medal to the 35-year-old on Tuesday in Murnau, Bavaria.
Eixenberger has been the focus of the primetime series since 2016 with 14 episodes so far, which will change from Sunday to Thursday with the new season from October 20th. The reactions from the real rescuers are very positive, she told the German Press Agency. “The proportion of women in the fire brigade in Germany is between ten and twelve percent, depending on where you look. And I can already see that many firefighters are approaching me. They think it’s great that there is a certain focus on the fire brigade and their role is becoming more and more important. Of course, I would be happy if some of the viewers saw it too and maybe volunteered and hired for the fire brigade.”
Socially important issues in focus
The new season also wants to set an example, said Eixenberger: “We take on very socially relevant issues such as climate change and flood disasters and how important the fire brigade is and will be in the future. It is our concern that this be made public.” The experiences during the shooting are very impressive: “I’ve also been up on a turntable ladder, which you use to climb 30 meters. I’m not afraid of heights, but of course it’s something different when you climb 20 or 25 meters in a small box upstairs,” the TV star recalls.
She finds the “combination of physicality and a high degree of emotionality” “incredibly exciting,” says Eixenberger, who switched to being a cabaret artist in front of the camera and continues to do stage programs. “I’ve been allowed to break into cars with a hydraulic spreader, and then a thing like that weighs 30 kilos. But you can also prepare for it. And I think we women are in no way inferior to men. And it is “Yes, it’s also a team effort. Everyone helps the other with the execution and that’s real and that’s really, really great. This year we did a lot in the water because we have a flood episode. But also a car that is rolled over, and stories like that.”
Christine Eixenberger Marie catches fire
