The temperatures are rising, summer is coming – actually good news, but this also makes the topic of forest fires topical again. There are also fires in some regions of Germany.

Pedestrians and drivers are likely to notice traffic cones that appear to have fallen over more often in the near future, especially near the forest. For some, this should trigger the reflex to set up the pylons again quickly – but the fire brigade warns against this. “If a cone is lying on its side and is pointing in a direction, for example, please leave it there,” writes the fire brigade from Königs Wusterhausen (Brandenburg) on ​​their Facebook page. Because the cones fulfill an important function in the event of a fire.

Background: The traffic cones “use emergency services from the fire brigade or other aid organizations to mark the direction to the scene,” explains the fire brigade. Emergency services that arrive early place the tip of the cone in such a way that it shows subsequent colleagues where the fire is located. This is particularly important at locations that are difficult to localize, for example where street names or house numbers are missing.

The fire brigade from Königs Wusterhausen is therefore sending three appeals to the population: “In any case, leave the cone as it is”, “Do not set it up” and “Do not block access roads”. During the forest fire season in winter, fire brigades regularly point out why the position of the traffic cones should not be changed. But many people still don’t know about it.

Brandenburg in particular is currently affected by forest fires. At Jüterbog, an area of ​​656 hectares is affected – that is more than twice the area of ​​Sanssouci Park in Potsdam and more than three times the area of ​​Tiergarten in Berlin. Heat and strong winds also fuel the fires.

Sources: City of Königs Wusterhausen fire department on Facebook / DPA

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