Education In Europe: How The Hazard House Fire Safety Simulator Is Used In Germany

Herbert Christ has been a Fire Safety Educator at Kreisfeuerwehrverband Gotha – the County Fire Association of Gotha, in the state of Thuringia – since 1999. His organization mainly teaches schools and kindergartens about the basics of fire and energy safety, using the Modeltech Hazard House as a presentation tool.

“It’s a great invention”, says Herbert Christ. “The kids are amazed by the level of details and small moveable parts”. Mr. Christ says that children’s natural curiosity makes them quick to point out moving elements that could be overlooked during the presentation. “The kids end up teaching the firefighters!”

He further adds that his fellow educators enjoy working with the new simulator, finding it easy to use. “It does most of the work by itself!”

Timing couldn’t be more perfect to release a new version of the simulator in Germany. After an annual meeting with Fire Safety Educators from all 16 German states, Mr. Christ observed that “people are more and more concerned about fire safety, and regulation is becoming more strict regarding smoke detectors.”

The County Fire Association of Gotha works closely with state associations, and Herbert Christ has long been Chief of the Kreisjugendfeuerwehr Gotha – the County Fire Association for Young Firefighters. Similar to the Air Cadets or Boy Scouts, the Association helps youths 6 to 18 years old from over 1,000 schools achieve personal growth and build self-esteem through competitions and workshops.

See our new video from Gotha Fire Department, Germany.