structural development

Next summer is just around the corner. We, who live here in the Görlitz district, are not the only ones who enjoy the high quality of local recreation around the water. More and more tourists are also drawn to the unaffordable land:

Short trips and excursions to our beautiful lakes (as well as other Saxon lakes) and boat tours through the Lusatian lake landscape are becoming increasingly popular.

In some places people are already sailing these days and the bathing season will begin in two months. But – rescue workers are not at the start everywhere. For example, tourism at the beautiful Bärwalder Lake, the largest in Saxony, has so far only been carried out by volunteers. But what if a “mast and sheet break” occurs or a swimmer, a little too far out, can no longer continue?

The German Red Cross

Some readers are probably familiar with the rescue station at Bärwalder See . In red and white, it stands like a lighthouse above the harbor in Klitten. The main user is the ground-based rescue service from the German Red Cross. There are also rooms for water rescue. This is also organized by the DRK with the lifeguards from the water rescue service .

While the financing of the rescue service is ensured by health insurance companies, the situation is different when it comes to water rescue. The community of Boxberg has a small local water rescue group. It belongs to the DRK district association Weißwasser eV and cannot handle such a task alone. Here it is exclusively volunteers from various local groups from all over Germany who take care of safety on the water on the seasonal weekends.

100 supporting horsepower

DRK regional association also comes to help. Last year, the so-called “state reinforcement” was launched. The state reinforcements are units of the DRK state association that are stationed in the districts in addition to the disaster control units. In the case of the Boxberger Wasserwacht, this is a powerful motor rescue boat that is available for operations throughout the entire state. But as a rule it will be stationed at Bärwalder See. Last Monday, the aluminum boat with a 100 hp engine and a bow flap was handed over to the Boxberg local group in Meißen.

In order to transport it to the Görlitz district, we at ENO supported it by providing a vehicle with space and pulling power. The boat and trailer combination weighs around one and a half tons. In the next few weeks, the members of the Boxberg water rescue service will familiarize themselves intensively with the new work equipment and practice how to use it correctly in an emergency. We'll keep reporting! And if you would like to volunteer around the water, write an email here or register here for the next compact lifeguarding course from July 8th - 12th, 2024 !