Tradition
In terms of tradition, my guess is that Bavaria could be seen as being similar to Scotland, at least when it comes to outfits. In any case, it’s a good pretext to get together and have a good time (and some beers too).
Ecto, aptitude test
This is as much a test of ecto, which I’ve just installed, as a wish to show a picture I took last Sunday. These guys are performing a Leistungsprüfung, which is like an aptitude check, with the small difference that it was acted: this is a recreation of a test taken back in 1961, including uniforms, fire engine and the like.
Interesting factoids: the basic Löschgruppe (Team of 9 Firefighters) includes the Löschtrupp (extinguishing team), as it was called then. Today, this attack team is called Angriffstrupp. Apparently, it was then unfashionable, or rather politically incorrect to use the word Angriff. Same goes for the Group Leader, or Gruppenführer. I still find the word Führer somewhat awkward, but have gotten used to it. Back then, this was also a no-no, so that position was called Löschmeister (extinguishing master, literally).
There’s a video of the test here, and some picture here . The aptitude test still exists today, although slightly adapted to modern firefighting. The purpose is to demonstrate that a team is trained and that the equipment is working, also it’s a bit of tradition and comradeship.
SketchUp Video: Roche Limit
As so often, I wish I’d have more time and energy to pursue using Google SketchUp, it’s perfect for quick and dirty and exact reconstruction of the places where incidents happened.
My abilities pale next to what Roche Limit have come up with. Great video, and the music’s good too:
My sports car
This one’s a bit sad, really. The guy to the left had fake carbon decoration – the dark stuff – and a sticker saying “motorsport”.
Synesthesia
Synesthesia from Terri Timely on Vimeo.
Probably the best short clip I’ve seen in a long time. Watch it all over again, it’s perfect. There are plenty of metaphors and thought-provoking details, such als filetting and cooking a cookbook. Not sure about the underlying message, but what the heck, it’s a pleasure to watch :)
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Welcome
Welcome to Irakli West's personal pages on the Web. I am Danish, live close to Munich in Germany, and run FWnetz, an online magazine and training resource for firefighters. In real life, I am Regional Manager Northern Europe for Paratech, teach Heavy Rescue (it's fun, challenging and serves a good purpose) and try to learn more about USAR. I am a member of the Munich Volunteer Fire Department as well as @fire, a USAR and Wildfire NGO outfit.
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