"The security situation in Germany and Europe has changed recently," says Lord Mayor Dennis Weilmann. "It is therefore important that we take precautions and prepare for possible situations. With the civil protection lighthouses, we are taking an important step towards ensuring the safety of the citizens of Wolfsburg."

"Should there be a prolonged power outage in Wolfsburg, it is important that the population has a contact point close to their homes to seek help in an emergency," added City Councillor Andreas Bauer, Head of Citizen Services, Finance and Fire and Disaster Protection. "I would like to thank the civil protection team, who created the concept and implemented the necessary preparations in a short space of time."

In recent months, the concept for the contact points was created in the Fire and Civil Protection division: as soon as there is a power failure, the city of Wolfsburg will quickly bring the necessary material from the civil protection warehouse to the 37 locations in the city area selected as civil protection lighthouses. These are mainly fire stations, but also school buildings. There is also a mobile unit. At the same time, the volunteer fire department and employees of the city of Wolfsburg are alerted to staff the civil protection lighthouses.

As soon as the material has been delivered, the operating personnel (at least 2 people) start setting up the equipment in accordance with the action plan. Once set-up is complete, the lighthouse is ready for use and emergency calls can be made and transmitted to the control center via digital radio. The individual locations have an emergency power supply for this purpose. The minimum equipment includes clear external identification, radio, information for the public, lighting and first aid.