Wilbasen Funfair 2007, September 14th to 17th

Medical Services During the “Fifth Season” in Lippe County

This year we spent a rather quiet and peaceful Wilbasen funfair. The organiser, the regional government of Lippe county, once again presented a number of attractions: Turbo Force, Magic House, Top Scan, Time Factory, Cat and Mouse roller coaster, ...

But also some old friends could be seen again: Ferris wheel, Music Express, two dodgems, and a big selection of childrens’ rides. Furthermore, several party tents, an exhibition tent and a farmers’ market with many stalls and the traditional cattle market on Monday. The funfair ended with the big fireworks on Monday evening.
Click here to find more information on the Wilbasen funfair (sorry, in German language only)!

One thing was evident this year: The weather god must be from Blomberg! After almost constant rain in the previous days and weeks, he bestowed upon us a Wilbasen weekend with lots of sunshine and almost no rain, resulting in masses of visitors especially on Sunday.

Some statistics ...

... as for the medical services:
  • approx. 70 medical services
  • of which 7 patients were transported to nearby Steinheim, Detmold, and Lemgo hospitals by emergency ambulance
  • we were most busy on Friday, Saturday, and Monday evenings
  • we had to treat minor wounds such as lacerations, abrasions, and cuts as well as bone injuries and alcohol problems and helped missing children or parents find each other again.
... as for the dates:
  • Friday, September 14th: 1 p.m. – 1 a.m.
  • Saturday, September 15th: 1 p.m. – 3 a.m.
  • Sunday, September 16th: 1 p.m. – 11 p.m.
  • Monday, September 17th: 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
  • and, last but not least, many hours of work before and after the service, all of which comes with such a large event.
... as for the personnel:
at peak times, up to 18 volunteers were on the premises, always in the following teams:
  • one team leader
  • two emergency-ambulance teams (with one paramedic and one EMT-Intermediate each)
  • one patient-transport vehicle team (with one EMT-Intermediate and one EMT-Basic)
  • eone or two first responders in the medical-care unit
  • three first-responder foot patrols (two or three first responders or EMT-Basics)
  • and an emergency physician in the evenings
  • * last but not least, our three trainees, who wanted to have a look into things
... as for the vehicles employed:
  • Emergency ambulance            RK Lippe 4-83-1
  • Emergency ambulance            RK Lippe 4-83-2
  • Patient transport vehicle          RK Lippe 4-86-2
  • Staff transport vehicle              RK Lippe 4-19-1  
  • Large transport vehicle            RK Lippe 4-89-1 (for transporting hardware)
  • Radio headquarters vehicle    Fl. Lippe 3-11-2 (a loan from the Red Cross of Lippe county)
Without good cooperation and support, such an event cannot be a success! Therefore, we thank everyone who has helped us this year:
  • the Red Cross organisations from Lage and Lemgo for their volunteers,
  • our colleagues from the Red Cross ambulance service in Lippe for their volunteers,
  • our radio operator from the THW Detmold,
  • the rescue headquarters of Lippe county, the fire brigade and the police for the good cooperation,
  • und dem Kreis Lippe für die gute Zusammenarbeit und die logistische Unterstützung,
  • and, of course, to our colleagues from the Red Cross in Detmold, who took over medical services at the Schieder lake for us!
And at last, some impressions:
Every year, we are stationed at the Eastern entry of the funfair premises (see above).
Dead in the center ... leaving and getting to the station with the two emergency ambulance vehicles isn’t always easy.
In our medical-care unit, we can treat up to three lightly injured patients simultaneously. In case we need more space, we can also use the two emergency ambulance vehicles.
Gunnar: our first responder on Sunday...
... and Fabio, his assistant.
“Our” radio headquarters vehicle (a loan from the Red Cross of Lippe county) next to its police counterpart.
Due to the nice weather, especially on Sunday, visitors from near and far arrived at the funfair...
... but also the funfair itself was full of people, resulting in a lovely funfair feeling ... but see for yourself ...
An exhausting but very nice medical service is now over, but we’re already looking forward to next year!


Good bye and see you next year!

Text and pictures by Lars Riemeier