Always ready for action with the volunteer fire brigade
When Marie Trappen is called out, she drops everything and heads to the station. From there, it's off into the unknown. Sometimes someone in a retirement home has forgotten food on the stove. Sometimes a burst water pipe has filled the basement with water. Sometimes there are fires in three locations in the city at once.
In her book, Marie Trappen talks about her first tentative steps at the fire brigade, the numerous training courses she had to go through, and her most spectacular missions. Her life story shows how much societal cohesion depends on the commitment of individuals.
‘I came back to the fire station, I was dirty and sweaty, so I took a shower first. That felt good. But it felt even better not to go straight home afterwards, but to sit with my colleagues for a while. It takes time for the brain to calm down and return to everyday life.’
