Interview: "Japan feels only" allowed to Andreas Teichert ... - DTRG

Interview:"Japan feels only" allowed toAndreas Teichert was before as a helper site(Picture: DTRG)Quickly, the images of natural and nuclear disasters in Japan have disappeared from themedia. Long ago they were supposed "killer pickles" different forces and women's soccer.Therefore, this year the prize money from the third Twitter Poetry Competition and the proceedsfrom the book donated to the victims of the disaster."Japan feels abandoned," left, says Andreas Teichert. The trained fire-man knows what he'stalking with his "Disaster Response team," he was on the ground in affected areas.As a bonus to the podcast Episode 34, there is the interview with Andreas Teichert heard.Can you make just so on the way to Japan to help there? "You can" so Teichert, "becausethe will can move mountains." Privately financed, the small team of helpers went to Japan."Japan's high-tech, but what good is it to you when to 500 kilometers at 50 km devastationpartly inland, the forces and the material is missing. There are lost trucks, excavators aregone lost. Since you can fly to the moon, if you can not have the technology or procure locally.I've seen workers, Clean out the large debris fields with their hands because the technologyis missing. "What can you do if you want to help? What help is most effective? What Andras Teichertrecommends based on his personal experience on the ground?The subject is fascinating though it is not dealt directly with literature, but it is from the mediavery soon got over it has had such an impression, well, since there especially can comenothing worse than even an exploding nuclear reactor is no longer interesting, and after thegovernment said here too, well, we bring down here all nuclear power plants, seems heresomehow, the topic of Japan have done. As if the sudden there was no longer suffering, andwhether as an industrial nation like Japan has no need of help.1

scientists we also still had on the side, we were able to calculate and assessthe risk and, and Fukushima prefecture, we have but I can tell youfrom our operations center in Tokyo into the mission area we wentalone by bus seven hours, and so you can easily begin to imagine the distance,they take forever long, and Fukushima alone then later in thearea 600 km away, which stay in Fukushima was limited only to thencalculated hours.And the radiation did not exceed a certain limit, the were exposed?It is of course the case that we have ensured for our calculations arethe radiations have been completely wrong, we leave no residue, we havehad definite protective clothing, we have incorporated no radiation,which means we have no radiation by breathing air or by food intakeabsorbed into the body, and then it would have exceeded a certain value,we could have stopped and continued to work in another field, becauseif aid workers are victims, you can not help more effectively.They have let sound through several times that there were also these culturaldifferences, conflicts and demands, it was because even before that time in Japan,there they were set on the things that she knew what she must also considercultural in handling victims?So what I can observe with the handling of victims must be that I havelearned in the early days, alone by the fire department work I've done inBerlin, but when they travel to Japan, then each of when he received agood education has enjoyed. Because, the fact is the basis to move forwardin Japan We ourselves have never been in Japan, but have, myself, atleast Japanese friends, who have already have given one or other advicealong the way, and as for the cultural difference, I can only say goodeducation, manners and respect, then they get in Japan is very, very farand are also taken very quickly and already holds a Japanese friend.What was she there for the most interesting experience in this area?There are many countless experiences, heartfelt experience, I can have asituation on the ride to the airport to the train I lost one eye from myhelmet, the lady came running after me and this has brought me evenafterward. Another lady in the hectic train by mobile phone just probablytrying to translate a sentence, came to me three times bowed deeplyand thanked him, now that I did 12,000 km in order to help these are thebeautiful experience.The other experiences are of course less beautiful because they are hightraumaticstress in the structure, the people are of course well abovecalls for a wide thick, with the processing of emotions, they have a lot5

of discipline, but we also see that people from the open her feelings, andthen they have to watch that they deal with people as far as respect,they are gentle and polite to be when they have mastered that, thenthey have many wonderful experiences. And even today I get many e-mails from colleagues who are directly working in Japan or of thevoluntary helpers who would like to thank once more, and view it as agreat respect that we have made this work, and shows that that wehave knocked down the cultural barriers of not much, but probablyhave adapted well.Well of course you would Firefighter, because you want to help too, but it is notjust very stressful for such a disaster on the road to-be, because it is indeed confrontedyet with sorrow, with misery and death to an extent that it exceedsmuch?May well, when will they fire man, probably in his early years when yousee red cars with loud driving through red lights. When the fire in mytime, I'm 43, I am no longer has long been active, I started with 11 years inthe youth fire brigade was also as likely so similar in the army, becauseone is a hard man, as has you do not feel about Ge-speak, and "man" takesup so one (s) does not complain.At the latest strain in inserts that they can have in a city, it handsthem a traffic accident, while her mother came from the vehicle, roadsidestands or sits, and the child must be cut out by firefighters. Then thisis for them a woman as a traumatic readjustment, as if they perceivesuch a big disaster with many victims in Japan.Today, it has gotten so that there is in the Berlin fire brigade or fire departmentsin other classical pastoral care, not only for the affectedworkers, but also for the victims of such disasters or accidents, whichhas one now in use at the German Army introduced. We do not have it,we can currently handle even among themselves, one learns over timewith such situations, deal, certainly is not any for it created, and certainlywe have our small aftershocks, the larger pain is I think the earlyreturn from Japan, because we simply times, indeed, were confrontedwith a situation where we have left friends who have given us a lot ofconfidence, trust and want to disappoint us. But cheer up each other,and support, was among the Japanese in the day, as defined by us in theday.But they will fly again, if I have understood correctly, there continues to beactive locally, and they finance themselves, they said you have to imagine yourselfas the one who paid for their efforts?6

We slaughter our piggy banks that you could possibly get to the point, itis of course very difficult, we are not a major internationally recognizedorganization, we are a relatively small team, we made a total ofsix people, including four active and two in Office Services, or make a littlepublicity, is what we our work, we are back and back supports. Forexample, in fire fighting technology in protective equipment which takefire departments or fire equipment manufacturer, otherwise we get onlya very slight financial donations, and most of us to save ourselves together,it is that we have from our past use of frequent flyer miles,Lufthansa, you can we use natural, otherwise we do not have time onour annual vacation or the 13th Monthly salary sacrifice and thosefunds, and of course a third Use this course is also a bit heavier but alsobecause these are always very significant cost, yes, we are just not workingwithin Europe, but in the really distant Asian region.Well, not everyone will say, okay I'll get out there on the way to Japan, whatemerges from their experience when they experience it on the spot, what can I doas an ordinary German European, to help and support, donations or what theywould recommend?I think there are many ways to help, I can only give a notice in the firstplace, that is, they send diapers and not send them any clothing that isnow centralized in Japan and burned because there really a need forthis article there.What can I say first, what is missing badly, are asbestos-protectivebreathing masks, the masks easy for the assistants in the fields to set-to,so they are of high asbestos exposure in Japan is no longer exposed. Otherwise,of course, there are charities, Germany alone has made the economyand from private donations, with EU funding, there were 2 million, Ithink, donated 45 million for Japan. Not always, and also get this infowe have. Are the tools always at the addressee. But that does not meannon-donation, which means they spend quiet, maybe even donate it tothe German organizations in Japan are really active. Donate to Japaneseorganizations, there are many who need help there. Or there aremany other ideas, there are sometimes in open day, or at other events, asthere is on it, the Japanese sell bags with the red sun, even so they can helpmake a good contribution. Help is very important especially in thisgreat sorrow, that's why I say you donate, bring them material aid tothe way they organize themselves, or wherever they can find a voice,they speak for Japan.How can you support it?Even, how can you support us, we prefer physical aids that are used earmarked,that is, for example, as I carefully approached the asbestos pro-7

tective mask or protective clothing, we ask the helpers available there,we saw that the workers there travel with rubber boots without steelmidsole or yellow Household glovesin the crisis area to work, that'swhen the large proportion of metal and scrap metal and anything lyingaround there, of course, highly controversial and leads to countlessinjuries, so I tell myself, material assistance is very practical, financialhelp for our missions are also very desirable.How long will it take up in these areas, something like normality enters, or canthe judge simply did not grasp it?I said yes, there are 225 000 square kilometers, where they do not knowwhere to begin, but I have this power and this pride of the Japanese experienceitself, we can have not only worked with the volunteers, we havealso lived in the helpers. We have, we have been invited to parties, we havehad contact with people in the shelters, we were invited home, we werewelcomed as guests and were also entertained, we had so many wonderfulexperiences that I say it circulated the figures, 10 years, I guess the Japanesecan so when they go on, do it well in 4 years.And my impression is, in fact, it goes out very quickly from the media, they willwatch it of course, with their focus even more, they believe that it is indeed thecase for other disasters since Chernobyl have been at least as far as the nucleardisaster long discussed in Japan seems to be the fast way, the media interest hasdiminished, the pig is driven fast through the village?I think the issue was settled, at least a few days after the explosion ontelevision to see the Fukushima Dai-ichi Power plant was so in fact theair was out, so one had the so-called Big Picture, and now come by andby still a few topics. We have of course a difference between Chernobyl'sbeen sitting 25 years ago, we did not have Facebook, we had no Twitter,these two media will continue to be active are transporting a lot ofthat has changed the media landscape as a whole. The Japan no longercomes into focus, I believe is the price of our fast-paced information era.Those who still talk about Haiti, who still talk to it again to take alittle closer than the earthquake, the victims still suffer in Italy andwho talks about the refugees on Lampedusa. We currently have theproblem with tomatoes and cucumbers, where they may come always.And there will be a next new theme. Japan is, if you are not actively turnworks just as quickly forgotten, so I see this as more important again atthe issue again and again pick up again until a sense of normalcy in Japanand in other crisis areas in the world again with . accompaniedNaturally, all Arabic through the spring, resulting is as tragic andnewsworthy, but how much can or will we transport and set prioritieswhere we want what's important.8

I hope we have made a small contribution now, Andreas Teichert from theDTRG. Thank you.I also thank you very much.* This interview took place on 15 June 2011 in Berlin recorded.We thank Mr. Wolfgang Tischer for this opportunity and the pleasant conversation.9