Indian Summer in Siemensstadt Wincor Nixdorf moves into a new ...

If you have ever spoken to a
real fi reman you know: for
these men their profession is
more than just a job. Being a
fi reman means following a vocation.
And that is how Eberhard
Kühne, graduate fi reman
and retired chief fi re offi cer,
sees it too. Since the beginning
of 2007 he has been fi re
protection offi cer on the Siemens
Technopark. “That is an
extensive task that needs a lot
of attention to detail and gives
great pleasure,” says Kühne.
The sprightly 62-year-old sits
in front of a pile of documents
and goes through the points for
that day with a colleague. Kühne
is only on the Technopark
site twice a week. Then you see
him in the corridors of the individual
buildings and walking
around the external areas
and examining every nook and
cranny at risk of fi re in the Siemens
Technopark. “My task is
to support the management of
the Technoparks in the implementation
of the requirements
of fi re protection in an advisory
capacity,” explains Kühne
matter-of-factly. In other words
it means that
Kühne is the
fi rst contact
person when
it comes to
guaranteeing up-to-date fi re
protection in all buildings of
the Technopark area. This task
is in no way limited to just
making note of missing fi re
alarms, Kühne has to look out
for a lot of things. “Obviously
I also look for where smoke
and fi re alarms are missing,
but beyond that I have to check
that all escape and emergency
routes are accessible, all
fi re extinguishers are regularly
serviced, the signage is OK
etc, etc, etc,“ says Kühne. On
an offi ce and industrial area
of about 220 000 square metres
that comes to an awful lot
of work.
In fact Kühne’s work is not
only limited to checking pictograms.
Above all, the quite
extensive new and converted
building work on the site are
particularly
demanding
on the ex Deputy
Chief
Fire Offi cer
for the Area of Dresden. “When
the time comes for the offi -
cial signing-off of the building
works the offi cials are particularly
interested in the fi re protection,”
Kühne voices his concerns.
In addition to this in the
case of the Siemens Technopark,
numerous buildings are
wholly or partly listed buildings.
So then Kühne’s problem
is to fi nd the golden
mean between up-to-date fi re
protection requirements and
listed buildings. “Often I have
no other option than to give
the management not particularly
cost-favourable advice,”
So that the Siemens Technopark functions, the infrastructure is correct, the technology
in the buildings is OK and the tenants can feel themselves fully well looked after, a lot of
service providers are needed. “Park News” gives an overview on this point.
Fire protection and safety are at the top of the list
For former Chief Fire Offi cer Eberhard Kühne the Siemens Technopark offers a new, exciting challenge.
The fi re engine can be called by calling 386-112 when there is a fi re.
regrets Kühne. However he has
never experienced necessary
things or purchases being refused.
“In the Siemens Technopark
they know what matters
and safety for the people who
work there is top of the list,”
admits Kühne.
And with this certainty the
sprightly pensioner takes his
task very seriously. And when
he is not hunting round the
building, he is walking round
the external
area, sending
i n c o r r e c t l y
parked cars
to the car
park, testing
whether the
fi re water hydrant system is regularly
serviced and whether
all alarm systems are working
properly. “At the moment I am
working on a territory-related
action plan,” explains Kühne.
For after all in an emergency
the fi re service must also know
exactly the quickest way to get
to the scene. “In the next few
years the Siemens Technopark
will have to spend a not inconsiderable
sum on fi re protection,“
Kühne admits. As although
there exists a good basis
for fi re protection in the
old building, some things will
have to be renewed and extended.
“The requirements
have naturally changed in the
last decades,” says Kühne. The
Technopark too is not spared
these.
But Kühne
is confi -
dent that he
can implement
all fi re
p r o t e c t i o n
requirements on the site. His
motto is: “When I start something,
I see it through.” And he
does no balk at disagreements
with the full-time staff in the
Technopark whose duties often
overlap with his. “I shall have
to fi nd a common thread,” he
says and smiles.
What is happening on the Technopark site outside the offi ces and factories?
This is the spot where our magazine reports on current events,
tips, dates and special offers.
Who does what News
Fire alarms, escape routes and
pictograms – everything must be
regularly checked.
Even listed buildings have to
comply with modern fi re protection
regulations.
On 13 September more than
550 guests came to this
year’s Summer Fair on the Siemens
Technopark and spent a
few pleasurable hours on the
green spaces in front of the
recently refurbished Unit 16.
Completely in twenties style
– the theme under which the
Summer Fair had been arranged
– there was a lot to remind
us of the time 80 years ago.
Artists dressed as newspaper
boys in
knickerbockers
and fl at caps were busy
sticking supposed old posters
on an advertising column, going
with megaphones through
the crowd to announce attractions
and inviting the guests
to ring-the-bell or test their
strength in the communal tugof-war.
Shellac records of evergreens
from the twenties gra-
1st Golden twenties-style Summer Fair
ted from a gramophone and a
live band provided the right
atmosphere.
The twenties were not chosen
as the theme of the fair
without reason. “The time represents
an enormous economic
upswing in Berlin,” says
Siemens Technopark Managing
Director Thorsten Kuhfeld
in his welcome speech.
And because the Berlin
Siemens Technopark
was at this moment also
experiencing an upswing, it
was decided that this would
be the theme of the Summer
Fair. But because upswing also
means at the same time inconvenience,
building works, noise
and dirt, Kuhfeld thanked
his guests for their patience
and understanding. But our
Technopark is to continue to be
Number 1 for 25 years
For 25 years the courier drivers of GO! have
been delivering everything from letters to
heavy machine parts in the shortest time to its
made even more attractive and
welcoming and therefore there
will continue to be building
works and the inconvenience
that goes with them,” the Siemens
Technopark Managing
Director admitted. Kuhfeld
used the Twenties Fair however
not just to thank his guests. He
handed over the newly renovated
and refur-
bished Unit 16 to the future
tenants Wincor Nixdorf and
the event agency Mixed Media.
We wish our tenants much success
and a pleasant working
environment in their new offi
ces,” said Kuhfeld.
After the offi cial part, the
guests enjoyed the sumptuous
buffet and with games and
a colourful entertainment
program had a good time with
friends, colleagues and their
destination. This anniversary had to be celebrated
and so on 1 September the company invited
all staff to a big anniversary party. The GO! President
Wolfgang M.Sacher greeted about 350
guests on this sunny day and thanked them for
their work and commitment. “It does not matter
in what your relationship is with GO!, you
are a part of a particular history: 25 years GO!
Berlin.
The anniversary is a good opportunity to say
‘thank you’ – particularly to staff and courier
companies that have made our success possible.”
Sacher called on them all to approach the
coming years with the same enthusiasm and
wished for himself and his staff the necessary
luck and the right touch for all the tasks before
them.
families. And although the sun
did not really get out that afternoon,
the Summer Fair was
a successful event that slowly
drifted to a close around
8 p.m.
You can fi nd a large display of
pictures on www.parknews.de
News in brief
BCD Travel.
The travel centre BCD Travel is
recommending pampering spa
breaks for autumn. For example
a three-day break with two
nights in the spa Bad Kissingen.
You can really chill out here for
as little as Euro 259. Included in
the package is accommodation
in a two-room suite in the 4-star
hotel Residence von Dapper,
a bottle of Prosecco as well
as a three-course candlelight
dinner a hot stone massage, a
pampering rose bath and much
more.
Information and booking from
BCD Travel, Wernerwerkdamm 5,
Telephone 386 30993
or by email to
ferienprofi s-siemens@bcdtravel.de
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