VERBUND Inn power plants present educational film on dangers of flowing bodies of water

Within the scope of an official event on 8 April, VERBUND, Austria’s leading electricity company and operator of Bavaria’s Inn power plant, joined forces with the local water rescue service and the district administrators of Altötting and Mühldorf to present the educational film "Gefahren an Fließgewässern" (Dangers on Waterways) to Töging "Regenbogen" (Rainbow) primary school on behalf of the secondary and special needs schools from the administrative districts of Altötting und Mühldorf. With immediate effect, the educational film can be used for safety education lessons. A section of the film can be introduced from the first-year class onwards. The target groups are the third- through to fifth-year classes. The film explains the dangers on waterways and, in particular, on the Inn and Inn Canal, and provides information about active assistance measures. The subject is gone into more deeply in student worksheets. The DVD has already been requested by numerous water rescue services from Lake Constance through to Passau. The educational film and teaching material has already been presented at the conference of media centre managers in Bavaria. 
 
Within the framework of the safety campaign by VERBUND Innkraftwerke GmbH, launched in November 2011, a first part saw information and prohibition signs with emergency call information and life buoys being set up along the Inn and the Inn Canal from Waldkraiburg via Mühldorf right through to Töging. Part two of the safety campaign is today’s new presentation of the educational film, which – with immediate effect - is to be used in schools and as part of training sessions.

Karl Heinz Gruber, managing director of VERBUND-Innkraftwerke GmbH, advised on the electricity company’s safety measures: "The protection and safety of people and sites is an important and major concern for us. It is for this reason that we not only continuously adjust and improve the safety measures for employees internally, but rather also place the utmost attention on safety for the general public. In this information and safety campaign, we are very happy to be able to collaborate with such a professional and sustainable partner as that of the water rescue service."

Students and the water rescue service in the leading role
It is intended that the educational film will make students sensitive to the dangers arising from waterways in summer and winter alike. The scenes have predominantly been filmed on the Inn Canal, the Inn and the Alz. Film producer Josef Harlander: "The resulting films have been developed in keeping with the intended viewers, in other words the 6- to 15-year age group, and are suitable for use in lessons. For the acting roles it was possible to enlist the water rescue services of Töging-Winhöring, Altötting, Burgkirchen/Emmerting, along with their youth groups and active members."

The film project was finalised in October 2012 and presented at a conference of media centre managers in Bavaria, and distributed to all Bavarian municipal media centres. A copy was equally given to all school consultants for transport and safety education in Bavaria. The DVD’s seven films are primarily directed at teachers, but also at specialists in the extracurricular activities area.

School safety package in collaboration with the water services
Michael Amerer, managing director of VERBUND-Innkraftwerke GmbH, explained the details: "Together with the local water rescue services, we have tied together a comprehensive safety package in two respects. On the one hand comprising information signs and life saving equipment, which were set up along the Inn and Inn Canal as early as mid November 2011, so that the general public also recognises the dangers from a visual perspective. And, on the other, a so-called "school package" comprising educational films, worksheets and swimming courses in jet stream channels. The water rescue services have been very committed to this area for years and offer lessons in schools concerning behaviour on waterways."

The school package is available to the 1st- through to fifth-year classes at no charge to all interested schools. The schools can contact the water rescue services in the administrative districts of Altötting and Mühldorf. The DVD with educational films and worksheets can be rented at the media centres of all administrative districts throughout Bavaria.

From May 2013 the voluntary members of the water rescue service will again be offering children training sessions in jet stream channels at open-air swimming pools, such as those at Mühldorf and Burgkirchen, for example.