FLORIAN 2026: Dresden Becomes a Fire Service Hotspot in October

<p>For three days, MESSE DRESDEN transforms from October 8-10, 2026, into the central meeting point for fire services, emergency medical services, and civil and disaster protection. With its 25th edition, the trade fair FLORIAN celebrates a round anniversary – and presents itself more innovative than ever. Over 370 exhibitors from 11 countries provide insights into current developments in hazard prevention across four exhibition halls and four outdoor areas.</p><h2>Anniversary Trade Fair with Technical Highlights</h2><p>For its 25th birthday, FLORIAN has ambitious plans. This year's particular focus is on fire extinguishing vehicle technology: At the exhibition stand of the Saxon State Ministry of the Interior in Hall 3, the new GTLF 10000 <strong>"Forest Fire Extinguishing Unit Saxony"</strong> will be presented, which is intended to significantly improve extinguishing agent logistics in firefighting. In addition, Saxony is presenting one of a total of 46 new LF 10 and HLF 10 vehicles that, thanks to a clever exchange module, can be configured on one and the same vehicle – a practical contribution to increasing the flexibility of municipal fire departments' vehicle fleets.</p><p>Another highlight of the trade fair is <strong>Germany's first fully electric aerial ladder</strong>, which will be on display at the joint stand of the professional fire departments of Berlin, Leipzig, and Dresden. The three major city fire departments are taking a unified approach in Dresden and setting a clear focus: recruitment. Visitors gain insights into the broad range of tasks in fire services, emergency medical services, and the integrated regional control center – from training paths to concrete career prospects.</p><h2>Participation Instead of Just Watching</h2><p>The Dresden Fire Department, as host, invites active participation. In Hall 4, the stand is divided into five thematic areas that provide insights into emergency operations, emergency medical services, control center operations, recruitment of new personnel, and firefighting traditions. Those who have always wanted to know how a fire department entrance exam works can try parts of it directly on-site.</p><p>Emergency medical services are also made practically accessible: At various stations, visitors can learn about and perform medical procedures themselves. Multiple times daily, fire and emergency medical services demonstrate the rescue of an emergency responder in distress during a joint emergency exercise – the Dresden Fire Department uses this opportunity to introduce its new respiratory protection emergency unit. The program is supplemented by the format "Knowledge with Axel," where fire service topics are explained briefly and clearly.</p><h2>Professional Program with Over 100 Contributions</h2><p>In addition to the exhibition area, FLORIAN 2026 scores with an extensive professional program: More than 100 contributions cover topics ranging from respiratory protection conferences to water rescue conferences to special operations conferences. At the latter, current operational analyses of events on New Year's Eve in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana are on the agenda – an example of how practice-oriented and international the professional exchange at the trade fair is designed.</p><p>New to the program are free workshops on technical rescue, fire department operations on trucks, and dealing with threat situations. "Agricultural Technical Assistance" also gets a permanent place in the program with daily live training: Here, safe handling of rescue equipment in accidents involving large agricultural machinery is conveyed in a practice-oriented manner – a topic that is gaining importance given increasingly complex machinery technology in agriculture.</p><h2>Forest Fire Suppression in Focus</h2><p>The fact that eastern Germany is increasingly regarded as forest fire country is reflected in the trade fair concept. In the newly introduced <strong>WaldbrandCamp</strong>, operations from the past summer are evaluated and combined with the presentation of the latest extinguishing technology – direct exchange between practical experience and technological innovation.</p><p>The competitions also include the Fire & Rescue Games of the Working Group of Fire Services in Emergency Medical Services (AG FReDi), which will be held for the first time this year on outdoor area 5 and thus in the middle of trade fair activities. Young professionals from professional fire departments compete in disciplines such as door opening, technical assistance, patient care, and resuscitation – a crowd-pleasing format that combines expert knowledge and competitive spirit.</p><h2>Conclusion: Industry Meeting Point with Signal Effect</h2><p>With its 25th edition, FLORIAN impressively demonstrates how the requirements for fire services and emergency medical services continue to evolve – from electric vehicle technology to digital solutions like the "FwA 16/2" app to new formats for recruiting new personnel. The combination of specialized retail, practice-oriented training, and top-tier lecture programs makes the trade fair a permanent date in the industry calendar. From October 8-10, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., MESSE DRESDEN opens its doors to everyone interested in modern hazard prevention – whether as professional audiences or interested members of the public.</p>