Extinguishing fires before they start
The Berlin Fire and Rescue Service is the largest professional fire department in Germany. To ensure that rescue and fire-fighting operations continue to run seamlessly in the future, the passive network infrastructure in its server room has undergone a comprehensive modernization. Network cabling from tde – trans data elektronik now guarantees security and reliability at every level.
The Berlin Fire and Rescue Service plays a key role in keeping the German capital running safely day in and day out. The team responds to over 500,000 calls a year, and that number is steadily rising. The service doesn’t exclusively handle fire emergencies: at 86 percent, emergency medical services make up the vast majority of their operations, followed by technical assistance and reconnaissance. The service employs more than 6,600 people in fire-fighting and rescue service, administration, and trainee programs to handle the immense workload, operating out of 35 fire stations spread across the city.
The Berlin Fire and Rescue Service requires a high-performance and stable IT infrastructure to reliably respond to emergency calls and coordinate operations efficiently. However, over time the department accumulated a multitude of different systems and add-ons in the server racks – a complex environment that no longer met today’s requirements.
Elevating security in the server room
The server cabinets dated from 1991 and 1992 and, due to numerous retrofitted cables and components, could only be opened with great difficulty and by a team. There was no active ventilation; the air conditioning was too noisy and incorrectly sized; and the power distribution system was limited to a simple power strip. Copper, fibre-optic patch and power cables lay haphazardly side by side on the cable rack; there were no cable management systems, resulting in a confusing tangle of cables. This made maintenance work, upgrades and repairs considerably more difficult.
As part of the critical infrastructure, the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service is subject to strict security standards set by the VDI (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure / Association of German Engineer) and the BSI (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik / Federal Office for Information Security). These standards relate to protection against sabotage, contamination and damage caused by water or fire. In addition, the requirements set out in KRITIS, the GDPR and NIS2 apply. At the start of the project, the condition of the server room did not meet the required security standards in any respect – neither operationally or physically nor in terms of information technology.
Modernization during live operations
A comprehensive overhaul was essential. As the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service is classified as a public authority or organisation with security responsibilities (BOS), the IT infrastructure could not simply be shut down and replaced. The system had to remain operational whilst the fire department continued its work to ensure its unrestricted operational readiness.
The Berlin Fire and Rescue Service decided to bring in professional assistance to implement the project. The Dortmund-based company tde – trans data elektronik was responsible for supplying the passive network components. The team also
In the foreground: Martin Poetsch (Systems Specialist); in the background, Marco Frank (Head of Section)
supported the fire and rescue service in selecting the system and planned the configuration of the racks. The department also commissioned the company WISAG to ensure the control room was equipped in accordance with health and safety regulations.
The passive network infrastructure of the server room was completely renewed and consolidated to create a standards-compliant, structured and highly available foundation for IT operations. tde decides to use its tML system – a modular cabling system featuring pull-out 19-inch module carriers, each holding eight modules, micro-distribution internal cables with 12F-MPO, TP trunk cables and MPO/MTP connections. The system allows TP and fibre-optic modules to be combined within a single module carrier, thereby ensuring exceptionally high packing density. Thanks to plug-and-play functionality, all components can be easily installed on-site. All components are manufactured and tested entirely by tde in Germany.
tde has achieved an exceptionally high packing density of up to 96 fibre-optic ports or 48 copper ports in just one height unit with the MPO system. The cabling using tML micro-distribution indoor cables and eight 12-fibre MPO connectors in particular, each serving six ports, offers a significant advantage over conventional solutions using individual patch cables, breakout cables or in-house cabling. To ensure reliability and avoid disrupting day-to-day operations, the fire service set up the passive network infrastructure in parallel with the existing system and then migrated the services in stages.
“We have been working with tde on passive network infrastructure since 2021. That’s why it was important to us that the new system was fully compatible with our existing solution. In this project, tde took on the primary responsibility for planning, supply and order processing of the entire passive infrastructure and fulfilled this task to our complete satisfaction,” says Marco Weise, ICT Operations Manager at the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service.
Meeting the fire and rescue service’s high standards was a challenge. In addition to certified quality, reliable partners, short response times and personalised advice, the costs also played an important role. The supplier also had to have a quality management system certified to DIN EN ISO 9001 and TL9000, and demonstrate, through an environmental management system compliant with DIN EN ISO 14001, that the products used meet the fire service’s environmental objectives.
“We manufacture and test all our products entirely in Germany and guarantee their quality. Compliance with standards and technological progress are not mutually exclusive. We have created a future-proof, easily scalable IT infrastructure for the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service that prepares them for future requirements,” confirms Benjamin Kavianpour, Junior Sales Consultant at tde.
Structured cabling creates transparency
The modernisation has significantly stabilised the technical infrastructure of the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service IT system. The passive infrastructure was consolidated and brought up to the latest standards, and now forms a stable, standards-compliant and reliable foundation for IT operations. Availability and fault tolerance have been noticeably improved. The modern rack system, the structured cabling and the clear separation of the different systems minimise the risk of failure and unplanned interruptions. Furthermore, the new structure increases transparency and enables clear documentation. This allows analysing faults more quickly and maintenance or expansion work to be carried out without disruption whilst the system is in operation.
The system is now well prepared for future requirements. The modernisation has laid the groundwork for future scaling, achieving higher power densities and seamlessly retrofitting technological advancements in the data centre environment. The long-standing collaboration with tde is also paying off: the homogeneous network expansion reduces the training requirements on staff and allows for a more efficiently and streamlined spare parts management.
Following four years of planning, refurbishment, fit-out and installation, the server room went live with its new equipment at the end of 2025. “We are very pleased with the modernisation. We will continue to rely on tde’s expert advice for future projects,” says Marco Weise.
