Augsburg in June 2021: 1400 people meet on Maximilianstrasse in the city centre. A lot of alcohol flows, the mood changes, the police try to break up the crowd. Party-goers spit on and insult the officials, throw objects at them, numerous emergency services are injured. In the days that followed, the “Augsburg riot night” dominated the regional media.
Markus Dietrich also sees the pictures. The events in Augsburg were “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he says later. The reason why he sent an e-mail to rescue workers in the Ingolstadt region a little later. In the circular he offered self-defense courses to all emergency services in the area – completely free of charge. And so “We help helpers” was born. The plural here is misleading. The “we” is just Dietrich at the beginning.
He teaches the courses himself, and there is probably hardly anyone better suited for them. Would it be the one If there were an ideal biography for a self-defense trainer, then Dietrich’s CV would come pretty close: for many years he was a bouncer at large nightclubs in Ingolstadt, worked as a paramedic and with the fire brigade and, on top of that, has a black belt in karate. For several years he has been the trainer and chairman of the karate club Dragon Dojo Großmehring. A man who has really experienced what he teaches others. Who applies the techniques he teaches himself. Who knows the dangers that his course participants are exposed to every day from practical experience.
Dietrich did not expect that about a year and a half later, with this idea, Dietrich would be nominated for the Big Star of Sports, a competition in which sports clubs with special voluntary commitment are honored. “In the beginning I was hoping that one or two people would sign up for the course,” says Dietrich. “And then I got completely overwhelmed.” 20 courses in the first few months. 30 to date. A total of around 450 rescue workers have already gone through Dietrich’s self-defense school.
When the German Olympic Sports Confederation announces the nominations for the Big Star of Sports, the commitment of “We help helpers” is more relevant than ever for a sad reason. The escalating violence against emergency services in Berlin made headlines on New Year’s Eve. 41 firefighters and police officers were injured – including by firecrackers and rockets. “Unfortunately, that didn’t surprise me. I’ve noticed for a long time that the tone towards emergency services is getting rougher, that the willingness to use violence is increasing among the population, that people are thinner,” says Dietrich.
“I’ve spoken to many emergency services, had attacks on them described to me and then specifically address them in my course.”
The need for self-defense courses is so great that the 44-year-old can no longer cover it on his own. Two karate trainers from the Dragon Dojo Großmehring are currently being trained to become self-help trainers.
Paramedics and firefighters can register directly with Dietrich. He then comes to the deployment sites. “It’s important to me that I come to them, because I want us to practice with the material that people then work with.” In one and a half to two hours, Dietrich then explains how emergency services should behave in an emergency, how they can get out of a tricky situation. Dietrich incorporates karate moves, but also his bouncer knowledge. “I’ve spoken to many emergency services, had attacks on them described to me, and then specifically address them in my course,” says Dietrich. For example, there was the paramedic who was punched in the face by a drunk when he tried to help him. “That’s why I go into great detail about how we can protect our heads in the event of such attacks,” says Dietrich. The main goal, however, is to avoid situations in which things could get that far. De-escalation, prevention, keep calm and, if in doubt, wait for the police to come.
Dietrich would now like to introduce tactics like these to emergency services throughout Bavaria. The “We help helpers” project should gain a foothold throughout Bavaria. Dietrich is therefore open to showing other self-help trainers how they can offer similar courses. He doesn’t want to make money from it all. “Volunteering shouldn’t earn money from volunteering,” is Dietrich’s top priority. “Until now it was a top-up business, I paid for everything myself.” This year he would like to ensure that the trainers can at least be paid for their travel to the courses through donations.
