FC Bayern fans know Julian Nagelsmann is always on fire when it comes to football. After winning the club’s 10th Bundesliga title in a row, the coach accepted an invitation from the Munich Volunteer Fire Service to meet with managers and teams at Fire Station 4 in Munich-Schwabing, a dual station consisting of a professional and volunteer fire service. The fire service simulated an operation for Nagelsmann in which people were rescued from a burning building. He was also explained how the radio at the station works. Then Nagelsmann went up to a height of 30 metres in the turntable ladder vehicle.
Julian Nagelsmann: "The comparison I made last week was unfortunate. I never wanted to discredit the volunteer fire service or volunteers in general. My statement, which unfortunately slipped a bit, was about the word voluntary. It was also clear to me before the visit what an important role each volunteer plays and how important volunteering is. As I have now seen once again on site, there is an enormous amount of work behind everything - and as the name suggests, these people perform their valuable service to the community voluntarily. I have enormous respect for everyone who volunteers. Socially committed people like those in the volunteer fire service are absolute role models and fundamental to a functioning society."
As a token of his appreciation, Nagelsmann brought a special Bayern jersey as a gift during his visit, specially printed with the number 112 - the phone number firefighters use to save lives. During the exchange, it became abundantly clear that there are many parallels between football and the fire service, whether on a professional or voluntary basis: values such as discipline, tolerance, willingness to perform and standing up for each other are unifying elements. Claudius Blank, city fire chief and commander of the Munich Volunteer Fire Service, said, "We accept your apology as a matter of course and appreciate that you took the time to meet us on site." Johann Eitzenberger, chairman of the Bavarian Fire Brigade Association, said, "The fire service and Julian have talked things over."
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