One in six villagers here is a member of the local fire brigade – voluntarily. They are ten women and fifteen men, most of whom spend only their weekends at home. Work is only available in West Germany – anywhere else but here. God forbid there’s a call-out during the week; it’s almost impossible to get a team together. New recruits are desperately needed. The brigade will celebrate its 65th birthday this year, and the station will receive a fresh coat of paint. One volunteer is turning 50 and another is finally being promoted to head firefighter. The women’s team aims to win the fire brigade contest again. A shed catches fire and a tree falls down. It’s just another ordinary year here.

ADAMSHOPE 911 is the story of a lone fire brigade located in the middle of nowhere – the voluntary fire fighters of the village of Adamshope. The filmmaker accompanies three generations of villagers and their community spirit through all four seasons.

The film takes a cheerful look at a serious issue of national importance: in Germany, three quarters of all fires are fought by voluntary fire fighters – just like those in Adamshope.

A film by Jean Boué

Camera: Knut Schmitz (bvk)
Sound: Oliver Lumpe, Jens Grumpelt
Editor: Thomas Wellmann
Music: Hans-Jörn Brandenburg feat. Franziska Rilke
Producer on Location: Mareike Müller
Executive Producer: Antje Boehmert
Commissioning Editor NDR: Christoph Mestmacher

Produced by DOCDAYS Productions for NDR

Length: 70 min
Completed: 2013