Firefighters have a natural interest, amongst others, in equipment used by their peers other countries. I’ll take this opportunity to kick off a series with a presentation of a standard firefighting vehicle here in Germany, called LF16/12.
LF16/12, 2005
This particular engine is stationed at a nearby fire department. There is a foto set on flickr as well as a walkaround on video (in German).
German firefighting vehicles can be classified in a few top categories, such as
- General firefighting vehicles (eg Löschfahrzeuge)
- (Technical) Rescue vehicles (eg Rüstwagen)
- Command, support, transport vehicles (eg Einsatzleitwagen)
- Medical emergency vehicles (eg Rettungswagen)
- Aerial Turntable vehicles (eg Drehleiter)
Please note that this is my own categorisation for simplicity purposes. There are plenty of sub-categories, or even other top level categories (eg boats) but it helps to concentrate on a few initially.
Firefighting vehicles are also categorised in DIN Norms, which aims to standardise apparel used. By law, the municipality (Gemeinde) is responsible for the fire department; this means that, with exceptions, individual fire departments purchase their own vehicles. In order to receive state funding, the vehicle must comply with the corresponding norm.
In other words, there are (minimum) requirements for size, weight, equipment, pump capacity etc. In reality, although most vehicles are norm compliant, there are substantial variations to be found.
As mentioned above, perhaps the most common firefighting vehicle today in Germany is the LF16/12, weighing 14 metric tonnes. LF stands for Löschfahrzeug (Extinguishing Vehicle), 16 represents the pump capacity (1600 litres per minute) and / 12 the tank capacity (1200 litres of water).
Again, these are minimum requirements. A typical pump today will be capable of 2000 litres per minute, and the tank capacity is more likely to be 1600. Therefore, the LF16/12 norm has now been replaced by LF20/16.
The German philosophy is that an LF must be capable of responding to most emergencies, whether fire or technical. It is manned by a Group (Gruppe) consisting of a Group Leader (Gruppenführer). a driver operator (Maschinist) and a crew of seven.
Almost all German Fire Departmens are volunteers. Today’s workforce and demographic woes, such as commuting and mobility, result in shrinking personnel turnout, particularly during the day. As a reaction, tactics are increasingly based not on a group (Gruppe) of nine, but rather on a smaller unit of six, called Staffel.
You can see from the picture above that the vehicle is packed with equipment. The compartments (Geräteraum) have their own name, starting with G1. Odd numbers are left, even to the right. A common layout would be:
- Front left (G1): technical rescue equipment (Jaws of Life)
- Back left (G3 or G5): Firefighing equipment (hoses, nozzles)
- Back: Pump operation panel
- Back right (G4 or G6): Fast attack hose
- Front right (G2): Generator
There is at least one removable hose reel at the back.
The BA (breathing apparatus, Atemschutzgeräte) for the attack team are incorporated in the interior compartment. In this case, the BA team management panel (Atemschutzüberwachung) is fixed on the ceiling for quick retrieval. As soon as an attack team is using BA, there must be a backup (or emergency) team on stand-by.
The pump operator panel; it looks more complicated than it actually is. Usually, water is initally taken from the tank; should there be more water required, or if it is an interior attack, an external source must be added. In this case, water is drawn from the hydrant or another vehicle with a larger tank, with the entry point where the red couplings are. Outlets are on the sides of the vehicle.
Hose and coupling sizes are standardised throughout all of Germany (and Europe I think). There are four sizes: A (rarely used), B (feeder lines), C (attack lines) and D (rarely used).
It would take a much longer article to present all equipment on board such a vehicel. Worthwhile mentioning are ladders on the roof (up to 12metres) and a built in foam tank.
If you have any further, more specific queries, I’ll be more than happy to answer them here in the comments. There will be more vehicle presentations to follow.