Berlin Fire Brigade Explained

The Berlin Fire Brigade (de|Berliner Feuerwehr - Berlin Fire Defence) is the fire and emergency medical service for Berlin, Germany. As well as firefighting, the Berlin Fire Brigade provides fire prevention, technical rescue services, emergency medical services, and assistance in case of chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear hazards. (CBRN defense)

The brigade was officially formed on February 1, 1851, by Ludwig Scabell, under the command of King Frederick William IV. Since August 2018, the Berlin Fire Brigade is under the command of its Fire Chief, State Fire Director Dr. Karsten Homrighausen.^[1] Landesbranddirektor, short LBD, translates in German to State Fire Director.

The Berlin Fire Brigade is the oldest and largest municipal fire brigade in Germany. It has a total of 4,479 staff,^[2] including 4,082 operational firefighters and officers based at 35 main fire stations.^[3] It is supported by an additional 1,537 volunteer firefighters based at 58 volunteer fire stations. Freiwillige Feuerwehr - "Free Willing Fire Defence" is the term used for Volunteer Fire Stations. The Berlin Fire Brigade has an annual budget of around €250,000,000, which includes personnel costs and investments.^[2]

In 2019, Berlin Fire Defence received 478,281 emergency calls. It is the busiest of all fire services in Germany. Approximately 83% of the alarms per year are for the emergency services, 5% for technical assistance and only 2% for firefighting.^[2]

History

Industrialization and Wilhelminian period (1851-1899)

Back in the mid-19th century, Berlin suffered a series of devastating fires. The city grew rapidly and buildings became more and more crowded. Resources could no longer keep up with the size of the buildings. Therefore, The King of Prussia decided in 1851 to command Ludwig Scabell to set up a professional fire brigade and ensure its training and equipment .^[4] Scabell created the Berlin Fire Defence with the support of the former Berlin Police Chief Carl von Hickeldey. Within a very short period, almost 1,000 men were hired and trained while the professional fire stations were built. In the same year, the world's first electrical fire alarm network was installed in Berlin. The implementation was carried out by the German company Siemens & Halske. The innovation connected the headquarters at the Molkenmarkt with 24 fire stations and all police stations within the city. In 1854 the very first newly built fire station was opened, two years later a new water supply network with 1,520 hydrants went into operation in Berlin. Scabell retired in 1875 and was succeeded by Gustav Witte. In 1879 together, with the engineer and manufacturer Greiner, they received the German patent for the world's first turntable ladder.^[5] The Berlin Fire Brigade put their first turntable ladder, built by the German company BAMAG, into service at the main fire station in 1882.^[6]

Turn of the century, First World War and Weimar Republic (1900-1932)

In 1901 the International Fire Protection Exhibition took place in Berlin to mark the 50th anniversary of the professional fire brigade.^[7] In 1906 at the fire station in Berlin-Grunewald, the first gasoline fire truck in Germany equipped with a fire pump was put into service.^[8] In 1908 Berlin purchased its first electric fire engine. ^{[9] [10]} During the First World War from 1914 to 1918, seven hundred officers had to transfer from the Berlin Fire Brigade to the Wehrmacht, where part of the firefighters were deployed in the newly created flamethrower regiments.^[11]

National Socialism (1933-1945)

On December 15, 1933, the term Feuerlöschpolizei (lit. 'Firefighting Police') was introduced for all Prussian fire brigades. The fire brigades throughout the German Reich were placed under the Ordnungspolizei, abbreviated Orpo (lit. 'Order Police'), in 1938. These Brigades were called the Feuerschutzpolizei (lit. 'Fire Protection Police'). The previously red fire vehicles, blue uniforms and fire service ranks were replaced by green fire vehicles, green uniforms and police ranks. They were issued firearms and batons. With few exceptions, the Nazi-led fire protection police did not intervene in the November pogroms in 1938 when the synagogues in Berlin were set on fire.

One city - two fire brigades (1946-1990)

After the Second World War, six of the 38 professional fire stations were lost. Of the 51 volunteer fire stations, three were totally destroyed while twelve were only partially.^[12] On November 21, 1948, the Berlin Fire Defence was divided into two separate authorities in East and West Berlin.^[13] The first post-war fire stations were built on both sides during the 1950s. Technology and training in East and West developed separately. In 1952 the East Berlin Fire Brigade was incorporated into the Volkspolizei, abbreviated VoPo, (lit. 'German People's Police') as "Organ F" and issued firearms and batons.^[14] East Berlin also received a "west turntable ladder" to protect the massive buildings on Stalinallee, today known as Karl-Marx-Allee. The turntable ladder type DL 52 manufactured by Metz, with a rescue height of over 50 meters, had a car that could be used as an elevator.^[15] In the days after the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, the West Berlin Fire Brigade had to keep using its jumping blankets because people jumped from buildings on the demarcation line towards freedom in West Berlin. In 1969, the West Berlin Rescue Service was incorporated into the fire brigade. The Berliner Rettungsdienst was the ambulance service of Berlin. Since then, the West Berlin Fire Brigade has also been responsible for emergency medical services. In East Berlin, rescue and emergency medical services were carried out by the rescue office independently of the fire brigade until reunification. Since the early 1980s, the West Berlin fire brigade has repeatedly been involved in May riots in Berlin-Kreuzberg. A fire truck from the Berlin-Kreuzberg fire station was completely destroyed on the night of May 1, 1987.^[16]

Development since reunification

On October 3, 1990, the day of German reunification, "Organ F" the East Berlin Fire Brigade, was handed over to the West Berlin Fire Director Wolfgang Scholz. At that time, the fire brigades had a total staff of 3,788 in West Berlin and 1,112 in East Berlin. In 1992 W. Scholz retired and Albrecht Broemme was appointed as the new Fire Director of Berlin.^[17] In 1993/94, due to the high volume of urban traffic and the numerous new measures to calm the increase, new vehicle concepts were tested in the city districts. The firefighting vehicle LHF 16/12 City, short "City", was 2.2 m shorter, 20 cm narrower; and therefore, more agile than the conventional LHF 16 of the Berlin Fire Brigade. After the successful testing phase, 41 vehicles of this type were ordered from 1994 to 1997.^[18] On New Year's Eve 2000 there was a total failure of the IT control center, including the fallback level. For several hours it was not possible to place emergency calls. The vehicles were sent on patrols. There was only a marginal connection with the so-called Year 2000 problem.^[19] The affected operational control system FIS was replaced in 2000 by the more modern IGNIS and in 2017 by its successor IGNIS-Plus.^[20] In May 2006, Fire Director Albrecht Broemme became president of the Technisches Hilfswerk. The civil protection and disaster relief service of Germany. Initially, his deputy Wilfried Graefling became the temporary director and eventually the new Fire Director of Berlin in November 2006. Graefling left the Berlin Fire Brigade at the end of July 2018 and retired. His successor since August 1, 2018 is Karsten Homrighausen.^[21] In 2018, colleagues from the Berliner Fire Brigade protested in front of the Rotes Rathaus, the home to the governing mayor and the government (the Senate of Berlin) of the Federal state of Berlin. Firefighters protested under the catchphrase "BerlinBrennt" (lit. 'Berlin is Burning'). The causes included the increasing number of operations, inadequate equipment including vehicles and materials, as well as the lack of personnel.^[22] Before the reunification of Berlin in 1990, only West Berlin had more staff than the reunited city from West and East in 2018.

Fire Chiefs

Tenure	Name	Official Title
1851–1875	Ludwig Scabell	Branddirektor
1875–1887	Gustav Witte	Branddirektor
1887–1893	Alexander Stude	Branddirektor
1893–1905	Erich Giersberg	Branddirektor
1905–1922	Maximilian Reichel	Oberbranddirektor
1922–1933	Walter Gempp	Oberbranddirektor
1933–1943	Gustav Wagner	Generalmajor
1943–1945	Walter Goldbach	Generalmajor
1945–1948	Karl Feierabend	Oberbranddirektor (East Berlin until 1952)
1949–1957	Ludwig Wissell	Oberbranddirektor (West Berlin)
1952–1963	Ernst Ettrich	Oberst der Feuerwehr (East Berlin)
1957–1968	Friedrich Kaufhold	Oberbranddirektor (West Berlin)
1963–1970	Rudi Mösch	Oberst der Feuerwehr (East Berlin)
1968–1970	Heinz Hoene	Landesbranddirektor (West Berlin)
1970–1990	Horst Meier	Branddirektor (East Berlin)
1970–1988	Kurt-Werner Seidel	Landesbranddirektor (West Berlin)
1989–1992	Wolfgang Scholz	Landesbranddirektor
1990	Manfred Schäfer	Oberbrandrat (East Berlin)
1992–2006	Albrecht Broemme	Landesbranddirektor
2006–2018	Wilfried Gräfling	Landesbranddirektor
seit 2018	Karsten Homrighausen	Landesbranddirektor

Special Operations

• September 26, 1908 - Two elevated railway trains collide at metro station Gleisdreieck - 18 dead^[23]
• February 27, 1933 – Reichstag fire (German parliament)
• May 21, 1980 - Partial collapse of the congress hall
• 1983 - Attack on the Maison de France
• April 5, 1986 - Attack on the La Belle discotheque - three dead (2 US soldiers, 1 Turkish civilian)
• 16–21 December 1989 - Fire in a building with three hotel pensions on Kurfürstendamm / corner of Wielandstrasse extends to the largest hotel fire in German post-war history - eight dead^[24]
• 1989/90 - Video wall collapsed at the New Year's Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate
• October 26, 1994 - Fire at the German Cathedral after welding work on the roof
• August 4, 1998 - Heavy gas explosion in Lepsiusstrasse
• July 8, 2000 - Fire in the underground station Deutsche Oper. 350 people had to be evacuated through a tunnel.
• July 10, 2002 - Hurricane "Anita" - worst storm in 30 years - 7 dead and 39 injured^[25]
• 18 / 19 January 2007 - Hurricane "Kyrill" - a total of 1.001 alarms
• December 19, 2016 – Terrorist attack on Breitscheidplatz - truck drives into the Christmas market - 12 dead and 53 injured^[26]
• 19/20 February 2019 - 36 hour power failure in the southeast of Berlin, evacuation of two hospitals, people from care facilities and from elevators. Maintenance of emergency care by mobile fire stations in cooperation with the police, the Red Cross and civil protection.^[27]
• 10/11 May 2020 - Several warehouses in Berlin-Tegel burned, the Berlin Fire Brigade was on site with over 300 emergency personnel. The fire was under control after about 19 hours, after 21 hours the last forces were able to move away.^{[28] [29]}

Legal basis and organization

According to § 3 of the Feuerwehrgesetz Berlin, also FwG Berlin, (lit. 'Fire Brigade Act Berlin'), the Berlin Fire Brigade has been commissioned to: fight fire, prevent danger, preventive fire protection, disaster protection and emergency services. The Freiwllige Feuerwehr (Engl: volunteer fire department) of the Berlin Fire Brigade are members of the Berlin Fire Brigade Association (LFV). The LFV Berlin is a member of the German Fire Brigade Association (DFV) based in Berlin. The Berlin Fire Brigade is also responsible for the Werkfeuerwehren and Betriebsfeuerwehren in Berlin. These private fire brigades belong to companies and protect special infrastructures. One example of a Werkfeuerwehr in Berlin is the Bayer AG Werkfeuerwehr in Berlin-Wedding. They are in close professional contact with the Berlin Fire Brigade and, with the exception of the Berufsfeuerwehren, can be alerted for special operations.

Museum

The fire brigade maintains its own museum located in Berlin-Tegel. The museum shows the history of the Berlin Fire Brigade in an exhibition.

Training and Education

The training and further education is concentrated at the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service Academy, short BFRA. The main campus is located at Schulzendorfer Straße in the north-west of Berlin in the district of Berlin-Reinickendorf. Another training location is situated in an office complex in Berlin-Tegel. In particular, medical training and the training of station officers and incident commanders are carried out there.

There are advanced plans to relocate the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service Academy to the area of the former Berlin TXL-Airport.

Structure

Berlin has a total of 35 professional fire stations, 58 volunteer fire stations and 47 youth fire stations.^[30] The urban parts of Berlin with a high population density are covered by professional fire stations, which are staffed 24/7. The firefighters work in a 12-hour shift system structured in four subdivisions. A few professional fire stations accommodate Type B volunteer fire brigades in the same building, who can provide support if necessary. In sparsely populated areas, Type A volunteer fire stations maintain their own buildings and deployment areas in which they have primary responsibility for operations^[31] Vehicles, technical equipment and protective clothing of the volunteer fire stations correspond to those of the professional fire brigade.

Fire Stations

!Fire Station!Station Number!Administration!Manning Level (Day/Night)!Address

Feuerwache Buckow	5200	Süd (Engl. South)	11 / 9	Johannisthaler Chaussee 22212351 Berlin
Feuerwache Charlottenburg-Nord	3600	West	15 / 13	Nikolaus-Groß-Weg 213627 Berlin
Feuerwache Friedrichshain	1200	Süd	12 / 10	Rüdersdorfer Str. 5610243 Berlin
Feuerwache Hellersdorf	6200	Nord (Engl. North)	11 / 9	Kummerower Ring 8012621 Berlin
Feuerwache Hermsdorf	2300	Nord	10 / 10	Heinsestr. 2413467 Berlin
Feuerwache Karlshorst	6500	Nord	10 / 8	Dönhoffstraße 3110318 Berlin
Feuerwache Köpenick	5400	Süd	17 / 17	Grünauer Str. 14012557 Berlin
Feuerwache Kreuzberg	1600	Süd	10 / 10	Wiener Str. 6410999 Berlin
Feuerwache Lichtenberg	6400	Nord	11 / 9	Josef-Orlopp-Straße 6910365 Berlin
Feuerwache Lichterfelde	4600	West	10 / 10	Goethestr. 712207 Berlin
Feuerwache Marienfelde	4700	Süd	12 / 10	Wilhelm-von-Siemens-Str. 1512277 Berlin
Feuerwache Marzahn	6100	Nord	21 / 19	Märkische Allee 18112681 Berlin
Feuerwache Moabit	1400	West	10 / 10	Jagowstr. 31–3410555 Berlin
Feuerwache Neukölln	5100	Süd	17 / 17	Kirchhofstr. 2012051 Berlin
Feuerwache Pankow	2600	Nord	18 / 16	Pasewalker Str. 12013127 Berlin
Feuerwache Prenzlauer Berg	1300	Nord	18 / 16	Oderberger Str. 2410435 Berlin
Feuerwache Ranke	3500	West	12 / 12	Rankestr. 1010789 Berlin
Feuerwache Schillerpark	2100	West	17 / 15	Edinburgerstr. 713349 Berlin
Feuerwache Schöneberg	4400	Süd	11 / 9	Feurigstr. 5810827 Berlin
Feuerwache Spandau-Nord	3100	West	18 / 18	Triftstr. 8–913585 Berlin
Feuerwache Spandau-Süd	3200	West	21 / 19	Betckestr. 1313595 Berlin
Feuerwache Steglitz	4200	West	10 / 10	Südendstr. 18 A12169 Berlin
Feuerwache Suarez	3300	West	12 / 10	Suarezstr. 914057 Berlin
Feuerwache Tegel	2400	Nord	11 / 9	Berliner Str. 1613507 Berlin
Feuerwache Tempelhof	4300	Süd	18 / 16	Borussiastr. 16–1712103 Berlin
Feuerwache Tiergarten	1700	West	10 / 10	Elisabeth-Abegg-Str. 210557 Berlin
Feuerwache Treptow	5300	Süd	22 / 22	Groß-Berliner Damm 1812487 Berlin
Feuerwache Urban	1500	Süd	14 / 14	Wilmsstr. 1910961 Berlin
Feuerwache Wannsee	4500	West	10 / 8	Kronprinzessinnenweg 2014109 Berlin
Feuerwache Wedding	2500	West	10 / 10	Reinickendorfer Str. 15 a13347 Berlin
Feuerwache Weißensee	6300	Nord	20 / 20	Parkstraße 38–3913086 Berlin
Feuerwache Wilmersdorf	3400	West	10 / 8	Gasteiner Str. 19–2010717 Berlin
Feuerwache Wittenau	2200	Nord	13 / 13	Roedernallee 5513437 Berlin
Feuerwache Zehlendorf	4100	West	19 / 19	Charlottenburger Str. 10–1214169 Berlin
Lehrrettungswache Mitte	1100	West	20 / 18	Voltairestraße 210179 Berlin
Technischer Dienst II	6139		11 / 11	Märkische Allee 18112681 Berlin
Technischer Dienst I	3639		21 / 21	Nikolaus-Groß-Weg 213627 Berlin
Fernmeldeeinsatzdienst	3649		6 / 6	Nikolaus-Groß-Weg 213627 Berlin

Volunteer Fire Stations

!Fire Station!Station Type!Station Number!Administration!Address

Freiwillige Feuerwehr Mitte	B	1110	West	Linienstraße 128 – 12910115 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Friedrichshain	B	1201	Süd	Rüdersdorfer Straße 5710243 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Adlershof	A	5310	Süd	Selchowstr. 3–412489 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Altglienicke	A+B	5330	Süd	Semmelweisstraße 8712524 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Biesdorf	B	6120	Nord	Alt-Biesdorf 5812683 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Blankenburg	A	6360	Nord	Alt-Blankenburg 913129 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Blankenfelde	A	2630	Nord	Hauptstr. 1413159 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Bohnsdorf	A	5320	Süd	Waltersdorfer Str. 10712526 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Buch	A	2710	Nord	Pölnitzweg 313125 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Buchholz	A	2620	Nord	Gravensteinstr. 1013127 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Charlottenburg-Nord	B	3601	West	Paulsternstr. 3413629 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Falkenberg	B	6320	Nord	Hausvaterweg 1613057 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Friedrichshagen	A	5410	Süd	Müggelseedamm 17812587 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Frohnau	A	2320	Nord	Remstaler Str. 913465 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Gatow	A	3210	West	Gatower Str. 33314089 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Grünau	A	5470	Süd	Schlierseestr. 1012527 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Heiligensee	A	2410	Nord	Alt-Heiligensee 6813503 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Heinersdorf	A	6370	Nord	Romain-Rolland-Str. 105–10713089 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Hellersdorf	A	6230	Nord	Hellersdorfer Straße 14712619 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Hermsdorf	B	2301	Nord	Heinsestr. 2413467 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Hohenschönhausen	A	6310	Nord	Ferdinand-Schultze-Str. 12813055 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Karlshorst	A[32]	6501	Nord	Dönhoffstraße 3110318 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Karow	A	2720	Nord	Alt-Karow 10/1113125 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Kaulsdorf	A	6210	Nord	Mädewalder Weg 2112621 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Kladow	A	3220	West	Kladower Damm 36714089 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Köpenick	B	5401	Süd	Grünauer Str. 14012557 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Kreuzberg	B	1601	Süd	Wiener Straße 6410999 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Lichtenberg	B	6401	Nord	Josef-Orlopp-Straße 6910365 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Lichtenrade	A	4710	Süd	Im Domstift 2212309 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Lichterfelde	B	4601	West	Goethestraße 712207 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Mahlsdorf	A	6220	Nord	Donizettistr. 412623 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Marienfelde	B	4701	Süd	Wilhelm-von-Siemens-Str. 1512277 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Marzahn	B	6110	Nord	Blenheimstr. 6712685 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Moabit	B	1401	West	Jagowstr. 31–3410555 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Müggelheim	A	5440	Süd	Krampenburger Weg 112559 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Neukölln	B	5101	Süd	Kirchhofstr. 2012051 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Niederschönhausen	A	2610	Nord	Blankenburger Str. 1913156 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Oberschöneweide	A	5340	Süd	Siemensstr. 2212459 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Pankow	A	2650	Nord	Stiftsweg 1 a13187 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Prenzlauer Berg	B	1310	Nord	Schieritzstraße 2410409 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Rauchfangswerder	A	5460	Süd	Schmöckwitzer Damm 6012527 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Rudow	A	5210	Süd	Alt-Rudow 6712355 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Schmöckwitz	A	5450	Süd	Adlergestell 78612527 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Schöneberg	B	4401	Süd	Feurigstr. 5810827 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Spandau-Nord	B	3101	West	Triftstr. 8–913585 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Staaken	A	3110	West	Hackbuschstr. 6513591 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Suarez	B	3301	West	Suarezstr. 914057 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Tegel	B	2401	Nord	Berliner Str. 1613507 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Tegelort	A	2420	Nord	Friederikestr. 1913505 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Treptow	B	5301	Süd	Groß-Berliner Damm 1812487 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Urban	B	1501	Süd	Wilmsstr. 1910961 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Wartenberg-Malchow	A+B	6330	Nord	Dorfstraße 413059 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Wedding	B	2501	West	Reinickendorfer Str. 15 a13347 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Weißensee	B	6301	Nord	Parkstraße 38–3913086 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Wilhelmshagen	A	5430	Süd	Frankenbergstraße 2312589 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Wilhelmsruh	A	2640	Nord	Edelweißstr. 3513158 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Wittenau	B	2201	Nord	Roedernallee 5513437 Berlin
Freiwillige Feuerwehr Zehlendorf	B	4101	West	Charlottenburger Str. 10–1214169 Berlin

Equipment and Vehicles

The Berlin Fire Brigade has a total of 920 vehicles.^[33] These include 194 fire engines (LHF Fire Extinguishing and Assistance Vehicle / LF Firefighting Apparatus), 42 turntable ladders (DLK Extendable Ladder Carrier), 232 ambulances (RTW Rescue Transport Wagon) and other medical service vehicles, 42 roll-off containers (AB), 82 trailers, a fire boat and five multi-purpose boats with water cannons. In addition to the different types of turntable ladders, the Berlin Fire Brigade also has a telescopic mast vehicle (TM 50). The TM 50 fire brigade telescopic mast from Metz Aerials / WUMAG on a MAN TGA chassis is used for rescuing people and fighting fires at heights. The working height is 50 meters (150 feet) .^[34] Special tank fire engines (TLF 24/40 Tanker Fire Apparatus) were purchased to secure the 2.4 km long Tiergarten Spreebogen tunnel (TTS) and the city highway. All seats inside the cabin are equipped with self-contained breathing apparatus. The TLF 24/40 has a supply of 4,000 liters of water and 400 liters of foam concentrate. The vehicle is also used in forest fires. Since July 30, 2020, the Berlin Fire Brigade has been testing four emergency drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras to detect sources of fire and embers.

Berlin Concept "LHF": Fire Engine with comprehensive technical equipment

The LHF (fire and rescue vehicle, German: Lösch- und Hilfeleistungsfahrzeug, Fire Extinguishing and Assistance Vehicle) is a special vehicle concept of the Berlin Fire Brigade. The vehicles can be used for firefighting as well as for various technical assistance (e.g. car accident, train accident, door opening, cutting, sealing). Their loading is very similar to that of "HLF - Fire Emergency Team Vehicle", which are used very frequently in Germany. However, LHF in Berlin are shorter and therefore more agile in narrow streets.

LHF 16/16

The first LHF was put into service with the fire brigade in early 1983. Compared to the extinguishing group vehicles and tank fire engines that were common at the time, the LHF is more extensively equipped with devices for technical assistance. The LHF rescue pumper is an all-round vehicle for firefighting and technical rescue.^[35] The LHF 16/16 has a fire pump with a capacity of 1,600 L / min at 8 bar, a water tank with 1,600 L and a permanently installed foam agent tank with 400 L foam concentrate. For technical assistance, the vehicle is equipped with a hydraulic rescue kit consisting of rescue scissors, spreader and a rescue ram with an additional hand pump.

LHF 16/12 City

The LHF 16/12 City (short: City) has been used by the Berlin Fire Brigade since 1994. Compared to its predecessor, it has shrunk by 2.2 m in length and 20 cm in width, which means better maneuverability in road traffic.^[18] The LHF 16/12 also has a fire pump with an output of 1,600 L / min at 8 bar. The water container now only contains 1,200 L of water, the permanently installed foam agent container still contains 100 L of foam concentrate. For technical assistance, the vehicle, like its predecessor, is equipped with a portable generator and rescue kits. The LHF 16/12 is also available with all-wheel drive.^[36]

LHF 20/12 CAFS

A new generation of LHF has been in use since the beginning of 2007, which is equipped with compressed air foam systems (CAFS, German: Druckluftschaum). The LHF 20/12 has a fire pump with an output of 2,000 L / min at 10 bar, 1,200 L of water, 100 L of foam concentrate and a DLS system (CAFS 1,000 or 1,200). The vehicle is equipped with a hydraulic rescue kit for technical assistance, automatic transmission and a reversing camera. The fleet of the Berlin Fire Brigade has been renewed since 2018. In August 2019, the fire brigade received twelve new LHF 20/12 AT (lit. 'Advanced Technology'). By 2021, seventy more LHF 20/12 AT models are to be delivered.

LHF 20/8

The LHF 20/8 was only procured for the volunteer fire departments and not for the professional fire brigade. The LHF 20/8 is based on a Mercedes-Benz Atego with all-wheel drive and has an 800-liter water tank (a 1,000 liter water tank is installed). The pumps deliver 2,000 liters / min at 10 bar. The vehicle body was developed by Rosenbauer.^[37]

LHF 10/5

In 2011, two LHF 10/5 could be procured to replace the old LHF-K. The vehicles are the smallest LHF in Berlin. Like the LHF 20/8, they were only procured for the volunteer fire departments because the space circumstances did not allow for a larger LHF. The light pumpers navigate bridges and fire stations that were too small. However, almost the same equipment is in the vehicles as in the larger fire engines. A Mercedes-Benz Vario 818D with a Rosenbauer body (Compactline) was selected as the chassis. The two LHF 10/5 are stationed in Rauchfangswerder and Wilhelmshagen. Their water capacity reaches 500 liters.

eLHF

In September 2020, the first fully electrical fire truck (eLHF) was put into service for testing by the Berlin fire brigade. It results from a project of the Program for Sustainable Development (BENE 1213-B4-N), which is co-financed by the European Fund for Regional Development. The trial run will last until 2022.

Ambulance

The Berlin Fire Defence is responsible for the city's Emergency Medical Service, the Rettungsdienst - Rescue Service. The vast majority of annual operations are medical rescue operations. At the Berlin Fire Brigade, mainly Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles with box bodies are used as ambulances.^[38] This design, in which the case can be detached from the chassis, enables a separate exchange of body or chassis after an accident or in the event of a technical defect. There is also an "Ambulance I" (intensive) for patients with highly contagious diseases,^[39] the Ambulance S (S = German shortcut: schwer; translation English: heavy) for the transport of overweight emergency patients^[40] and the Stroke Emergency Vehicle (STEMO) for stroke patients.^[41] As soon as 90% of the ambulances in Berlin are in use at the same time, the fire brigade control center calls out a kind of "state of emergency" and dispatches firefighters from fire engines to ambulances.^[42] In 2018, this happened 41 times, which resulted in delayed arrival times.

City partnership

In addition to the transatlantic sister city agreement between Los Angeles and Berlin there are also strong relations on the fire department level. The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and the Berliner Feuerwehr maintain a close partnership with constant visits.

See also

• German fire services

Notes and References

1. https://www.berlin.de/rbmskzl/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/2018/pressemitteilung.725781.php Dr. Karsten Homrighausen appointed new Landesbranddirektor
2. 12/2019: (website: berliner-feuerwehr.de)
3. Web site: Berliner Feuerwehr - Berliner Feuerwehr in Zahlen 2019. www.berliner-feuerwehr.de.
4. Wolfgang Hornung-Arnegg: Feuerwehrgeschichte. Kohlhammer, 4. Auflage. 1995,, S. 61.
5. Wolfgang Hornung-Arnegg: Feuerwehrgeschichte. Kohlhammer, 4. Auflage. 1995,, S. 73.
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