On Thursday morning, the Mainz fire department was called to Mainz-Hechtsheim to a workshop for people with disabilities. The automatic fire alarm system there triggered a fire alarm at the Mainz fire department control center. The fire department, emergency medical services, and police were immediately alerted.

Among other things, the workshop has machines that are used for document destruction. One of these machines caught fire in the area of a conveyor belt. In addition, burning paper was transported into a waste container. When the employees noticed the fire, they took the burning container outside and made initial attempts to extinguish it with fire extinguishers. The quick response prevented the fire from spreading further within the workshop, but two employees were injured by the smoke and treated by the emergency services. Attempting to extinguish a fire yourself should only be done if it is safe to do so.  

Nevertheless, the exemplary behavior of the facility's employees should be emphasized, as they all left the hall independently after hearing the acoustic warning from the fire alarm system and provided specific instructions to the emergency services when they arrived. 

This had the advantage that the sources of the fire could be located immediately and targeted. Due to the smoke, it was initially only possible to enter the hall wearing heavy breathing apparatus. The follow-up extinguishing work was also made difficult by the cladding of the machine and the paper burning inside it. Once the affected parts had been exposed, all the embers could be extinguished.

This operation demonstrates the advantage and necessity of an automatic fire alarm system. Rapid fire detection saved valuable time in raising the alarm and prevented the fire from spreading due to the large amount of paper. 

Operations manager: Sebastian Kafitz
Vehicles BF/FF: 5/0
Personnel BF/FF: 17/0

On Friday afternoon, a man fell onto the tracks at Mainz Central Station. An arriving train was able to stop in time before the man was hit. The emergency services were alerted, treated the injured man, and rescued him from the tracks between the train and the platform edge. Train services at the central station had to be completely suspended.

The Mainz fire department was alerted to Mainz Central Station at 3:52 p.m. A person was reported to have fallen under a train and possibly been trapped. When the emergency services arrived, a man was lying on the tracks under the front of a train. The emergency services were already treating the person. According to witness statements, the man had fallen onto the tracks in front of the incoming train. The train driver was able to stop the train in time before the man was hit by the wheels.

The fire department secured the train, looked after the eyewitnesses, and assisted in rescuing the person from the tracks. After receiving treatment from the emergency services, the man was taken to a hospital in Mainz. Considering that the man fell in front of a moving train, it is fortunate that the accident ended relatively well.

As the rescue work took place on the tracks, train services at the main station had to be completely suspended. In addition to the fire department and emergency services, the federal police, the Deutsche Bahn emergency manager, and DB Security were also involved in the operation.

During the rescue operation, firefighters noticed that a passenger from an adjacent train was photographing the injured person in a helpless situation. The onlooker was questioned and handed over to the police for further investigation, as photographing and filming a helpless person can constitute a criminal offense.

Head of operations: Özkan Celik Fire department
vehicles: 4 Fire department
personnel: 16

At around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, the Mainz Fire Department control center received a report of a fire in an apartment building on Am Obstmarkt street in Mainz Finthen. Firefighters from both fire stations, as well as firefighters from the Finthen Fire Department, were immediately dispatched to the scene.

Shortly after the first firefighters arrived, the fire in a room on the first floor was brought under control and extinguished using a hollow jet pipe and self-contained breathing apparatus. At the same time, another team wearing breathing apparatus checked the adjacent apartments for people. The smoke from the fire was removed from the affected apartment using a positive pressure ventilation device. The tenant of the apartment suffered slight smoke inhalation and was treated on an outpatient basis by the emergency medical services on site.  

The apartment where the fire broke out is currently uninhabitable. The other residents were able to return to their apartments once the emergency services had completed their work.

The fire department's operation was completed at around 6:30 p.m.

The Mainz professional fire department, the Finthen volunteer fire department, the regular emergency medical services with an ambulance, and the police with two patrol cars were on site.

The fire department cannot provide any information about the cause or extent of the damage. The police have launched an investigation.

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Veith
BF/FF vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 2 rescue fire engines, 1 turntable ladder, 1 Klaf, 1 MZF1/ 2 firefighting vehicles
BF/FF personnel: 19/16

On Friday evening, a severe storm with rain, wind, and hail hit the Mainz-Ebersheim area. The strong winds caused extensive damage to some buildings, but fortunately no one was injured.

From 6:45 p.m. onwards, the emergency lines were constantly ringing, with residents of the Mainz-Ebersheim district reporting dozens of incidents. The damage was concentrated in the southwestern part of the town.

The fire department responded with several vehicles from the professional and volunteer fire departments. On site, the emergency services were met with a scene of devastation: collapsed roof trusses, roofs torn off, several fallen trees, and damaged vehicles bore witness to the force of the storm.

In one courtyard, several roofs were largely stripped, and the roof truss of a barn had partially collapsed. Fortunately, reports of a person possibly being buried under debris were not confirmed. In another street, a garden shed was thrown into the air and crashed into the roof truss of another house. Roof tiles became projectiles, embedding themselves in walls and front doors. A total of 25 damaged buildings and 5 severely damaged vehicles were counted.

Due to the extensive damage found, the area was divided into individual operational sections and specialist advisors, operational and management personnel were called in, as well as additional THW personnel. A staging area for arriving emergency services was set up on Töngesstraße.

The emergency measures focused on securing the damaged buildings. Tarpaulins and wooden beams were attached to the roofs using turntable ladders. Trees that had been damaged by the storm and were in danger of falling onto public areas were felled by the fire department.

Even after nine hours, the operation is still ongoing at 4 a.m. The fire department and THW are expected to be busy until the early hours of the morning securing the most severely affected buildings to ensure that they no longer pose a danger.

The Mainz professional fire department was on duty, some with off-duty personnel, as were the volunteer fire departments of Bretzenheim, Ebersheim, Marienborn, Hechtsheim, Stadt, Mombach, and Weisenau, as well as the THW Mainz. Volunteers from the German Red Cross provided food and drink for the approximately 90 emergency personnel.

Particularly noteworthy was the calm reaction of the population, who immediately followed all instructions from the emergency services, waited very patiently for help, and supported the emergency services with coffee, cold drinks, and pastries. We would like to express our sincere thanks for this exemplary behavior.

Head of operations: Bernhard Fischer
Vehicles BF/FF: 8/12
Personnel: approx. 60 (fire department) + approx. 30 (THW)

Residents of an apartment building on An der Kirchenpforte noticed a beeping smoke alarm and the smell of burning in the building shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Saturday evening. They immediately alerted the fire department, which rushed to the scene with personnel from Fire Station 1, Fire Station 2, and the Mainz-Bretzenheim Volunteer Fire Department.

An injured person was found in front of the property and immediately given first aid by residents and the fire department until the emergency medical services arrived.

At the same time, a team equipped with breathing apparatus and a C-hollow jet pipe was sent into the burning apartment on the first floor to fight the fire. The fire was extinguished after a short time. For reasons unknown at this time, furnishings in a kitchenette were on fire.

After the fire was extinguished, the apartment was cleared of smoke using a positive pressure fan and the power was turned off. The affected tenant was taken to a hospital in Mainz with suspected smoke inhalation.

The other residents were able to return to their apartments after the emergency measures were completed. The fire department's operation was completed at around 10:15 p.m.

In addition to the Mainz fire department, the police, emergency medical services, and the municipal utilities department were on site. The fire department cannot provide any information about the cause or extent of the damage. The police have launched an investigation.

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Tim Veith Fire department
vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 2 rescue fire engines, 1 turntable ladder, 1 Klaf, 1 MZF1/ 2 firefighting vehicles Fire department
personnel: 17/16