As every year, the Mainz fire department was well prepared for the expected increase in calls on New Year's Eve. The number of personnel on duty was increased at both professional fire stations and additional vehicles were put into service. The fire department control center, which handles 112 emergency calls for the city of Mainz and the districts of Mainz-Bingen and Alzey-Worms, was also reinforced with additional dispatchers.

During the day, there were already five fires involving rubbish and garbage cans in the city, which were presumably caused by fireworks. As expected, there was a significant increase in the number of emergency calls and incidents between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.

A total of 300 emergency calls were handled during this period. This resulted in 34 fire department operations, divided into 16 operations in the city of Mainz and 9 operations in the districts of Mainz-Bingen and Alzey-Worms. At the same time, numerous emergency calls requesting medical assistance were forwarded to the Mainz rescue control center.

Special operations:

12:11 a.m.: Hechtsheim, Alte Mainzer Straße: Balcony
fire Fire on a balcony. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire quickly and prevent it from spreading.

12:00 a.m.: Old Town, Löhrstraße: Balcony fire
. Parallel to the operation in Hechtsheim, the fire department was alerted to a balcony fire on the 4th floor of a building on Löhrstraße. Here, too, the fire was quickly extinguished using the turntable ladder.

00:42 a.m.: Mombach, Suderstraße: Balcony fire
Probably caused by a firework, a fire broke out in an apartment building in Mombach. When the fire department arrived, the balcony was already completely engulfed in flames and the fire threatened to spread to the apartment. The fire department rescued one person from the building. The fire was prevented from spreading to the building at the last second.

There were also six call-outs due to burning garbage cans in the city area.

In addition to the professional fire department, the volunteer fire departments of Bretzenheim, Drais, Finthen, Hechtsheim, Stadt, and Mombach were also deployed.

The Mainz fire department wishes all citizens a healthy and peaceful 2023.

Operations manager: Sebastian Steigerwald

At around 10:40 a.m., a traffic accident occurred at the intersection of Weberstraße and Heinrich von Brentano Straße in Mainz-Weisenau. The collision triggered the airbags of one of the vehicles. An alert first responder called the emergency number (112) and alerted the Mainz fire department, which dispatched two fire trucks and an incident command vehicle to the scene. The fire department control center also alerted and informed the rescue service and the police.

At the scene, the drivers of both cars were initially cared for by the fire department and then handed over to the ambulance service. Due to the nature of the accident, one of the two drivers was carefully freed from the back seat and trunk by the fire department as a precautionary measure to avoid spinal injuries. The ambulance service treated the driver at the scene and transported him to a nearby hospital for further examination.
The fire department secured the scene of the accident against traffic throughout the operation. Due to the traffic situation, the intersection had to be completely closed for a short time to allow the emergency services to work.

After approximately 35 minutes, the operation was completed and the road was reopened by the police.

Head of operations: Senior Fire Chief Holger Hagen Fire department
vehicles: 3 Fire department
personnel: 16

During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the Mainz fire department was called to Fischtorplatz in Mainz's old town. According to the report, a person had fallen into the Rhine but had already been pulled out of the water by passers-by. Due to the unclear situation, the fire department control center alerted the emergency services, the police, and the fire department.

Upon arrival at the scene, it was confirmed that a male person had fallen into the Rhine from the embankment in the Fischtorplatz area for unknown reasons. A passerby who happened to witness the incident did not hesitate and rushed to the man's aid. He was able to pull the victim out of the water on his own and lead him back up the embankment. In doing so, the rescuer sustained a cut on his foot. At the same time, his companion called the emergency services.

Until the emergency services arrived, both individuals were looked after by the fire department and provided with blankets. They were then transported by the emergency services to hospitals in Mainz.

The rescuer showed an enormous amount of civil courage by putting his own health at risk. Without his immediate reaction, the incident would most likely have ended much worse for the man who had fallen.
The Mainz fire department would like to thank the rescuer for his truly selfless efforts. At the same time, however, we would like to expressly point out that attempts to help, rescue, or extinguish fires should only be made if they do not endanger your own health or life. Always call the emergency number! It is important that you provide as much information as possible about the location and the incident and guide the emergency services to the scene.

We wish both the rescuer and the rescued person a speedy recovery and all the best.
In addition to the Mainz Fire Department, the rescue service was on site with two vehicles, as well as the police with one vehicle.

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Markus Ketelaer Fire department
vehicles: 2 Fire department
personnel: 8

Together with first responders, the Mainz fire department rescued an unconscious driver from his car on Wednesday evening after he had overturned on the A60 motorway. The motorway was closed for around 30 minutes.

At 8:10 p.m., callers reported a serious traffic accident on the A60 in the direction of Darmstadt via the 112 emergency number. The emergency call already mentioned a car that had rolled over several times and that the driver was unconscious and trapped in the vehicle. Based on this report, two ambulances, an emergency doctor, and the police were alerted in addition to the professional fire department.

Shortly after the Saarstraße junction, first responders had already secured the accident site and were attempting to free the driver. The driver was unconscious in his vehicle, which had apparently rolled over several times and come to a stop on the grass verge.

The first firefighters on the scene recognized the life-threatening situation and rescued the man, who was not trapped, from the vehicle. The man regained consciousness while in the recovery position. The ambulance service treated the seriously injured man and transported him to a hospital.

The fire department secured the scene and searched the surrounding area for possible other occupants. It turned out that there were no other people in the vehicle. The highway was completely closed for about 30 minutes for the rescue work. Since the debris was scattered over several hundred meters, the right lane had to be cleaned with a sweeper.

The fire department's operation was completed after one hour. The police have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.

Head of operations: Michael Ehresmann Fire department
vehicles: 4 Fire department
personnel: 16

On January 22, 2023, at 6:25 a.m., a caller reported unclear smoke coming from the containers of the daycare center on Waldweg in Mainz-Drais. The Mainz professional fire department and the Mainz-Drais volunteer fire department were immediately alerted.

The first responders on site confirmed the smoke coming from the building. Shortly thereafter, the fire was located at the rear of the container building. At the same time, two teams wearing breathing apparatus were deployed to attack the fire from the outside and inside, and firefighting operations were initiated with two jet pipes. The windows at the rear of the building had burst, causing the fire to spread throughout the room.

The fire was brought under control after a short time. Fortunately, due to the time of the incident, no one was in the building. The follow-up extinguishing work continued until Sunday morning.

Four containers were so badly damaged in the fire that they are no longer usable, while others were filled with smoke and covered in soot. The daycare center cannot be used for the time being. Several windows were destroyed in the fire. Once the firefighting operations were complete, these were secured by the fire department. In addition to the fire department, the rescue service was also on site with one vehicle.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. The cause of the initial smoldering fire is currently unclear. The criminal investigation department was on site and has launched an initial investigation.

Head of operations: Johannes Geib
Vehicles BF/FF: 7/2
Personnel BF/FF: 20/18
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

A fire in a food laboratory triggered a fire department response in the Mainz-Hechtsheim industrial area on Tuesday afternoon. Two laboratory rooms were severely damaged by the fire. Thanks to the prudent actions of the employees, no one was injured.

At 12:20 p.m., employees reported a fire in a food laboratory on Dekan-Laist-Straße. They closed the door to the room where the fire was, activated the smoke extraction system in the stairwell, triggered the emergency shutdown of the laboratories, and evacuated the building. The professional fire department was alerted and met by employees in front of the building, who briefed them on the situation.

In a food laboratory on the upper floor, a device and surrounding objects were on fire. The smoke had already spread to neighboring rooms. Two teams wearing heavy breathing apparatus extinguished the fire and checked the smoke-filled areas.

After 20 minutes, the fire in the laboratory was extinguished. Due to the smoke in the building, the entire upper floor had to be ventilated for an hour. The affected laboratory and an adjacent laboratory were so badly damaged by the smoke that they cannot be used temporarily.

Thanks to the prudent actions of the employees, more extensive fire damage was prevented and all employees were able to escape to safety in good time. The cause of the fire is believed to be a technical defect or a chemical reaction in a laboratory device.

Head of operations: Michael Ehresmann Fire department
vehicles: 6 Fire department
personnel: 19

A gas pipe was damaged during construction work in a building on Taunusstraße, and the escaping gas caught fire. Passersby reported hearing a bang coming from the building and alerted the fire department. At the same time, the workers left the building. No one was injured. The fire department shut off the gas in the building and extinguished parts of a staircase that had caught fire. Embers were then found in a false ceiling above the defective gas pipe. The fire department opened the ceiling and removed the embers. The areas affected by the fire were then checked with a thermal imaging camera and covered with foam. As a precaution, the energy supplier disconnected the building from the electricity and gas networks. Measurements taken in the building did not indicate an increased risk of explosion. A total of 18 firefighters from the Mainz Fire Department were on duty, as well as the police, the ASB, and Mainzer Netze.

Head of operations: Michael Thines

Fire department vehicles: 5

Fire department personnel: 18