Unusual call-out for the fire department in the early evening at Mainz's Winterhafen harbor.

Two swans had apparently been injured after a scuffle with dogs. A family of swans with four young was staying in the Winterhafen near the wheelhouse. Both parents had been injured on their wings and were no longer able to fly. After consulting with the veterinarian on duty, it was decided that the swans should be taken out of the water and brought to her practice.

At around 7 p.m., the fire department was alerted and arrived at the scene with three vehicles and eight men. The problem was that swans on the water are not easy to catch, so this unusual rescue operation required a lot of patience and a little luck.

The father swan was caught relatively quickly on the shore with a large landing net and placed in a fire department transport box. However, the mother swan and her young were still in the water.

The fire department received assistance from a rowing club's training boat that happened to be passing by, which, in consultation with the firefighters, was able to slowly push the swans in one direction.
Finally, after several attempts and with a lot of patience, the fire department managed to catch the mother swan and her cygnets with a landing net and place them in a transport box.
The entire swan family was then taken to the vet, who will hopefully be able to treat the parents successfully so that they can be released back into the wild.

No information can be provided about the incident with the dogs.

Head of operations: Fire Department Chief Klemens Boenke Fire department
vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 1 small alarm vehicle, 1 water rescue equipment
vehicle Fire department personnel: 8 FM (SB)

At 5:11 p.m., the fire department received a report of a building fire in Gonsenheim. Heavy smoke was already visible on the way to the scene, prompting the alarm level to be raised and additional forces to be alerted.

On site, it was discovered that the roof of the two-story office/commercial building had already burned through half of the building. The smoke had already spread throughout the entire attic. Several sections were immediately formed and comprehensive extinguishing measures were initiated. Turret ladders were used to deploy rotating pipes to contain the roof truss fire. As the fire wall held, the spread of the fire could be limited to the affected part of the building. The spread of the fire to the lower floors was also prevented.

Upon arrival, it was initially reported that there were no longer any people in the building; later, people were led out of the unaffected area. Three people who had carried out initial firefighting measures were slightly injured. However, transport to the hospital was not necessary. At 7:00 p.m., the fire was reported to be "under control." 

In addition to the forces of both professional fire departments, the volunteer fire departments of Bretzenheim, Gonsenheim, Drais, Finthen, Hechtsheim, Stadt, and Mombach were deployed to the scene. A total of around 110 personnel from the fire department, medical and rescue services, and police were involved in the operation. The follow-up firefighting work is currently still ongoing. The professional fire department stations were staffed by off-duty personnel and the volunteer fire departments of Ebersheim and Marienborn. 

The relevance of this measure quickly became apparent: 

parallel to the operation in Gonsenheim, an automatic fire alarm system in the Hartenberg-Münchfeld district reported a fire in a restaurant. And while the emergency services were still investigating the scene, callers informed the control center that a smoke alarm was sounding in a high-rise building in Marienborn. While there was no apparent reason for the fire alarm system in Hartenberg-Münchfeld to be triggered, the emergency services found smoke-filled corridors and an apartment in Marienborn. The cause of the smoke was burnt food on a kitchen stove. The apartment and corridors had to be cleared of smoke using a ventilation device. Twenty-three firefighters and rescue workers with two ambulances and an emergency doctor were deployed. Fortunately, no one was injured during the operation.

Head of operations: Senior Fire Director Martin Spehr (major fire in Mainz-Gonsenheim), Fire Chief Christoph Berghäuser (BMA Hartenberg-Münchfeld), Fire Department Advisor Michael Weitzel (burnt food in Mainz-Marienborn) BF/FF
vehicles: 25 vehicles (for the major fire in Gonsenheim alone)
BF/FF personnel: approx. 110 emergency personnel (for the major fire in Gonsenheim alone)
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

Early this afternoon, there was a serious traffic accident on the L427 between Mz-Drais and Mz-Finthen. While turning left, the driver of a car failed to see an oncoming vehicle and a head-on collision occurred.

The three occupants of the turning car were slightly injured, while the other driver was more seriously injured. The more seriously injured person was initially given first aid by an employee of the emergency medical services who happened to be present. The volunteer fire departments of Mz-Finthen and Mz-Bretzenheim assisted in freeing and caring for the injured persons until the emergency medical services arrived and secured the accident site.

In addition to the fire department, eight emergency medical service personnel and four police officers were on the scene.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Axel Kiesewalter
Vehicles BF/FF: 2/3
Personnel BF/FF: 8/14
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

On Sunday afternoon, the Mainz fire department was called to a traffic accident involving several cars. At the end of a traffic jam on the A60, just before the Mainz South interchange, three vehicles had collided.

By the time the fire department arrived, all occupants had been able to leave their vehicles unaided. Fortunately, reports of a person trapped in a vehicle were not confirmed.
The patients were given first aid by the fire department and then handed over to the arriving ambulance crew.  An emergency doctor was brought to the scene by rescue helicopter. The patients, some of whom were seriously injured, were transported to hospitals in Mainz by the ambulance service.

The highway police temporarily closed the highway in the direction of Bingen for the rescue operations. The police also investigated the cause of the accident.
Until the vehicles were removed, fire department units secured the accident site and ensured fire protection.

After the damaged vehicles had been removed, the motorway maintenance department had to clean the road due to spilled operating fluids and debris, which is why the lane remained closed for some time.

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Marius Dick
Vehicles BF/FF: 6/3
Personnel BF/FF: 20/14
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

The Mainz fire department was called to a fire in a kebab shop on Gutenbergplatz shortly before 11 a.m. today. Initially, it was reported that a kebab spit was on fire.
However, when the fire department arrived, a deep fryer next to the kebab spit was on fire. An employee had already attempted to control the situation with a powder extinguisher before the fire department arrived. Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful. He went outside and waited for the fire department to arrive. In the meantime, the snack bar had filled with thick black smoke. This was visible from a distance, as it was also escaping through the chimney of the extractor hood above the roof.

The fire was quickly extinguished with a grease fire extinguisher. However, the wall behind the deep fryer then had to be opened to prevent the fire from spreading. The premises were cleared of smoke using positive pressure fans. Due to the soot and powder residue, operations had to be suspended for the time being.

The cause of the fire can be assumed to be a technical defect. No information can be provided about the extent of the property damage. Fortunately, no one was injured.

In addition to the fire department, the police were on the scene with a patrol car and the rescue service with an ambulance.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Christoph Berghäuser Fire
department vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 2 rescue fire engines, 1 turntable ladder, 1 swap body vehicle with roll-off container for special extinguishing agents, 1 multi-purpose vehicle Fire
department personnel: 18

Following the fire at the kebab shop this morning, the Mainz fire department was called out again in the afternoon. This resulted in several labor-intensive parallel operations.

At around 4 p.m., a total of 13 emergency personnel were called to the Mainz University Medical Center to deal with a hazardous substance spill. A cleaning concentrate had leaked in one of the wards, causing mild respiratory irritation in three people, who did not require further medical treatment. Initially, it was assumed that 15 patients in the ward were also affected, but fortunately this was not the case. The fire department collected the spilled hazardous substance and ventilated the premises with an electric fan. In addition to the Mainz fire department, the police and the emergency medical services were also on site with several ambulances, as was the health section management (senior emergency physician and organizational head of the emergency medical services).

Shortly after 5 p.m., Fire Station 2 in Winterhafen was called to another incident. Due to the ongoing operation at the university hospital, a fire engine was also dispatched, with its crew supplemented by participants from the basic training course. The jetty belonging to the Mainz Rowing Club had partially come loose and was in danger of breaking off and drifting into the navigable waters of the Rhine. The walkways on the jetty had slipped out of their guide rails and become wedged in the rocks at the bottom of the Rhine. With the support of a Mainz crane company, the access ramps were lifted and the jetty was pulled toward the shore by the fire department using winches. There, the ramps could be reinserted into the guide rails and secured. During the crane operation, the footpath and cycle path on Victor-Hugo-Ufer had to be closed by the Mainz city enforcement service. In addition to the fire department, the Mainz city enforcement service was on duty with two patrol cars and four personnel, as well as the water police with two personnel.

At around 6 p.m., there was another parallel operation. A traffic accident had been reported on the A 60 in the direction of Darmstadt. According to initial reports, there had been a traffic accident involving at least four vehicles, including a truck, between the Finthen and Lerchenberg junctions. Fortunately, when the emergency services arrived on site, no one was trapped. A truck had presumably pushed a small van against the central reservation while changing lanes. The driver of the small van and two passengers were trapped in their vehicle – none of the doors could be opened. However, the occupants of the small van were able to leave their vehicle independently through an open window with minor injuries. The rescue operations caused delays in rush hour traffic. In addition to the fire department, the highway police and the rescue service were on site with several ambulances and an emergency doctor's vehicle.

Head of operations: Senior Fire Chief Holger Hagen, Fire Chief Christoph Berghäuser
BF/FF vehicles: 
- 1 command vehicle, 1 incident command vehicle, 2 rescue firefighting vehicles, 1 turntable ladder, 1 hazardous materials equipment vehicle
- 1 incident command vehicle, 1 rescue firefighting vehicle, 1 multi-purpose vehicle, 1 multi-purpose boat
- 1 command vehicle, 2 command vehicles, 2 rescue fire engines, 1 turntable ladder, 1 swap body vehicle with roll-off container for technical assistance / 1 rescue fire engine, 1 tank fire engine
BF/FF personnel: 1)13 2) 13 3)21/9
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

Around 6:15 p.m. on Friday evening, a thunderstorm cell moved across Rheinhessen, briefly resulting in an increased volume of calls for the Mainz Fire Department Dispatch Center. Since weather conditions had been closely monitored in advance, a severe weather alert was issued early, and staffing at the dispatch center was increased.

Between 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the fire department dispatch center handled a total of 25 calls.
Within the city limits of Mainz, firefighters responded to six minor incidents involving broken branches and one fallen tree. In addition to the professional fire department, the volunteer fire departments from the city center, Hechtsheim, Gonsenheim, and Weisenau were on the scene. There was minor property damage, and as far as is known, no one was injured.

In the Mainz-Bingen and Alzey-Worms districts, the local fire departments were called to 19 incidents. These were mostly cases of water damage, broken branches, or fallen trees.

Incident Commander: Fire Department Councilor Bernhard Fischer
Vehicles/Personnel: In Mainz, approximately 30 professional and volunteer firefighters with 8 vehicles
. The command center was temporarily staffed by 14 dispatchers and 3 supervisors.

At 3:50 p.m. today, Saturday afternoon, a caller informed the Mainz fire department control center that he had seen a capsized boat on the Rhine near the Weisenau Bridge. In accordance with the water rescue plan, emergency services from Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate were immediately alerted to the scene. At that point, no information was available about the condition of the boat's crew.

A boat from the DLRG Mainz was the first to reach the scene and determined that it was a capsized sailboat drifting in the main stream of the Rhine near Mainz-Weisenau. The boat crew drifting in the Rhine was picked up by the DLRG boat; both people were uninjured.

The sailboat was secured by several boats from the Mainz and Ginsheim-Gustavsburg fire departments, while two boats from the Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate water police secured the scene. The Christoph 77 rescue helicopter, which had also been alerted, was able to leave the scene again after a brief assessment of the situation.

The sailboat was righted by the fire department, secured to a fire department boat, and towed to the oil port in Gustavsburg. The safety measures were made more difficult by the prevailing strong winds.

Four boats from the Mainz fire department, one boat from the Ginsheim-Gustavsburg fire department, one boat from the DLRG Mainz, and two boats from the water police were involved in the operation. The fireboat and the boat from the Trebur fire department, which had also been alerted, were able to abort the operation. The rescue service was on standby with an ambulance.

The cause of the capsizing was apparently a technical defect in the sailboat's mainsheet, which caused it to jam. The boat could then no longer be steered and capsized.

Head of operations: Fire Department Chief
René Adler Mainz Fire Department vehicles: 7 vehicles, two multi-purpose boats, two rescue boats Mainz Fire
Department personnel: 31 emergency responders
Image material: Image rights belong to the City of Mainz

On June 28, 2020, at around 9:20 p.m., the Mainz Fire Department was called to provide technical assistance in the emergency room of a Mainz hospital. A 20-year-old man had a ring on his finger that he could no longer remove. The finger was already severely swollen.

The hospital staff tried everything they could to get the ring off his finger. But all attempts failed and time was running out. A swollen finger joint that is not receiving enough blood can become a serious medical problem. In the worst case, if the situation persists for a long time, the finger can die completely.

Ultimately, the fire department was called in. Using a fine-grinding tool, the emergency services carefully attempted to cut through the ring on the finger. The finger had to be constantly cooled with water. Repeated breaks were necessary. Finally, after about 20 minutes, the finger was freed. The staff in the emergency room continued to care for the patient. The young man got away with a scare.

Head of operations: Firefighter Katja Stock
Vehicles BF: 2
Personnel BF: 3

The Mainz Fire Department was alerted at 3:12 p.m. today to a machine fire on Stadthausstraße. Even before the first firefighters arrived, several emergency calls reported that smoke from the fire had spread into various retail stores. For this reason, the incident classification was elevated, resulting in the dispatch of additional personnel.

When the fire department arrived, a machine was on fire in a specialty shoe repair shop. Thick black smoke was billowing from the store. The owner had been able to evacuate the premises on his own. He had already attempted to extinguish the fire with several dry-chemical fire extinguishers before the fire department arrived, but without success. The Mainz Fire Department emphasizes that people should not put themselves in danger by attempting to extinguish a fire with a fire extinguisher. If the fire is not immediately extinguished, the attempt should be abandoned. Getting to safety and waiting for the fire department is the better and safer option in such situations.

A crew wearing self-contained breathing apparatus was able to quickly bring the fire under control using a hollow-jet nozzle. However, the fire could not be declared out until later, as the machine that had caught fire first had to be opened and partially dismantled. Only then could the last pockets of embers be extinguished. The fire resulted in massive smoke development. The smoke spread into several retail stores, as well as a dental office and an office, so that the entire building was filled with smoke. Once the firefighting operations were completed, all rooms were cleared of smoke using positive-pressure ventilators. 

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the criminal investigation department. No information can be provided regarding the extent of property damage. Fortunately, no one was injured.

In addition to the fire department, the police were on the scene with several patrol cars, the Criminal Investigation Division, and emergency medical services with several ambulances, as well as the Health Sector Command (Chief Emergency Physician and Organizational Head of Emergency Medical Services).

During the operation, the unstaffed fire stations were manned by the day shift and the Mainz-Stadt Volunteer Fire Department. The necessity of this became apparent during several concurrent operations: Among other things, the department was called to two emergency door openings and another incident involving food that had burned into the stove. Six and 22 firefighters, respectively, were deployed for these incidents. Here, too, the police and emergency medical services were on the scene alongside the fire department.

Incident Commander: Fire Chief Björn Patzke Fire Department/Volunteer Fire Department
Vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 3 incident command vehicles, 2 rescue and firefighting vehicles, 2 turntable ladders, 1 multipurpose vehicle
Fire Department/Volunteer Fire Department Personnel: 24