In the early hours of March 13, 2020, a traffic accident occurred on the A 63 motorway in which one person was seriously injured. The emergency call, which was received by the fire department control center at around 5:20 a.m., was immediately answered by one of the dispatchers on duty. Initially, it was not entirely clear how many people were involved. For this reason, the Mainz fire department control center issued a comprehensive alarm.

The first responders on site initially conducted an extensive investigation. An accident had occurred between a car and a truck on the right lane. It was initially assumed that, in addition to the two injured persons at the scene, another person was involved in the accident.

While the two injured persons were being treated, a large-scale search for another person was conducted at the scene. However, this search was unsuccessful. As it turned out later in the course of the operation, no other person was involved in the accident.

In cooperation with the emergency services, a patient-oriented rescue operation was carried out using technical equipment. The most seriously injured car driver was taken to one of Mainz's hospitals for immediate treatment. The second person involved was also taken to a hospital in Mainz for medical examination.

The police completely closed the highway for the rescue operations. To support the safety measures, a large fire department vehicle remained on the highway at the end of the operation.
In addition to the Mainz fire department, the police and emergency services were also on duty.    

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Sebastian Schmitt
Vehicles BF/FF: 5/1
Personnel BF/FF: 18/9
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

On Sunday morning, shortly before 8 a.m., the Mainz fire department was called to Draiser Straße to respond to a beeping home smoke detector.

When the fire department (firefighting unit FW 1) arrived, smoke was visible through the closed door on the second floor of the apartment building (attic). It was not known whether anyone was still in the affected apartment.

The incident commander changed the call to an apartment fire, which resulted in the additional alerting of FW 2 and the Mainz-Bretzenheim Volunteer Fire Department. However, the additional forces did not need to be deployed.

A team wearing breathing apparatus searched the apartment for people and the source of the fire. At the same time, the DLK was used to investigate the outside of the building and all residents were asked to go outside. Only an 82-year-old tenant was allowed to remain in the ground floor (mezzanine) apartment, accompanied by her neighbor.

The source of the fire was quickly found in the small apartment and extinguished even more quickly with a few liters of water. No one was found there.

After a thorough inspection (including the attic of the neighboring house) and mechanical ventilation of the rooms, all residents were allowed to return to their apartments. No one was injured. However, the apartment where the fire broke out is uninhabitable for the time being.

In addition to the fire department, the rescue service and the police were also on duty.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Rüdiger Zeuner-Christ Fire department
vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 2 fire engines, 1 aerial ladder platform, 1 multi-purpose vehicle / 1 fire engine, 1 water tender Fire department
personnel: 17/13 alerted, 11/0 deployed

At around 3:30 p.m., a single-engine Cessna took off from Mainz-Finthen Airport after a refueling stop. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported engine problems to the airport tower. As it was no longer possible for the pilot to return to the airport, he decided to make an emergency landing in an open field between Finthen and Drais. As the field had been freshly plowed, the nose wheel immediately sank into the soft ground during the emergency landing and broke off. The aircraft then overturned and came to rest upside down.

The fire department was immediately informed of the air emergency by the tower. Since the exact crash site in the field was not known with 100% certainty, the Mainz-Finthen and Mainz-Drais volunteer fire departments were also alerted in addition to the professional fire department.

The pilot and his passenger were slightly injured in the accident but were able to leave the aircraft on their own. They were given first aid by the Mainz-Finthen volunteer fire department, which was the first to arrive at the scene, until they were taken by the emergency medical services to a hospital in Mainz for further examination.

The police secured the accident site and recorded the details. The exact cause of the crash is unclear. The Federal Aviation Authority has launched an investigation.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Axel Kiesewalter
Vehicles BF/FF: 3/2
Personnel BF/FF: 19/8

The Mainz Fire Department was called to a fire at the Meinhardt waste disposal center on Wormser Straße at 9:30 a.m. today. A pile of trash was burning outside the building. The thick smoke was visible from a distance.

Meinhardt employees who were present began initial firefighting measures after alerting the fire department.

The fire department extinguished the fire with several hoses. An adjacent hall was specifically protected during the extinguishing work. After the smoke subsided, the pile of rubbish was pulled apart and further extinguished. The fire was extinguished at around 10:15 a.m.

The police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. The professional fire department, the Weisenau and Hechtsheim volunteer fire departments, the rescue service, and the police were on site.

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Andrea Zinn
Vehicles BF/FF: 4/3
Personnel BF/FF: 16/21
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

The Mainz fire department was called to a barracks fire in the upper town shortly after 4:30 p.m. today. An emergency call even reported an exploded gas cylinder.

When the fire department arrived, two garden sheds were fully engulfed in flames. The strong heat caused the Eternit roof panels to burst and fly through the air. The resulting banging noises could easily be interpreted as explosions. Fortunately, however, no gas cylinder had burst. The four teams wearing breathing apparatus were able to rescue a total of five gas cylinders from the fire. In three of the gas cylinders, the gas escaped through a safety valve. The gas cylinders were then cooled until they no longer posed a danger.

The owner of the garden shed that caught fire first was able to get himself to safety. He suffered minor burns and was taken to a hospital in Mainz for further treatment.
The fire was extinguished using four hollow jet pipes. The follow-up extinguishing work took some time due to the construction of the sheds.

The fire department's response and the associated temporary closure of Pariser Straße into the city caused traffic disruptions.

The police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. However, initial findings suggest that a deflagration occurred in a gas system.

In addition to the fire department, the police were on the scene with several patrol cars, and the rescue service with two ambulances.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Christoph Berghäuser
BF/FF vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 2 rescue fire engines, 1 tanker fire engine, 1 equipment vehicle for respiratory protection/radiation protection, 1 multi-purpose vehicle / 1 tanker fire engine
BF/FF personnel: 18/5
Image material: Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.