Today, Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 2:48 p.m., the Mainz Fire Department received a report of a traffic accident involving two trucks on the BAB 60 highway in the direction of Darmstadt.

The initial report mentioned an unknown liquid leaking from one of the two vehicles. The fire department control center then alerted vehicles from both fire stations of the professional fire department as well as two volunteer fire departments.

Between the Mainz-Laubenheim junction and the Weisenauer Bridge, there was a rear-end collision between a semi-truck and a flatbed truck with a trailer. In the collision, the driver of the rear-ending truck was trapped in his vehicle. After receiving initial treatment from the emergency medical services, who arrived at the same time as the fire department, rescue measures were carried out in consultation with the emergency doctor on site. Hydraulic rescue equipment was used to free the driver from the severely deformed cab. After the technical rescue, the patient was transported by the emergency medical services to a hospital in Mainz.

Parallel to the rescue operations, the second truck was secured. The leaking liquid was only fruit juice, whose containers had been destroyed in the collision. Fortunately, the suspicion of leaking hazardous substances was not confirmed.

The A60 had to be completely closed in the direction of Darmstadt for the duration of the rescue operations.
On the opposite lane, road users endangered themselves during the rescue operations by driving slowly and braking heavily. In consultation with the police, a total of three privacy screens were used to shield the scene of the accident to such an extent that traffic on the opposite carriageway was able to flow more freely and the risk to road users was reduced.

The fire department's operation was completed at 4:20 p.m. The complete closure and subsequent rescue operations caused massive disruptions during the rush hour on the Mainz Ring and on alternative routes throughout the city.

Head of operations: Senior Fire Chief Holger Hagen
Vehicles BF/FF/RD: 9/3/3
Personnel BF/FF/RD: 25/10/8
Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

At around 6:25 p.m., residents of an apartment building in Gonsenheim reported a fire on the first floor. One person and two cats were still missing from the apartment.

When the first responders arrived, the callers' report was confirmed. The fire department had already been given detailed information about the missing person's whereabouts over the phone. Thanks to this detailed description, the resident was rescued from the smoke-filled apartment. Immediately upon arrival, the Mainz professional fire department took over the rescue operation and provided care for the rescued person. At the same time, a team wearing breathing apparatus fought the fire. The fire was extinguished after 15 minutes.

The two missing cats were also rescued and taken to a veterinarian by the unaffected residents as a precaution. The building was then ventilated to remove the remaining smoke from the fire.

The rescue service transported the rescued resident to a nearby hospital.

The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are unknown to the fire department and are the subject of a police investigation.

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Jonas Hahn
Vehicles BF/FF: 5/0
Personnel BF/FF: 11/0
Image rights belong to the Mainz city administration.

The Mainz Fire Department was alerted to a chimney fire on Fontanestraße in Mainz-Lerchenberg at 7:03 p.m. today.

When the emergency services arrived, sparks were clearly visible coming from the chimney of a single-family home, indicating that the chimney cross-section was clogged with soot.

Since the buildings in this area are only accessible via a sidewalk, the turntable ladder could not be positioned. A team therefore prepared a secure exit onto the roof. After a safety chain had been set up using special fall protection equipment, a firefighter wearing breathing apparatus and a safety harness climbed onto the roof to the chimney.

At the same time, a team checked the building with a thermal imaging camera, while another team took up position in front of the chimney cleaning hatch in the basement.

The chimney was swept down several times using chimney sweeping tools and breathing apparatus. This enabled the burning soot in the chimney to be removed and taken out of the chimney. A final check with a chimney mirror confirmed that the chimney was clear again.

The slightly smoke-filled building was mechanically ventilated before it could be handed back to the homeowners. The district chimney sweep was informed.

After one hour, the fire department's operation was complete.

Head of operations: Fire Department Councilor René Adler
Vehicles BF/FF: 4/2
Personnel BF/FF: 16/18

At around 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, the Mainz Fire Department control center received a fire alarm from the fire alarm system of a high-rise building on Hechtsheimer Straße. While the emergency services were on their way, further emergency calls came in reporting a fire on the fifth floor. Additional personnel from the professional fire department, the Weisenau and Finthen volunteer fire departments, and other emergency services were immediately alerted to the high-rise fire.

One person was rescued by the fire department from the burning room on the 5th floor and transported by the rescue service to a hospital in Mainz. The fire was confined to the apartment thanks to the rapid response of the emergency services.

Most of the residents of the high-rise building had left it on their own, but the affected floor and the floors above it were searched for smoke spread and people who might need help. Fortunately, the smoke spread was limited to the apartment where the fire broke out and the adjacent hallway. No other people were injured.

The health section management and additional ambulances were on standby at the scene to provide assistance to the residents if necessary.

The apartment where the fire broke out is uninhabitable due to the direct effects of the fire and the smoke. The residents of the building were able to return to their apartments after the firefighting and ventilation measures were completed.

Head of operations: Stefan Behrendt Fire department
vehicles: 10/2 Fire department
personnel: 27/8

On the morning of March 21, 2022, at around 10:11 a.m., a fire broke out on Baentschstraße in Mainz Hartenberg-Münchfeld. According to the caller, the fire was on the 5th floor of an apartment building. The fire department control center immediately alerted a fire engine from the professional fire department and notified the emergency medical services and the police. While the emergency services were on their way to the scene, further emergency calls reached the fire department control center, reporting a full-scale fire in an apartment on the 7th floor. As a result, the alarm level was raised while the emergency services were en route, and additional professional firefighters and the Mainz-Stadt volunteer fire department were alerted.

When the first responders arrived, they saw thick, dark smoke coming from a balcony on the 7th floor at the rear of the apartment building. They immediately started fighting the fire from the stairwell and soon realized that it was limited to the apartment's balcony. There, for reasons currently unknown, stored items had caught fire. The fire was extinguished by a team using a small fire extinguisher. This limited the extent of the fire to the balcony.
The volunteer fire department personnel who were subsequently alerted, as well as the health section management, did not need to respond and were able to abort their journey. No one was injured in the fire.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Markus Ketelaer
Vehicles BF/FF: 1 command vehicle, 2 rescue firefighting vehicles, 1 turntable ladder / 0
Personnel BF/FF: 16/0

At around 8:50 p.m., the Mainz fire department received an emergency call reporting that an accident had occurred on a motor vessel near the winter harbor, trapping several people.

During a work operation between two motor vessels, a loading crane collapsed for reasons that are still unclear, causing a sailor to fall into the cargo hold and the crane operator to become trapped under the crane.

Before the fire department arrived, the second sailor was able to lift the defective crane with a second loading crane, freeing the crane operator.

A water police boat brought the first firefighters on board, where they administered first aid. The Mainz and Wiesbaden fire department boats, which had been alerted at the same time, were then able to bring the rescue service and an emergency doctor on board. The rescue service and the emergency doctor stabilized the two accident victims and made them transportable, and they were then brought ashore by a police boat and transported from there to the HSK in Wiesbaden and the university hospital.

The water police have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.

The Mainz-Mombach volunteer fire department provided standby personnel at the fire station for the duration of the operation.
The rescue service was represented by an emergency doctor vehicle from Mainz and one from Wiesbaden, as well as an ambulance from Johanniter Unfallhilfe and one from the German Red Cross.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Michael Engelhardt
Vehicles BF/FF: 6/1 (RTB FF Mombach)
Personnel BF/FF: 16 BF MZ, 8 BF WI / 9 FF Mombach

At 12:02 a.m., the Mainz Fire Department was alerted by the automatic fire alarm system to an iron foundry on Rheinallee. During the work process, damage had occurred to a casting ladle, causing liquid iron to leak out. Thanks to the quick and prudent actions of the employees, the uncontrolled flow of iron was contained. Only the rollers of a transport trolley were ignited by the molten iron. Two employees suffered minor injuries due to the heavy smoke. They were taken to hospitals in Mainz with suspected smoke inhalation. Another 15 employees were involved in the initial operational measures and were also exposed to the smoke. They were also examined by the emergency services under the direction of the health section management. However, no further treatment was necessary for them, so they were able to resume work afterwards.

The fire department ensured fire protection and monitored the draining of the casting ladle. In addition, sand walls were built to prevent the liquid iron from flowing away. At times, four teams wearing self-contained breathing apparatus were in action. To protect themselves from splashing molten iron, which reaches temperatures of up to 1600 °C, the teams wore special heat-protective clothing provided by the operator.

The fire department's operation was completed at around 2:30 a.m. when the site was handed over to the trade inspectorate. The fire department expressly praised the good cooperation with the company's emergency management team and the employees involved. Thanks to this good cooperation, the company's downtime was kept to a minimum.

The Mainz professional fire department, the Mainz-Stadt volunteer fire department, the regular rescue service with three ambulances and an emergency doctor's vehicle, a volunteer-staffed ambulance from a rapid response team, the health section management with the organizational manager and senior emergency doctor, and the police with several patrol cars were all on site.

The abandoned fire stations were manned by the Mombach and Bretzenheim volunteer fire departments. Although Rheinallee was partially closed to allow emergency vehicles to be deployed, there were no traffic disruptions due to the time of day and low traffic volume.

The fire department cannot provide any information on the cause and extent of the damage. The trade inspectorate has launched an investigation.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Björn Patzke
Vehicles BF/FF: 1 command vehicle, 1 command vehicle, 2 rescue fire engines, 1 turntable ladder, 1 tank fire engine, 1 swap body vehicle with roll-off container for special extinguishing agents, 1 equipment vehicle for respiratory protection, 2 multi-purpose vehicles / 1 rescue fire engine Fire department
personnel: 23/6 

At 11:30 a.m., the fire department control center received a report of a traffic accident on the Mainz side of the Theodor Heuss Bridge exit. The report stated that a trailer loaded with bottles had overturned and hydraulic oil was leaking.

The professional fire department responded to the scene and found a sea of broken glass from approximately 1,500 wine bottles that had been filled. Hydraulic oil was leaking from an overturned trailer of an agricultural vehicle. Due to the total of approximately 3,500 liters of wine that spilled over the exit ramp, the hydraulic oil spread over two lanes for a distance of 100 meters.

The trailer was righted with the help of an excavator from a nearby construction site. The fire department prevented the hydraulic oil from entering the sewer system and, together with the police, cleared the broken glass from two lanes.

The Theodor-Heuss-Brücke bridge in the direction of Mainz had to be completely closed for almost an hour. The final cleaning of the roadway will be carried out by specialist companies. Fortunately, apart from the loss of his 3,500 liters of wine, the driver and owner of the winery suffered no damage.

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Markus Ketelaer
Vehicles BF/FF: 2/0
Personnel BF/FF: 8/0

Early Friday afternoon, the fire department was called to an accident at a construction site in Bretzenheim. For reasons unknown, a mini excavator overturned and fell on the excavator operator at the edge of an excavation pit. The operator's legs were trapped, preventing him from freeing himself.

Other people at the scene took care of the injured man and supported the excavator until the fire department arrived so that it could not slip into the pit. The fire department lifted the excavator using pneumatic lifting bags, freeing the injured person and handing him over to the emergency medical services for further treatment.

The injured person was then taken to a hospital in Mainz for further treatment under emergency medical care. In addition to the fire department, the emergency medical services were also at the scene with an ambulance and an emergency doctor.

Head of operations: Fire officer Axel Kiesewalter Fire
department/fire brigade vehicles: 2/0 Fire
department/fire brigade personnel: 8/0