Six people, including two children, were injured on Friday evening on the A60 motorway in the direction of Darmstadt when two cars collided. A large contingent of firefighters, rescue services, police, and highway maintenance crews were called to the scene.

The emergency call was received by the fire department control center at around 7:45 p.m. Several fire department vehicles were then dispatched to the Mainz motorway tunnel – the emergency lane allowed the emergency services to reach the scene of the accident quickly.

All occupants were able to leave the accident vehicles on their own before the fire department arrived. However, due to the large number of injured people, additional ambulances and emergency doctors had to be called to the scene. In addition to caring for the injured, the fire department disconnected the vehicles' batteries and spread oil binders on spilled fuel.

All of the injured had to be transported to nearby hospitals. After the accident vehicles had been removed, the highway maintenance department cleaned the approximately 200-meter-long accident site. The rescue measures and the associated complete closure of the highway caused traffic disruptions, which some drivers did not appreciate, resulting in several firefighters being verbally abused and insulted at the closure point.

Head of operations: Senior Fire Chief Holger Hagen
Vehicles BF/FF: 5/2
Personnel BF/FF: 17/9
Image material: Image rights belong to the city administration of Mainz

Late Tuesday morning, the Mainz Fire Department control center received a report of a fire on Eupener Straße.

Neighbors noticed smoke coming from an open window and suspected that there were still people in the apartment. Based on the reported situation, the fire department control center alerted a large contingent of the Mainz fire department with the additional keyword "fire with rescue," as well as the emergency medical services and the police to the property in question.

The smoke was confirmed on site. The emergency services immediately gained access to the apartment in question wearing breathing apparatus. They quickly reported that there was no one left in the apartment. A smoldering fire in one of the rooms was the cause of the smoke. Due to the situation, the head of operations minimized the number of firefighters and rescue services deployed. 

The police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire; the fire department is unable to provide any information on this matter.

Head of operations: Fire Inspector Patrick Schulz Fire
department vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 1 rescue fire engine, 1 turntable ladder
Fire department personnel: 10
Image material: Image rights belong to the city administration of Mainz

The Mainz Fire Department was called to numerous incidents between the morning of September 7 and the early morning of September 8, 2022.

Shortly after beginning their shift on September 7, around 7:40 a.m., a rescue and firefighting vehicle (HLF) from Fire Station 1 and the Mainz-Ebersheim Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to Töngesstraße in Mainz-Ebersheim to address leaking fluids following a traffic accident.

Just about an hour later, shortly before 9:00 a.m., the fire alarm system at a nursing home in Mainz-Hechtsheim went off. The cause was burnt food; there was no danger. The firefighting unit from Fire Station 1, the HLF from Fire Station 2, and the Mainz-Hechtsheim Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to the scene.

About an hour later, shortly after 10 a.m., the fire alarm system at a freight forwarding company in the Hechtsheim industrial park went off. There was no danger here either. The firefighting unit from Fire Station 1 was dispatched.

Around 11 a.m., the firefighting unit from Fire Station 2 and the HLF from Fire Station 1 were dispatched to Pfitznerstraße in Mainz’s Neustadt district. Residents alerted the fire department that smoke alarms were sounding and the smell of smoke was noticeable. Once again, the cause was food that had burned on the stove. While the operation in Neustadt was
still underway, a door had to be opened for emergency medical services in Mainz-Bretzenheim. The HLF and the DLK from Fire Station 1 were deployed to this scene.

Shortly before 2:00 p.m., a follow-up inspection was conducted at a kindergarten in Mainz-Mombach. The HLF from Fire Station 2 was deployed.
Just a short time later, around 2:10 p.m., the fire department was once again alerted to an urgent door-opening call. This time, the scene was Nerobergstraße in Mainz-Mombach. The HLF from Fire Station 1 and the DLK from Fire Station 2 were deployed to the scene.

Around 3:00 p.m., a fire alarm system went off again. Deployed to the Lerchenberg were the command vehicle (ELW 1) and the DLK from Fire Station 2, as well as the HLF from Fire Station 1. 
After a brief break, an urgent door-opening call brought the fire department back into action around 6:15 p.m. The HLF and the DLK from Fire Station 2 were deployed to Kaiser-Karl-Ring in Neustadt.

At 9:00 p.m., Fire Station 1 was alerted to a gas odor on Untere Zahlbacher Straße in the Oberstadt neighborhood. Gas was leaking from the cartridge of a defective camping stove, causing the characteristic smell of gas. Since the appliance was located outside the building, there was no danger to the residents. This was also confirmed by a follow-up measurement.

The night’s rest was interrupted around 12:50 a.m. when a fire alarm system went off again. The scene in this case was Hechtsheimer Straße in the Oberstadt. No cause for the alarm could be determined, and there was no danger. The firefighting unit from Fire Station 1 was dispatched.

Around a quarter to three, smoke began to develop in a building on Leibnizstraße in Mainz’s Neustadt district. Alert neighbors heard the smoke alarm go off and called emergency services. Upon arrival at the scene, the report was confirmed, and a crew wearing self-contained breathing apparatus was immediately sent into the apartment. The sleeping resident was rescued from the smoke-filled apartment and treated on site by emergency medical services. Here, too, the cause was food that had burned. The firefighting unit from Fire Station 2 and the HLF from Fire Station 1 were deployed.

Another call occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Sertoriusring in Mainz-Finthen. On the ground floor of a 9-story residential building, a fire broke out in an electrical distribution panel inside an apartment. The smell of smoke and smoke itself spread up to the 8th floor through a utility shaft. All apartments from the ground floor to the 8th floor that were adjacent to the utility shaft were inspected. During this process, several apartments had to be opened using door-opening tools. During the operation, several residents who had to leave their apartments were assisted by the fire department. The Health Sector Command (lead emergency physician and organizational leader), as well as a Rapid Response Team (SEG) for patient care, were also on site. An employee from Mainzer Netze’s Electricity Department inspected the building’s electrical system and partially shut it down. Once the danger had passed, the residents were able to return to their apartments after about two hours. The tenants of the apartment where the fire broke out were taken in by relatives. The operation involved the firefighting unit from Fire Station 1, the HLF from Fire Station 2, the Mainz-Finthen Volunteer Fire Department, as well as the Health Sector Command and a Rapid Response Team (SEG) for support. During the operation, Fire Station 1 was staffed by the Mainz-Bretzenheim and Mainz-Marienborn Volunteer Fire Departments.

The last call for the time being occurred around 4:50 a.m. on Rheinhessenstraße in Mainz-Hechtsheim. A rear-end collision involving two vehicles took place there. The ELW 1 and the HLF from Fire Station 2, as well as the Mainz-Hechtsheim Volunteer Fire Department, were deployed.

On Wednesday afternoon, around 4:30 p.m., a band of severe weather with heavy rain moved across Rheinhessen.

The Mainz emergency dispatch center received a large number of emergency calls, primarily from the Mainz-Bingen district and the city of Mainz. Within the district, the towns of Bingen and Ingelheim were particularly affected. A total of 88 emergency calls were reported in the district within one hour, while 15 were reported in the city of Mainz. 

During this time, a fire was also reported in the city on Draiser Straße in Bretzenheim. While the resident of a second-floor apartment was preparing a meal, grease in a pot caught fire. While attempting to remove the pot from the stove, the resident suffered severe burns to one hand and the forearm.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire. They brought the person outside and provided care there until the ambulance arrived. The apartment was ventilated. The injured resident was transported to a hospital by ambulance. The Bretzenheim Volunteer Fire Department, along with crews from Fire Station 1 and Fire Station 2, responded to the scene. 

In Mainz, in addition to the professional fire department, the volunteer fire departments of Bretzenheim, Finthen, Gonsenheim, and Hechtsheim were also on the scene.

Incident Commander: Michael Engelhardt

On Friday morning, shortly before 11 a.m., the Mainz Fire Department was called to a serious traffic accident involving a streetcar and a public bus. Because reports indicated that there were multiple injuries, the Health Sector Command was alerted at the same time as the regular emergency medical services.

A rear-end collision had occurred between a streetcar and a public bus in the Hattenbergstraße area. Both vehicles sustained significant damage and came to a stop several meters apart.

Several passengers, as well as both drivers, were injured in the collision. When the fire department arrived, some of the passengers were still inside the bus. The initial emergency medical services team had already begun treating the passengers and was assisted by the fire department. There were no longer any people in the streetcar when emergency responders arrived.

After an initial assessment, a total of 20 people were identified as affected; 8 of them, with minor to moderate injuries, were transported by emergency medical services to nearby hospitals.

The fire department carried out safety measures at the scene involving the crashed tram and the public bus. Leaking fluids were contained, and fire safety measures were ensured. During these operations, the emergency responders received technical support from employees of Mainzer Mobilität.

Due to the proximity to the scene, a colleague from the Schott plant fire department happened to be on site in a vehicle shortly after the accident. The colleague assisted the first responders and also called additional in-house medical personnel, including the plant’s own emergency physician, to the scene.

After all patients had been treated and transported away, one side of the road was reopened; all further work was coordinated by the public transportation authority.

For the duration of the operation, the City Volunteer Fire Department manned a fire engine at Fire Station 2.

Incident Commander: Senior Fire Chief Mark Jüliger
Vehicles (Fire Department/Volunteer Fire Department/Road Authority): 8/1/15
Personnel (Fire Department/Volunteer Fire Department/Road Authority): 21/7/35

On the morning of September 17, 2022, at around 8:30 a.m., a fire broke out on Kästrich in Mainz's Oberstadt district. According to the caller, a washing machine was on fire on the third floor of an apartment building. The fire department control center immediately alerted a fire engine from the professional fire department, the rescue service, the police, and the Mainz-Stadt volunteer fire department.

When the first responders arrived, they found thick, dark smoke billowing from a window on the third floor at the rear of the apartment building. The occupant of the apartment had left the building unharmed before the emergency services arrived.

During the immediate firefighting operation via the external emergency staircase, it was quickly determined that the fire was confined to the bathroom of the apartment. There, the washing machine had caught fire for reasons that are currently unknown. The fire was extinguished by a team wearing breathing apparatus using a C-hose. However, the apartment is uninhabitable due to heavy smoke and soot damage.

The volunteer fire department did not need to respond and was able to abort the call. No one was injured in the fire. The police took over the investigation into the cause of the fire.

Head of operations: Fire Chief Hermann Ziegler Fire department
vehicles: 1 command vehicle, 2 rescue fire engines, 1 turntable ladder, 1 multi-purpose vehicle Fire department
personnel: 18

For reasons that are still unclear, 18 people in Mainz's Oberstadt district had to be treated by the emergency services and disaster control on Wednesday evening. All of them complained of irritation of the respiratory tract and eyes. Seven children were among those affected. One was taken to hospital for outpatient treatment.

At 8:05 p.m., a family on Am Rodelberg street reported irritation in their eyes and throats. When the fire department and emergency services arrived, they were taken outside. Measurements taken with gas detectors while wearing respiratory protection showed no abnormalities.

In the course of events, other residents of the entire apartment block also reported respiratory and eye irritation. Due to the number of people affected, additional emergency services and disaster control personnel were called to the scene. A city bus was also called to the scene to transport those affected.
While the victims were examined by the senior emergency doctor, the fire department checked all areas in and around the building with various measuring devices. Neither the measuring devices nor the senses of the emergency services were able to identify the cause. Experts from the municipal utilities who were also called to the scene did not find anything unusual in the sewers or supply areas.

By the end of the operation two hours later, 18 people had been examined and treated. All were classified as slightly injured. One child was taken to hospital for outpatient treatment. The others were able to return to their homes once the symptoms had subsided.

The fire department and municipal utilities could not detect any danger from gases or corrosive substances. Residents were instructed to call the emergency number again if symptoms recurred.

A total of 50 personnel from the fire department, rescue services, and disaster control (health section management and rapid response team) were on site.

Head of operations: Markus Ketelaer Fire
department/rescue service vehicles: 6/1 Fire
department/rescue service personnel: 14/2

Shortly before noon on Friday, the school administration at Willigis Gymnasium alerted the Mainz fire department because the smell of chlorine gas was noticeable in one wing of the building. Teachers immediately evacuated the affected area.

The fire department determined that one of three old chlorine gas cylinders, which had been brought out of a basement room the day before, had become leaky due to corrosion and was emitting chlorine gas. The leak could not be closed due to the damage, so chlorine gas continued to escape from the two-liter cylinder. Thanks to the rapid evacuation of the affected part of the school, no one was injured.

A team wearing chemical protection suits stored the three chlorine gas cylinders in a fire department barrel to prevent further leakage into the school building. The affected area was ventilated to remove the smell of chlorine from the school building.

With the support of the Höchst Industrial Park fire department, the defective gas cylinder was finally recovered and brought to safety at around 4:30 p.m. The fire department's operation was completed at 5 p.m.

Head of operations: Katja Stock Fire
department/fire brigade vehicles: 6/0 Fire
department/fire brigade personnel: 15/0