Category Archives: Fire fighting

Fire fighting, Story

Volunteer fire department – Part 1

A childhood dream comes true – a ride in the HLF 20.

Like so many other people, I have always wanted to ride in a large fire engine. Now my dream has come true – I was allowed to ride in a vehicle of the Kößlarn volunteer fire department, an emergency fire fighting vehicle, HLF 20 for short.

 

This type of vehicle evolved from the pure fire-fighting group vehicles when the fire departments realized that their range of operations was increasingly shifting from fire-fighting to technical assistance and therefore equipped their fire-fighting group vehicles with additional equipment for accident assistance.

Even before they were standardized, HLFs were the most versatile pieces of firefighting equipment, used for all conceivable operational situations such as traffic accidents, hazardous goods operations and, of course, conventional fire operations. I don’t want to go into the technical details in this report; you can find a lot of information on Wikipedia.

 

Our fire engine has a very special livery. The Kößlarner Keiler, the heraldic animal of Kößlarn, accompanies the firefighters on their missions.

 

 

But now my impressions on this trip to the garage:

As a person of the 1960s, I was still driving vehicles that had just a single wing mirror and a radio-cassette player as additional equipment….

When you get into the driver’s cab of the HLF 20, you enter a huge, high-tech, electronic machine with a cockpit full of display screens, monitors, telephones, measuring devices and communication units.

I am really impressed that the firefighters manage to watch and read all the monitors when they are called out to an operation, despite the tension that every operation brings, while at the same time being able to communicate, listen to the warning tones and transport the vehicle and crew safely to the scene.

 

 

I admit it openly: I would have been hopelessly overwhelmed and would like to once again send my thanks and deep respect to all the people who work for the volunteer fire department and sacrifice their free time to help people in emergency situations.

 

By the way: after the first few impressive minutes on the ride, I became a child again and simply enjoyed the rest of the ride with a big grin on my face. Many thanks to the Kößlarn fire department for giving me permission to ride along.

And the great thing is that I get to visit the firefighters a second time and talk to someone in charge about everyday life in the volunteer fire department. I’m really looking forward to it.

Fire fighting, Fire protection

Kitchen fire scene

More than a third of all fires in private homes start in the kitchen

 

What do you think is the biggest cause of all fires in kitchens?

 

More than half of all fires start on the stove.

And that’s because things were put there that didn’t belong there – in other words, the stove was used as a storage surface. In kitchens, fires often develop quickly and cannot be extinguished on their own, and the fumes are highly toxic.

 

The Institut für Schadenverhütung und Schadenforschung der öffentlichen Versicherer e.V. (IFS) has put the following website online for us consumers: https://gefahr-erkannt.de/

 

Here, we consumers can place various items on an accidentally switched-on hob in a virtual fire test house and then see how quickly they catch fire and how the fire spreads. This site is a service of the IFS. www.ifs-ev.org

 

Oh yes – I also used to leave my towels on the stove…

 

 

I have gone through all these options on the website once – and I will definitely NEVER use my stove as a storage surface again – not even quickly for the kitchen towels….

Fire fighting, Fire protection

There’s a fire! Give me the fire blanket! – Is that the right way?

Clearly: YES and NO.

First of all, what are fire blankets?

Fire blankets are available in different sizes, for private use they are usually 1 x 1 m. The fabric is made of fireproof material such as nylon, Kevlar or glass fiber fabric in accordance with DIN EN 1869.
These blankets are not reusable!
They are usually found in red boxes and also have a red cover. Instructions for use are clearly printed on them.

Although the blankets are suitable for extinguishing small fires, they do not replace fire extinguishers in accordance with the Workplace Directive!

 

Fire blankets – yes or no?

YES to the fire blanket:
For very small fires or incipient fires, the blanket is perfect to use, for example on upholstered furniture or kitchen appliances, burning containers such as waste baskets.

 

BUT:

The use of fire blankets for grease fires in the kitchen is now controversial, so DON’T use them. A fire blanket placed over the source of a fire in a pan can sag and catch fire, even though it is actually fireproof.

Therefore, in the event of a fire in the kitchen, immediately:

Switch off the heat source immediately! If the fire is only in the pot or pan, put a suitable lid on it and WAIT! The danger is that if the oil has not cooled down completely, the fat will immediately re-ignite if the lid is opened too soon.
For fires that have spread on the stove, you can also throw a damp kitchen towel over the fire.

 

Caution: A grease fire must NEVER be extinguished with water.

If water gets on the burning oil, a deflagration will occur. As a result, the flames flare up and the hot oil splashes explosively through the kitchen. This can cause the fire to spread and, even worse, cause severe burns to the skin.

The ideal solution for a grease fire would be to use an extinguishing spray.

 

 

So-called extinguishing sprays are a good way of putting out small fires. Although they don’t stand a chance with larger flames, they are easy to use, can be stored in any kitchen and are inexpensive. If a pan, Christmas wreath or hob starts to burn, they can be used effectively.
Here is an interesting overview.

 

BUT:

If the fire is too big and cannot be brought under control, call the fire department quickly.

Because the most important thing is to get yourself and others to safety so that nobody is harmed.

 

A second absolute NO for the use of a fire blanket are fires involving people.

The use of fire blankets poses additional dangers for both the rescuer and the person on fire.

This is because the first reflex of a person on fire is to run away and try to extinguish the fire themselves. Out of panic and fear, the victim often resists using the fire blanket.

In addition, burning or glowing pieces of fabric are pressed intensively against the skin when the blanket is applied, causing additional serious burn injuries.

Therefore, in the event of an emergency, the fire extinguisher (regardless of the type of fire extinguisher!) should be used to the rescue. The topic of personal fires is described in another blog article.