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District of Heinsberg (ots)
The water rescue unit fire department divers in the district of Heinsberg can look forward to a new vehicle. The equipment cart diver offers the emergency services optimal conditions for operations under water.
When people think of water rescue, many people think of the lifeguards on the beach or the lifeboats in the larger ports. But water rescue also plays an important role here in the Heinsberg district. Larger and smaller lakes and rivers harbor dangers for people and animals. Water rescue, like ice rescue, is one of the special tasks of the volunteer fire brigade in the Heinsberg district. Since not every municipality can have its own fire service divers, the water rescue unit fire service divers in the district of Heinsberg supports the ten cities and communities in our district in this exciting special task.
The new equipment trolley diver
Since the beginning of May, the fire service divers have been moving out with their new divers equipment vehicles. The new emergency vehicle replaces the previous equipment vehicle diver from 1999, which has been used by the water rescue unit since 2010. Like its predecessor, the new GW-Taucher looks like an ambulance. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has, among other things, 4 diving devices along with extensive accessories, a hygiene board wall, neoprene suits in various sizes and much more. As a consequence of a fatal accident during a deployment by the Hagen fire brigade in 2019, it is no longer permitted to equip divers during the journey. A 57-year-old fire service diver fell out of the moving vehicle on the way to a mission and later died of severe head injuries in the hospital. The fire service divers from the district of Heinsberg can now equip themselves in a spacious, heated cabin at the place of action and warm up again after the deployment in the cold water.
Tauchunfallmanagement
Fire service divers are often deployed in critical situations. When rescuing objects and people from lakes, the view is usually very cloudy, so that the divers can only feel their way forward. Under water, the nitrogen contained in the breath liquefies due to the pressure and is absorbed by the blood. It is therefore important that the divers emerge slowly. The liquid nitrogen in the blood slowly becomes gaseous again and can be exhaled through the lungs. If an emergency occurs and the diver comes to the surface too quickly, the nitrogen in the blood vessels becomes gaseous again and can cause serious damage. In order to be able to provide first aid to their own divers as quickly as possible, the new GW diver has a diving accident management system. A trained rescuer is available with an oxygen device, medical equipment, an AED (automated external defibrillator) and a rescue device (spine board). After the first aid at the scene of the incident, the accident divers are transported as quickly as possible to a hospital with a pressurized cabin. Here the pressure from the diving depth is set, the nitrogen in the blood is liquefied again and the process of surfacing is simulated over a long period of time.
Fleet of the water rescue unit
In addition to the new divers equipment trolley, the rescue team can use a water rescue equipment trolley (GW-RETT) and a personnel transport vehicle (MTF), with the MTF serving as a towing vehicle for the multi-purpose boat (MZB). The water rescue equipment trolley, on the other hand, is used in particular as a replenishment and rescue vehicle for fire service divers. Further diving suits along with extensive accessories, lighting devices and similar equipment are loaded onto this. In addition, there is extensive equipment for underwater assistance on the vehicle. Objects of up to 2.5 tons can be lifted with the help of lifting bags. With chainsaws, reciprocating saws, drills and chisels, rescue work can be carried out under water, which makes the water rescue equipment trolley a kind of rescue vehicle for fire service divers.
Please contact:
District Fire Brigade Association Heinsberg eV
Managing directors
BOI Oliver Thelen
Phone: +49 151-25124098
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.kfv-heinsberg.de
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kfvheinsberg
Original content by: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Gangelt, transmitted by news aktuell
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