In villages and also in very small towns are only volunteers. The bigger towns got bigger fire trucks and more modern ones so these are employee firefighters. But if you have a very big fire or whatever the firefighters from other villages come to help each other or when needed the bigger town in the area will come with there employee firefighters to help. Without that many volunteers we would have way to less firefighters.
I can speak only for rural areas. When something happens (fire, but also othet things that needs urgent man power), volunteers get alerted no matter the time of day and they arrive at the station within minutes, some running over, some driving there. In villages you reach the station wiithin 3 min. No matter what you were doing that moment, you run to the station, put your gear on and drive off. That's what you saw at the beginning. Guys in normal clothes came running from all corners. They were most likely at home 2 minutes earlier, chilling on the sofa or doing whatever. This is also why a response takes a few min longer than from the employed firefighters who are at the station on standby during their shifts.
@@ChuulipTo freely quote a firefighter from Bochum about professional firefighters in larger cities. The professional firefighters are a rapid response unit that can get to where they are needed quickly, such as at a traffic accident or as the first on the scene at a house fire. If the situation expands, the volunteer firefighters are mobilised to increase the manpower to a multitude. For example, the city I live in has about 80 professional firefighters spread across its 4 stations. Compared to the 18 volunteer stations with about 500 members, this is just a small part of what can be mobilised if things really go sideways. Both parts have very important roles to play. In many cases, such as house fires, the aftermath reports state that a professional fire brigade was involved and two volunteer stations joined them on the scene, while another volunteer station moved to the main station to stand by in case something else happened in the meantime.
Living in a very small village in a rural area I've come to appreciate our volonteer firefighter units. Our little station is located basically next to us and so is the alarm siren. Even on a late weekday night they never take more than ten minutes to be on their way.
Not all German firefighters, but most of them. Usually just big cities and dangerous places (international airports, chemical plants, etc) have firefighters working full time as firefighters.
@@ololic I just wanted to add some information, in case someone thought that all German firefighters are volunteers (even in high risk areas like airports or chemical plants)
@@rippspeck I now live in a big city with both volunteer and professional firefighters, but my hometown had only one or two professional firefighters, who were responsible for machinery, the training and scheduling of the volunteers.
Here in Germany, the law states that a rescue lane must be formed when traffic comes to a standstill on the highway. That's why drivers do this, not because they know that the fire department or an ambulance is coming. If nobody comes and the traffic continues to flow, nothing is lost, better one rescue lane too many than one too few in case of an emergency!
here in Spain is the opposite xD people create more traffic jams trying to change lines continously and off course didnt allow the emergency services an easy pass it's sad
Not only, when traffic stops, but as soon as the traffic gets so slow that it "could" come to a complete stop. THis way you are stil able to manouver your car to the side.
@@NikoMoraKamu The rule is: drivers on the left lane needs to drive as far to the left as they can, drivers on the other lanes have to drive as far to the right as possible. So, everybody knows exactly what to do, when traffic slows down and there will be no chaos or time wasted in case an ambulance, firefighters or police has to get to an accident.
This is one situation how it should be done. I´ve seen a couple situations like that where it doesn´t work. In germany it is a law to build this emergency lane but I see often citizen who drive through it to safe some seconds or minutes. Especialy driver from other countryˋs where this not exist. For the context Iˋm a technican who driverˋs between 1.000 and 3.500 km a week through germany.
We don't move to the side "because" an emergency vehicle needs to pass, we do it "in case" it does. That's mandatory as soon as the traffic slows down.
The rule is: drivers on the left lane needs to drive as far to the left as they can, drivers on the other lanes have to drive as far to the right as possible. So, everybody knows exactly what to do, when traffic slows down and there will be no chaos or time wasted in case an ambulance, firefighters or police has to get to an accident.
1:30 These are volunteer firefighters with normal jobs (or students, etc.), so they all come running. What is normal in Germany for small towns and municipalities. Large cities must have professional fire departments, as well as e.g. airports, chemical plants...
@@schnelma605 Many midsized fire brigades have "Hauptamtliche"=Fulltimers. They go out overdys so the volonteers must not leave their job or so. In big incidents all can be called by pager or cellphone. WE dont hve sirens anymore since 2014. Here in my city we have 43 000 haitants and 10 fulltimers but 250 volonteres.
@@Caddl123 killing sirens was the stupidest decision in westgermany that ever happened. due to the way the ddr worked we still have them basicly everywhere around me. i am used to hearing them weekly at the designated times of the city.
@@Br-bs1xe Yes and no - they are "professionals" as in "professionally trained" but they are not as in "having the profession of..." Oder auf deutsch: ein "professional" kann ein "Profi" sein (das sind freiwillige Feuerwehrleute natürlich), aber weil das Wort "profession" auch "Beruf" heißt, sind sie eben keine "professionals" im Sinne von "Berufsfeuerwehr".
6:07 You don't wait until you hear the siren. If traffic on motorways or multi-lane out-of-town roads is at walking speed or comes to a standstill, an emergency lane must be created.
Here is the wording of §11(2) of the Road Traffic Ordinance: As soon as vehicles are traveling at walking speed on motorways and on out-of-town roads with at least two lanes for one direction or the vehicles are at a standstill, these vehicles must form - between the extreme left and the immediately right lane - a clear alley in one direction for the passage of police and emergency vehicles
As a reminder if you can’t remember where to „build“ it: look at your right hand, your thumb is the left lane and it is a bit detached from the other fingers. 😉
Yes if you get caught. And in most of this situation the police and other rescue force have other things in mind. To be honest every one who blocks this lane or use it for themself without permission or film the accident should lost the driver licence for life and should be taken to court for a few years in jail.
Naja Gesetz ist ein bisschen hoch gegriffen, es ist eine Regel. Aber leider schwappt immer meher guter, alter amerikanischer Egoismus (gut verpackt in einem individualitätsanspruch) zu uns herüber, so das eine zunehmende Zahl an Menschen meint - wenn die Regeln unseres Zusammenlebens nicht immer und jeder Zeit kontrolliert (und sanktioniert) werden (können) brauchen sie sich nicht dran zu halten. An und für sich sollte nicht die zu erwartende Strafe dafür sorgen das ich mich an die Rettungsgasse, oder an das stehen bleiben an einer roten Ampel, oder wenn jemand über den Zebrastreifen will halte.
Their water tank only holds a few thousand liters, but they usually have a map of natural water reservoirs from which they can obtain additional water in rural areas. They pump water from there if it's quicker than filling the tank at the nearest hydrant. Many older farmhouses still have a fire-fighting water pond. In urban environments are water connections for the fire department at least every 100 m. These are the oval metal lids which the fire brigade can remove to reach the underfloor hydrant. The fire department has the hydrant device on the truck, it is simply screwed on the underfloor hydrant connection.
no firehydrants on the motorway except around gas stations or roadhouses. One firetruck usually has more than enough for at least two cars and a bit spare. If there are more cars or materials burning they just bring two trucks or more. And depending on the kind of accident/fire/crash wtv they obviously bring different sizes of firetrucks too. Smaller ones might only have enough water for close to 2 cars, but can get to the scene much quicker and stuff like that.
I'm not familiar with the German firefighting vehicles, but here in The Netherlands it usually works the same; send more trucks. Also almost all have a submersible pump for getting watter from a stream or pont (there often is one here)
@@remcoh5793 Not exactly. When more water is required we (NL) don't just "send more trucks." We have special engines whos only job it is to pump water from a hydrant or river or something to the fire trucks that need it. If the distance between water source and fire is too big, we use special water transport vehicles. In the end it's about determining how much water is needed and how fast. If a fire needs a lot of water fast, you use extra trucks and ladders, and get one or multiple engines to secure the water supply. For the damp down ("nablussen") you don't need a lot of water *per minute* anymore, but a lot of water in the long run. Then a single truck with a single engine (or even no engine if there's a hydrant nearby) will suffice. It's really not that different from the American method.
Just a quick information: You noticed the cars arriving at the Firestation and the guys running to the firetruck ? That because they are all volonteer firefighters. In Germany only the big cities (usually 100k+ inhabitants depending on the state), airports and some specialized big industry plants are mandated to have full time firefighters. Beside these, in most small towns and rural areas the duties related to firefighters are done by volonteers with ordinary jobs. And also in big cities there are volontary firefighters besides the full time squads.
As already written in the comments: volunteer firefighters! So they get their alarm on their daily job or while watching/reacting to youtube videos , ... and they rush to their station! That's why it took "so long" and they arrived in their private cars at the station and changed clothes inside the truck, etc. ... But of course there are fulltime firefighters, too! Watch "Feuer und Flamme" ("fire & flames") ... they are on the road before the emergency call is even finished! Maybe watch a "trailer" of the show?!
I second the Fire & Flamme suggestion. It's a no-commentary documentary, so many of the cases shown should be understandable even when not speaking German.
You must remember that in most countries it costs 2 to 4000 us dollars for a driver's license. And you can so easily lose it again. example play with your mobile phone while driving. 3 times you lose your driving license for x number of months. and to get it again you have to start over. 2 to 4000 us dollars. So in Europe the drivers are trained to drive. and if you make a fool of yourself. your driver's license will be taken. And if you repeat it, you lose your driving license very quickly.. Driving license in Europe is a privilege..
YOUR FACE, realizing what humans can do if they cooperate instead of fighting each other Something US citizens will never understand: Common sense, behaving socially, feeling responsible for others having a good education, and understanding You are not alone on the planet. About the drivers, they are educated and responsible, not egoists (almost) QUESTIONS?
8:10 There are normally no fire hydrants on the highway. In populated areas, there are fire hydrants on (in?) the street. In Germany, most hydrants are located just below ground (with a lid on top). To make it easier to find the connection, there are small signs attached e.g. to the walls of houses
In many cases, additional forces with tanker fire engines are activated for a fire on the motorway. These can then come from other fire stations that are further away, as they are not needed as quickly as the first vehicle.
The combinated rescue firetrucks here have mostly between 1000 and 3000 liter water,additional 100 up to 250 l foambuilder. But we have also big tankers with 4000 up to 6000 liter water and with 5-600 liter foambuilder.
And sometimes the firemen are also farmers they have a big watertank they pull it with a tractor with 3000 up to 10 000 Liters water. If outside of villages a farm o forret fire of a field burnd the com to help too. Also on the highway we have some farmers that support us if needed.
It amazed me that within two minutes after the fire truck stopped at the burning vehicle, the flames were put out! Germans may be not so funny, but they are effective! And don´t forget: These men are volunteers with a day job. The "Rettungsgasse" (Emergency lane or emergency corridor) was implemented to the traffic legislation in 1971. Every driver learner in german driving schools learns that! About the water supply: They were made aware that only this one car was burning. The fire engine has approx. 6 tons of water (1589 gallons), which should be enough for this one car. If the fire is of bigger size, they send more cars automatically. Better one too much than one too little. As mentioned before: Germans tend to be effective!
More than 20,000 volunteer fire stations, about 1 million volunteer fire fighters. Reaction time: expected to be less than 8 mins from call to accident site. And if it´s not a very small incident, then several brigades from the surrounding villages are called. It works quite well.
If you are blocking the emergency lane in germany and someone is dying because of that, you will find yourself in court. But even if not, you have to pay of a few hundred euros and get „points“ which might result in loosing your driving license depending on your previous fines.
Our standard fire engines are more geared to technical assistance for rescue or accidents, equipped with mainly tools and equipment. They also have enough water to extinguish cars or bushes without any problem. If the Fire is bigger and in an area with poor water network connections, such as a Highway or in a field, a tank fire engine (Tanklöschfahrzeug TLF) is also alerted. It has less crew and no tools, just the firefighting equipment and a huge water tank (3000 - 4000L most common) P.s. These are also used in larger fires in well-connected areas, simply to help extinguish them
Wow a perfect rescue lane. wow a perfect rescue lane. i wish it was evry rescue lane in this perfect form. Greetings from a volunteer firefighter from Bavaria
the drivers would have cleared the road even if there wasn't a fire. They have to build an emergency lane every time the traffic comes to a complete stopp
Also did you notice the cars passing in the opposite direction are _not_ slowing down to 'rubberneck' at the burning vehicle?! That also seems unusual - but great.😊
7:00 The rescue lane was invented by a police officer named Karl-Heinz Kalow, who worked for the highway police in Münster Germany in the 1960s. Back then, drivers didn't know how to behave in traffic jams or after an accident. August 14, 2023
Hallo. I am working at a fire station in a big german city. Now, the firefighters i in germany have a lot of different trucks. One is the "Tanklöschfahrzeug" short "TLF". That means tank fire truck. They have some water on it. In this video I think that this fire truck was the first at the place. I think there will come more trucks with water from other fire stations. But one thing is true: the colleagues we see in this movie are doing a good job!!! Many greatings from Duisburg in
In Austria, most of the "Feuerwehrmänner" are volunteers ! So is it Germany, except of big Cities like Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt so on... One of my co-worker in the company is a volunteer , if his "beeper" go "ALARM" he just runs away from his job and help people to survive.
And the higher-ups are okay with that! It even gives you a high reputation if you are a volunteer! Friend of mine is a voluntary paramedic. Whenever he sits in his car his paramedic backpack is with him, and he has saved a few lifes by now just by being at the right place at the right time.
@@macdieter23558 Of course the higher ups are okay with it. It's basically a person they can task with all the first aid responsibilities in the company.
Build a rescue lane in every kind of traffic jam is a law in Germany. We learn that in driving school. Our drivers license costs near 3000,- € and yours just $ 35 or so. No wonder it's a mess on US interstates. So the drivers don't really response to the sirens but they follow the traffic rules. Oh and keep in mind. The firefighters are all volunteers.
German right of way: blue light driving This ensures that emergency vehicles have priority over other road users when carrying out official tasks. This means that other drivers must always give way to emergency vehicles and avoid them if necessary. By the way, blue lights were invented in Germany. Blue lights were introduced in 1933 The answer: for purely military reasons. In 1933, blue lights were introduced in Germany for police emergency vehicles and soon afterwards also for the fire department. Blue is the color that has the highest dispersion in the atmosphere and, unlike green or red, is only visible up to 300 meters. This meant that enemy aircraft had difficulty seeing the emergency vehicles from above and rescue or emergency services could reach their locations safely.
and nowadays, blue is a specific color that can't be confused with green/yellow/red traffic lights, breaking/blinker/back lights, etc. blue is exclusive for emergency vehicles and thus make them better identifiable on roads with all the different other lights.
Even if you don't care about others while driving and the victims of an accident, it's better for you to not obstruct rescue vehicles. The longer it takes for them to get to the accident, the longer the accident will close the road, the longer you will stand still in the traffic jam.
Even most foreigners know to make that passage when traffic comes to a halt in Germany. First time you see everyone doing it it is strange but you just follow and do the same, after a while i started cursing my own countriemen when they were not doing it, not realising i had already crossed the border back into my own land of bad roads and stupid speedlimits 😂. Is it always benificial to follow the rules? depends on the quality of the rule, a good one will benifit most, but most likely not all. In general, rules are created to maintain order and ensure the safety and well-being of individuals and society as a whole. Following rules can help prevent chaos and promote fairness and justice. potential benefits outweigh the risks. After all, people need to know how to behave in certain situations. Rules provide clarity and consistency; they act as simple reminders and in case of misdemeanours they help you pursue a fair and uniform approach to discipline. I guess it is the ex-military in me talking, but I never knowingly break a rule and will stick to the letter of the law, even if i dont agree with it. I that case i will just try to have the law changed trough voting in elections , lobbying, protests, ... etc. Those who think breaking rules can be exciting, should consider becoming part of those trying to enforce them, i promise you a very exciting and much more honerable career 😂.
Yes, on my first time this happened to me in Germany, I just saw the other drivers pulling to the side and copied them. I actually really like driving on the German autobahn because most people seem to follow the rules in the same way. The UK motorways now seem a bit more chaotic to me whenever I drive back there now, even though I learned to drive in the UK.
Yeah, I sectors live 100m from an intersection in Hanover, Altenbeckener Damm zur Hildesheimer Straße, and every time either an ambulance or firetruck started sounding off their sirens at night they were about level with our apartmentblock… I almost had a heart attack at least twice a month
@moreJps The cam being mounted to the roof and set back about half a meter from the position of the driver gives you a very good impression of what your sight field is when driving a Euro style Cab-Over truck
Whenever there is a traffic jam you have to create a lane for emergency vehicles to get through. If you only react once you see an emergency vehicle, you often need too long to make space and hold up the responders. All vehicles on the left lane have to hug the left side and all other vehicles need to move to the right, so a lane opens up between the first and second lane from the left.
8:16 There are very few hydrants along the highway. Usually only in the neighborhood of critical structures. A German fire engine (LF) or rescue fire engine (HLF) carries approx. 2000 liters of water, which is normally enough to extinguish a vehicle. There are usually 2 of these fire engines. Tank fire engines (TLF) are alerted at the same time. These tank fire-fighting vehicles carry 2000 - 5000 liters of water and only basic fire-fighting equipment. Tank fire-fighting vehicles (TLF) are primarily used to carry out a rapid attack with various extinguishing agents, as well as to supply the scene with extinguishing water over a longer period of time, if necessary also in shuttle traffic. If, for example, a truck is on fire, the fire engines extinguish the fire and the tanker fire engines supply the fire engines with water and shuttle between the nearest hydrant and the scene.
They send a truck with it that searches for a water source nearby or has a bigger tank and they are linked together through a hose. Normally for fires like this, they use foam to put out the fire quicker. Which doesn't use that much water. Dispatchers usually know which trucks to send through asking questions to the person who is calling it in. Once at the scene, the one in charge can always scale up to a higher level of fire and more trucks will be send.
Another awesome video Joel I couldn't do the The Job that a firefighter does my hearts go out to them they do amazing work keep these amazing videos coming Jps you really are amazing man ❤❤❤❤
8:30 there are no fire hydrants on the autobahn. BUT german firefighters have solutions for that 0 Stage: what you see here, use the water from the Truck 1st Stage: bring more trucks with water 2nd Stage: let those truck empty their water and then fetch another load (so called "Pendelverkehr") 3rd Stage: Set up a long line from a reliable water source (hydrant, lake, river), this requires a lot of material and maybe some pumps in between. This kind of water transportation over long distances needs some rough calculations and it's taught for at least everyone that is handling the pump and vehicle. There are also specialized Vehicles, that have basically nothing but water lines on board are are able to deploy them while driving slowly, which makes establishing such lines waaaaaaaaaay faster. For each Stage there are vehicles suited for that task. For Stage 0 there are general purpose Fire Trucks that have a reservoir. Stage 1 is mostly helped by somewhat more spezialized but still quite general tanker-fire-trucks and aided (depending on avilability) by pure specialized water tankers. Stage 2 requires some more setup to allow a quick drop off of the water and reliable and fast refilling of these vehicles, This usually requires at least 1 more general purpose fire truck at 2 fixed spots. in Stage 3 is where portable pumps, Water Hose carriers and big tanker's as buffer reservoirs start to show up. A lot of that equipment is mounted to roll-off containers as they are mostly needed in fixed positions and it allows for other specialized mission containers to be used in other situations.
Yes, in Europe apart from major cities it's volunteers, this is why they come from different cars at the beginning, they were working or doing whatever they do during their "on call" times. also I don't think they used water here, more like Carbonated snow (we call it "neige carbonique" in french) or some kind of gaz that suppresses oxygen around the fire, because it's oil fire and water would not help probably)
This is our Volunteer Firefighters. They have normal Jobs and jump into their cars when the Alarm reaches them. We have Hundert of Thousands of this. Just Airports and bigger Cities have professional Fulltime Firefighters.
it's not only respect, but also a law and fines if they don't do it. at least if there are spare firefighters or police who can document the misbehavior.
This is the use of a volunteer fire department. They of course have to be alerted. They carry an alert device with them 24/7 that gives them information. It can also be that they come to the fire station in their pajamas. There are also professional fire departments that are deployed more quickly because it is always guaranteed that the fire station is manned 24/7. But whether professional fire brigade or volunteer fire brigade they need extensive training
Hi there. This kind of firetruck, its an very old one due to the steeringwheel, have about 1050 Gallons of water in it. Some other Trucks will follow. What concerns me more is the operations manager in the passenger seat. He is not wearing a seatbelt and would suffer significant, unnecessary injuries if an accident were to occur.
8:30 No there are no hydrants on the Autobahn, except for places where you normally will have water like cities or truck stops. Firefighting on the highway is only done with trucks with a water tank and if you need more water there are trucks that can deliver more water. The reason is if you had water pipes under the Autobahn it would be expensive and the pipes would most of the time unused and the water inside would grow germs that would make it dangerous to use it for fire fighting, because the germs get airborn and would spread and make people sick when they inhale it.. A firefighter truck has 6000l water and 500l firefighting foam on board. A burning car up to a van need about 1500l water to fight that fire. 1 gallon = 3.8 l The drivers don't know why there is a traffic jam, they have by law make that path for emergency vehicles as soon as there is a traffic jam. Even if it's just because of to much traffic someone in that traffic jam maybe need help, because of getting a stroke while waiting in the jam or have other problems and it would be hard to create that path in that moment. Creating it as soon as a jam happens is just an insurance for everyone that emergency vehicles can get through if something happens.
6000l Water are too much for the Most German Fire Engine, All above 2500l Water is an Tanker and not an Engine. Most Fire Engine has between 1500l - 2500l (~400-660 Gallons) of Water, the Same Amount as most US Type 1 Fire Engines has
In Germany we have Hose-Trucks to pump water from Rivers, Lakes or something like that and if that's not possible there are special trucks with very big water containers. They can transport up to 4000 or more liters of water. If I remember right there's a Truck with trailer transporting 33000 liters of water for forest fires.
Just a little information about the "Feuerwehr" they have a so called "Löschzug" and they know with "Brand 0" the lowest fire level up to "Brand 3" the largest fire level, they know how big the fire is and then more or fewer vehicles there go I hope I was able to explain it well
they use high pressure water -simililar to high pressure washers, they get more done with less - and/or foam and in big quantities. No need for hydrants. Airports often sont have hydrants on the runway either. They have better stuff than the average new york fd vehicle. If an appartment house burns up.. that is when you need hydrants. On highways, they would just send more trucks if required. ---------------- In germany, and other places of europe - if the traffic stops in unexpected places (other than the usual rush hour on/off ramp thing) you already move to the side, even without knowing what caused the stop - because you can connect the dots. When you hear the siren you get it confirmed. When the traffic starts moving again without that - then its no harm done. In stopped traffic on highway, i always keep a keen eye on the backmirror... for blue flashy lights, i do not wait to move until the big red car starts honking behind me. Isnt that common sense? to me it is.
Here a firefighter since 2001 answering your questions. Here in Germany it is a law to make space between the left and the next lane in a trafficjamm. Usually here are a lot of waterhydrants, most of them underearth (we screw them onto). If there is no hydrant we have alternatives like bubbles and powder that saves water
Navigating narrow roads with a large vehicle is something you simply get used to when driving here. It's not as difficult as it seems. I sometimes have the chance of driving a larger vehicle because I get asked for help as my old license is valid for up to 7.5 metric tons total weight, whereas the new standard (EU) licenses are only valid for 3.5. That's a joke because even with a small transporter, you always run the risk of being overweight if you have a heavy load. Forming a rescue lane is the LAW in Germany, and you get instructed in driving school on how to do it. And most people really can. Of course there always can be a situation when someone reacts too late and finds himself in a not-so-good place, but even then, if possible, people will help him out by moving still farther to the right if somehow possible, and somehow it always worked in the situations I've been in.
There was a professional fire department in the Austrian Empire as early as 1686. This is the oldest in the world! Back then, people didn't even know that there would be an "America".
6:34 In Germany it's in the "Straßenverkehrsordnung" or "StVO" (Traffic Code), a law on how to drive on German streets and also how to react if e.g. got stuck in a traffic jam. You learn much of that in driving schools. E.g. if you got stuck in a jam you have to move over, the most left lane to the left and all others to the right. And it's forbidden to drive in the emergency lane, if you get caught you've to pay at least €240 (~ $260) and give up your license for a month.
Its me again: The man on the tight side has a yellow vest on= He is the Leader of the fire brigade or the "Einsatzleiter" means "Leader on the Incident scene" Mostly a rank of Brandmeister or more likly Oberbrandmeister =alike Captain in the USA. And the bigger fire brigades do have bigger tankers with around 5-6000 liters of water OR SOMETMES farmers have a trailer with fire brigade connections with a volume 3000 up to 10 000 liters often they help out here in the region.
The trick is: you have always to leave enough space (the so called Rettungsgasse) when you are in a traffic jam. So the drivers know how to behave before they see or hear the firefighters.
I am not German, but I urge everyone with preconceived notions about them to go visit! You will find a nation of genuinely decent people welcoming you. Excellent beer, of course; surprisingly good wine, and the food is brilliant.
I don't know how it's on a "motorway", but when a few years ago a large bicycle was burning here in the city, while there were hydrants they used, they also pumped water from the nearby canal. (One of the major inland shipping routes.) Yes, the firefighters knew the situation. Right at the beginning, they were calling out the need for breathing equipment, and then a bit later that the fire was on the middle lane, and how they might have to close which other lanes. As for the other cars, they didn't need to know what was going on, because there's a general rule that when traffic stops on these kinds of roads, you _always_ have to prepare like this - everybody moves to the right, except the leftmost lane which moves to the left. (Don't ask me why that's the rule, it seems a bit weird.) And you often get problems with both people not paying attention - once everyone is stopped, making room is much, much harder - and of course, given enough people, there will be assholes who either don't want to move aside, or want to use the emergency lane for themselves. Humans will human. And there are a lot of videos on UA-cam showing both correct application of the rule, and failures. And I believe in the Netherlands, the rule is for emergency vehicles to use the breakdown lane on the right instead, from when they had that awesome channel showing ambulance rides, with comments on what other vehicles did right and wrong. Unfortunately (and not really unexpectedly), that channel had a problem with patient privacy rules - if you show (even approximately) where and when you pick up patients ... even more if you comment on why you were picking them up. And so they stopped posting videos.
According to the VDF (roughly "german firefighter association") 97% of firefighters in Germany are volunteers. The guys in the video are volunteers and they did a great and professional job. If in my hometown of 16000 people, if there is any emergency call, about 180 voluntary firefighters are ready to get up in the middle of the night or even on the holiday or to leave their workplace. Just yesterday we where called to a possible kitchen fire after someone burned their bacon a bit to much. However nothing really bad happened except some smoke in the stairwell that activated an alarm.
If you were wondering what language thry spoke.. Weeeell, theoretically it was German but even most Germans will agree that Bavarian is at best remotely related to German 😂😂 Just kidding. It's very similar to a very thick southern accent/dialect in the States. Barely intelligible to anyone not from the area. The driver was demanding an independent breathing support because they knew they were going to fight a vehicular fire with potentially toxic smoke. During the drive they discussed the position of the car on the Autobahn and that they would probably have to shut down multiple lanes, either right now, or afterwards due to damage to the road surfaces.
8:42 As i'm a german w/o drivers license .. i never cared about that. But you got me curious. In short: No, usually there are no fire hydrants on the Autobahn in the first place. You _might_ find hydrants in urban areas or near truck stops, where a usual drinking-/potable water infrastructure is nearby.. But managing that for longer stretches on the Autobahn usually is to costly. So, we have "Tanklöschfahrzeuge" ("water tenders") for that task which will get alarmed when needed. ;)
If it's a bigger fire, they call other units from the surrounding area, in addition, the car is equipped with extinguishing foam and also different types of fire extinguishers, they have enough options to extinguish.
We Germans are always laughed at because we have so many rules. But here you can clearly see how well various rules work and make sense. Always remember that these rules are generally made for the benefit of society as a whole and not for the benefit of the individual. And that is the main difference between the USA and Europe. Americans go on their ego trips, Europeans build a society. Please don't take the last sentence too seriously. 😉
Every 30 Minutes there are traffic news and in an emergency the local station broadcast information about accidents and literally: “keep a rescue lane open” . If there is a traffic jam it is a precaution to do that. One learns it a driver’s school. Using the rescue lane for own purposes will be expensive! 240,- € and loosing the permission to drive for a month. Texting and being on the phone is also forbidden in Germany. Fines start with 100,- €
the most cars in Europe have special traffic channel, if any accident on the autobahn or another big road, the radios or other mediaplayers interrupt playing, and you would be informed about the accident, so you can be informed everytime about ambulance or firefighers
when the firefighters are called they know already what they are expected. on a normal call they send the 1st unit whit some fire contain mesures and a big water tank is deployed by ensurence
Citizenship here in EUROPE is something that tends to come with a sense of collective responsibility,,,, we’re guessing that in AMERICA it’s just everyone for themselves and F everyone else,,,,, this is also as a result of collective Entitlement. It doesn’t make for a good society,,,, and is totally unsustainable long term,
Blocking emergency vehicles has big consequences in Germany. You get fined 200-300€ and you loose your driving license for a month. You also get points that, if they add up, will cause you to loose your license for longer or permanently. It is also very costly to get a lost licence back. And you can bet that an ambulance or fire truck will get your license plate if you really block them and don't seem to do you best to clear the way. And that's not even taking into account what happens when something bad happens and they couldn't prevent it because you blocked them. This can get you into felony charges. So no, we don't ignore the right of way of emergency vehicles.
There are usually no hydrants on the Autobahn, if there is no pipe because of a restaurant. Usually cars or trucks are extingished "quite" fast with foam. But if there are several cars, trucks, ... you need to bring the water with other trucks.
Unlike the USA, Germans start studying for their drivers license in 9th grade and they can test for it in 12th grade. So yes, Germans are trained for FOUR YEARS to get a drivers license. Not only must you know every traffic law, you need to know what to do in a emergency like this one, AND you are required to be able to change a tire, make simple roadside repairs, and know first aid as well as carrying a first aid kit in the car. The actual driving test can take four or five hours... unlike the USA... 2 weeks of classes, and a 20 minute test.
There is no much water supply along the Autobahn. If you have bigger fires there, you might end up carrying water with multiple trucks with big water tanks or you need to put hose lines over long distances. Inside of the cities there is usually a really good water supply.
I had no idea that these firefighters are volunteers. That makes it even more impressive
In villages and also in very small towns are only volunteers. The bigger towns got bigger fire trucks and more modern ones so these are employee firefighters. But if you have a very big fire or whatever the firefighters from other villages come to help each other or when needed the bigger town in the area will come with there employee firefighters to help. Without that many volunteers we would have way to less firefighters.
In bigger cities in Germany there are employee firefighters AND voluntary firefighters.
I can speak only for rural areas. When something happens (fire, but also othet things that needs urgent man power), volunteers get alerted no matter the time of day and they arrive at the station within minutes, some running over, some driving there. In villages you reach the station wiithin 3 min. No matter what you were doing that moment, you run to the station, put your gear on and drive off.
That's what you saw at the beginning. Guys in normal clothes came running from all corners. They were most likely at home 2 minutes earlier, chilling on the sofa or doing whatever.
This is also why a response takes a few min longer than from the employed firefighters who are at the station on standby during their shifts.
@@ChuulipTo freely quote a firefighter from Bochum about professional firefighters in larger cities. The professional firefighters are a rapid response unit that can get to where they are needed quickly, such as at a traffic accident or as the first on the scene at a house fire. If the situation expands, the volunteer firefighters are mobilised to increase the manpower to a multitude.
For example, the city I live in has about 80 professional firefighters spread across its 4 stations. Compared to the 18 volunteer stations with about 500 members, this is just a small part of what can be mobilised if things really go sideways.
Both parts have very important roles to play. In many cases, such as house fires, the aftermath reports state that a professional fire brigade was involved and two volunteer stations joined them on the scene, while another volunteer station moved to the main station to stand by in case something else happened in the meantime.
Living in a very small village in a rural area I've come to appreciate our volonteer firefighter units. Our little station is located basically next to us and so is the alarm siren. Even on a late weekday night they never take more than ten minutes to be on their way.
Keep in mind: these firefighters are volunteers, coming from there workplaces.
Not all German firefighters, but most of them. Usually just big cities and dangerous places (international airports, chemical plants, etc) have firefighters working full time as firefighters.
@@jennyh4025 true, but here it is definitely the case as they are waiting for people to arrive in their private cars.
@@ololic I just wanted to add some information, in case someone thought that all German firefighters are volunteers (even in high risk areas like airports or chemical plants)
@@rippspeck I now live in a big city with both volunteer and professional firefighters, but my hometown had only one or two professional firefighters, who were responsible for machinery, the training and scheduling of the volunteers.
*their
Here in Germany, the law states that a rescue lane must be formed when traffic comes to a standstill on the highway. That's why drivers do this, not because they know that the fire department or an ambulance is coming. If nobody comes and the traffic continues to flow, nothing is lost, better one rescue lane too many than one too few in case of an emergency!
here in Spain is the opposite xD
people create more traffic jams trying to change lines continously and off course didnt allow the emergency services an easy pass
it's sad
Not only, when traffic stops, but as soon as the traffic gets so slow that it "could" come to a complete stop. THis way you are stil able to manouver your car to the side.
@@NikoMoraKamu The rule is: drivers on the left lane needs to drive as far to the left as they can, drivers on the other lanes have to drive as far to the right as possible. So, everybody knows exactly what to do, when traffic slows down and there will be no chaos or time wasted in case an ambulance, firefighters or police has to get to an accident.
Every second sales
This is one situation how it should be done. I´ve seen a couple situations like that where it doesn´t work. In germany it is a law to build this emergency lane but I see often citizen who drive through it to safe some seconds or minutes. Especialy driver from other countryˋs where this not exist. For the context Iˋm a technican who driverˋs between 1.000 and 3.500 km a week through germany.
We don't move to the side "because" an emergency vehicle needs to pass, we do it "in case" it does. That's mandatory as soon as the traffic slows down.
The rule is: drivers on the left lane needs to drive as far to the left as they can, drivers on the other lanes have to drive as far to the right as possible. So, everybody knows exactly what to do, when traffic slows down and there will be no chaos or time wasted in case an ambulance, firefighters or police has to get to an accident.
unfortunately some idiots doesnt o it..
1:30 These are volunteer firefighters with normal jobs (or students, etc.), so they all come running. What is normal in Germany for small towns and municipalities. Large cities must have professional fire departments, as well as e.g. airports, chemical plants...
Addition: Only larger airports are required to have a professional fire department. Small club airports do not have professional fire departments
@@schnelma605 Many midsized fire brigades have "Hauptamtliche"=Fulltimers.
They go out overdys so the volonteers must not leave their job or so.
In big incidents all can be called by pager or cellphone.
WE dont hve sirens anymore since 2014.
Here in my city we have 43 000 haitants and 10 fulltimers but 250 volonteres.
Volunteers are also professionals
@@Caddl123 killing sirens was the stupidest decision in westgermany that ever happened. due to the way the ddr worked we still have them basicly everywhere around me. i am used to hearing them weekly at the designated times of the city.
@@Br-bs1xe Yes and no - they are "professionals" as in "professionally trained" but they are not as in "having the profession of..."
Oder auf deutsch: ein "professional" kann ein "Profi" sein (das sind freiwillige Feuerwehrleute natürlich), aber weil das Wort "profession" auch "Beruf" heißt, sind sie eben keine "professionals" im Sinne von "Berufsfeuerwehr".
What ist touching for me in this video, seeing civilian guys running at the beginning, meaning it is a volunteer fire company.
6:07 You don't wait until you hear the siren. If traffic on motorways or multi-lane out-of-town roads is at walking speed or comes to a standstill, an emergency lane must be created.
Here is the wording of §11(2) of the Road Traffic Ordinance:
As soon as vehicles are traveling at walking speed on motorways and on out-of-town roads with at least two lanes for one direction or the vehicles are at a standstill, these vehicles must form - between the extreme left and the immediately right lane - a clear alley in one direction for the passage of police and emergency vehicles
As a reminder if you can’t remember where to „build“ it: look at your right hand, your thumb is the left lane and it is a bit detached from the other fingers. 😉
The "Rettungsgasse" is a law in Germany. You will get fined if you block emergency vehicles.
Yes if you get caught. And in most of this situation the police and other rescue force have other things in mind. To be honest every one who blocks this lane or use it for themself without permission or film the accident should lost the driver licence for life and should be taken to court for a few years in jail.
Rettungsgasse is also a law in Austria and Switzerland 🇨🇭. We are quite similar.
And in Switzerland 🇨🇭 fines could ruin you. 🤣👍👍👍
@@marcushein3181 they are more and more prosecuted afterwards since most police cars now also have dashcams.
Naja Gesetz ist ein bisschen hoch gegriffen, es ist eine Regel.
Aber leider schwappt immer meher guter, alter amerikanischer Egoismus (gut verpackt in einem individualitätsanspruch) zu uns herüber, so das eine zunehmende Zahl an Menschen meint - wenn die Regeln unseres Zusammenlebens nicht immer und jeder Zeit kontrolliert (und sanktioniert) werden (können) brauchen sie sich nicht dran zu halten.
An und für sich sollte nicht die zu erwartende Strafe dafür sorgen das ich mich an die Rettungsgasse, oder an das stehen bleiben an einer roten Ampel, oder wenn jemand über den Zebrastreifen will halte.
In Germany , you learn right from the start in driving school that you here to form an energency lane on the motorway in the event of an accident.
Their water tank only holds a few thousand liters, but they usually have a map of natural water reservoirs from which they can obtain additional water in rural areas. They pump water from there if it's quicker than filling the tank at the nearest hydrant. Many older farmhouses still have a fire-fighting water pond.
In urban environments are water connections for the fire department at least every 100 m. These are the oval metal lids which the fire brigade can remove to reach the underfloor hydrant. The fire department has the hydrant device on the truck, it is simply screwed on the underfloor hydrant connection.
no firehydrants on the motorway except around gas stations or roadhouses. One firetruck usually has more than enough for at least two cars and a bit spare. If there are more cars or materials burning they just bring two trucks or more. And depending on the kind of accident/fire/crash wtv they obviously bring different sizes of firetrucks too. Smaller ones might only have enough water for close to 2 cars, but can get to the scene much quicker and stuff like that.
I'm not familiar with the German firefighting vehicles, but here in The Netherlands it usually works the same; send more trucks. Also almost all have a submersible pump for getting watter from a stream or pont (there often is one here)
@@remcoh5793 Not exactly. When more water is required we (NL) don't just "send more trucks." We have special engines whos only job it is to pump water from a hydrant or river or something to the fire trucks that need it. If the distance between water source and fire is too big, we use special water transport vehicles. In the end it's about determining how much water is needed and how fast. If a fire needs a lot of water fast, you use extra trucks and ladders, and get one or multiple engines to secure the water supply. For the damp down ("nablussen") you don't need a lot of water *per minute* anymore, but a lot of water in the long run. Then a single truck with a single engine (or even no engine if there's a hydrant nearby) will suffice. It's really not that different from the American method.
Just a quick information:
You noticed the cars arriving at the Firestation and the guys running to the firetruck ?
That because they are all volonteer firefighters.
In Germany only the big cities (usually 100k+ inhabitants depending on the state), airports and some specialized big industry plants are mandated to have full time firefighters.
Beside these, in most small towns and rural areas
the duties related to firefighters are done by volonteers with ordinary jobs.
And also in big cities there are volontary firefighters besides the full time squads.
As already written in the comments: volunteer firefighters! So they get their alarm on their daily job or while watching/reacting to youtube videos , ... and they rush to their station!
That's why it took "so long" and they arrived in their private cars at the station and changed clothes inside the truck, etc. ...
But of course there are fulltime firefighters, too! Watch "Feuer und Flamme" ("fire & flames") ... they are on the road before the emergency call is even finished! Maybe watch a "trailer" of the show?!
I second the Fire & Flamme suggestion. It's a no-commentary documentary, so many of the cases shown should be understandable even when not speaking German.
You must remember that in most countries it costs 2 to 4000 us dollars for a driver's license. And you can so easily lose it again. example play with your mobile phone while driving. 3 times you lose your driving license for x number of months. and to get it again you have to start over. 2 to 4000 us dollars. So in Europe the drivers are trained to drive. and if you make a fool of yourself. your driver's license will be taken. And if you repeat it, you lose your driving license very quickly.. Driving license in Europe is a privilege..
Either say 2 to 4 thousand or 2000 to 4000. The range you're describing is [2-4000]. >.>
@@NLTops 2000 to 4000 us dollars
@@malamutten3203 Awesome. Have a great evening ^^
YOUR FACE, realizing what humans can do if they cooperate instead of fighting each other
Something US citizens will never understand:
Common sense, behaving socially, feeling responsible for others having a good education, and understanding You are not alone on the planet.
About the drivers, they are educated and responsible, not egoists (almost)
QUESTIONS?
8:10 There are normally no fire hydrants on the highway. In populated areas, there are fire hydrants on (in?) the street. In Germany, most hydrants are located just below ground (with a lid on top). To make it easier to find the connection, there are small signs attached e.g. to the walls of houses
It's the same in the UK.
Same in the Netherlands.
In many cases, additional forces with tanker fire engines are activated for a fire on the motorway. These can then come from other fire stations that are further away, as they are not needed as quickly as the first vehicle.
The combinated rescue firetrucks here have mostly between 1000 and 3000 liter water,additional 100 up to 250 l foambuilder.
But we have also big tankers with 4000 up to 6000 liter water and with 5-600 liter foambuilder.
And sometimes the firemen are also farmers they have a big watertank they pull it with a tractor with 3000 up to 10 000 Liters water.
If outside of villages a farm o forret fire of a field burnd the com to help too.
Also on the highway we have some farmers that support us if needed.
It amazed me that within two minutes after the fire truck stopped at the burning vehicle, the flames were put out! Germans may be not so funny, but they are effective! And don´t forget: These men are volunteers with a day job.
The "Rettungsgasse" (Emergency lane or emergency corridor) was implemented to the traffic legislation in 1971. Every driver learner in german driving schools learns that!
About the water supply: They were made aware that only this one car was burning. The fire engine has approx. 6 tons of water (1589 gallons), which should be enough for this one car. If the fire is of bigger size, they send more cars automatically. Better one too much than one too little. As mentioned before: Germans tend to be effective!
More than 20,000 volunteer fire stations, about 1 million volunteer fire fighters. Reaction time: expected to be less than 8 mins from call to accident site. And if it´s not a very small incident, then several brigades from the surrounding villages are called. It works quite well.
If you are blocking the emergency lane in germany and someone is dying because of that, you will find yourself in court. But even if not, you have to pay of a few hundred euros and get „points“ which might result in loosing your driving license depending on your previous fines.
Our standard fire engines are more geared to technical assistance for rescue or accidents, equipped with mainly tools and equipment. They also have enough water to extinguish cars or bushes without any problem. If the Fire is bigger and in an area with poor water network connections, such as a Highway or in a field, a tank fire engine (Tanklöschfahrzeug TLF) is also alerted. It has less crew and no tools, just the firefighting equipment and a huge water tank (3000 - 4000L most common)
P.s. These are also used in larger fires in well-connected areas, simply to help extinguish them
Wow a perfect rescue lane. wow a perfect rescue lane. i wish it was evry rescue lane in this perfect form. Greetings from a volunteer firefighter from Bavaria
the drivers would have cleared the road even if there wasn't a fire. They have to build an emergency lane every time the traffic comes to a complete stopp
Also did you notice the cars passing in the opposite direction are _not_ slowing down to 'rubberneck' at the burning vehicle?! That also seems unusual - but great.😊
7:00 The rescue lane was invented by a police officer named Karl-Heinz Kalow, who worked for the highway police in Münster Germany in the 1960s. Back then, drivers didn't know how to behave in traffic jams or after an accident. August 14, 2023
Hallo. I am working at a fire station in a big german city. Now, the firefighters i in germany have a lot of different trucks. One is the "Tanklöschfahrzeug" short "TLF". That means tank fire truck. They have some water on it. In this video I think that this fire truck was the first at the place. I think there will come more trucks with water from other fire stations. But one thing is true: the colleagues we see in this movie are doing a good job!!! Many greatings from Duisburg in
no fire-hydrants on the Autobahn, they just send more trucks with more water
In Austria, most of the "Feuerwehrmänner" are volunteers ! So is it Germany, except of big Cities like Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt so on... One of my co-worker in the company is a volunteer , if his "beeper" go "ALARM" he just runs away from his job and help people to survive.
And the higher-ups are okay with that! It even gives you a high reputation if you are a volunteer!
Friend of mine is a voluntary paramedic. Whenever he sits in his car his paramedic backpack is with him, and he has saved a few lifes by now just by being at the right place at the right time.
In big cities in Germany there are employee firefighters AND voluntary firefighters.
@@macdieter23558 Of course the higher ups are okay with it.
It's basically a person they can task with all the first aid responsibilities in the company.
By law a Rescue lane must be formed when traffic comes to a standstill.
Build a rescue lane in every kind of traffic jam is a law in Germany. We learn that in driving school. Our drivers license costs near 3000,- € and yours just $ 35 or so. No wonder it's a mess on US interstates. So the drivers don't really response to the sirens but they follow the traffic rules. Oh and keep in mind. The firefighters are all volunteers.
6:13 You're required to build this emergency way the moment traffic stalls, no matter if you can already hear or see an emergency vehicle.
German right of way: blue light driving
This ensures that emergency vehicles have priority over other road users when carrying out official tasks. This means that other drivers must always give way to emergency vehicles and avoid them if necessary. By the way, blue lights were invented in Germany. Blue lights were introduced in 1933
The answer: for purely military reasons. In 1933, blue lights were introduced in Germany for police emergency vehicles and soon afterwards also for the fire department. Blue is the color that has the highest dispersion in the atmosphere and, unlike green or red, is only visible up to 300 meters. This meant that enemy aircraft had difficulty seeing the emergency vehicles from above and rescue or emergency services could reach their locations safely.
and nowadays, blue is a specific color that can't be confused with green/yellow/red traffic lights, breaking/blinker/back lights, etc.
blue is exclusive for emergency vehicles and thus make them better identifiable on roads with all the different other lights.
If i visite Frankfurt or Berlin, im confused anyways^^
@@Anson_AKB
Even if you don't care about others while driving and the victims of an accident, it's better for you to not obstruct rescue vehicles. The longer it takes for them to get to the accident, the longer the accident will close the road, the longer you will stand still in the traffic jam.
Even most foreigners know to make that passage when traffic comes to a halt in Germany. First time you see everyone doing it it is strange but you just follow and do the same, after a while i started cursing my own countriemen when they were not doing it, not realising i had already crossed the border back into my own land of bad roads and stupid speedlimits 😂. Is it always benificial to follow the rules? depends on the quality of the rule, a good one will benifit most, but most likely not all.
In general, rules are created to maintain order and ensure the safety and well-being of individuals and society as a whole. Following rules can help prevent chaos and promote fairness and justice. potential benefits outweigh the risks. After all, people need to know how to behave in certain situations. Rules provide clarity and consistency; they act as simple reminders and in case of misdemeanours they help you pursue a fair and uniform approach to discipline.
I guess it is the ex-military in me talking, but I never knowingly break a rule and will stick to the letter of the law, even if i dont agree with it. I that case i will just try to have the law changed trough voting in elections , lobbying, protests, ... etc.
Those who think breaking rules can be exciting, should consider becoming part of those trying to enforce them, i promise you a very exciting and much more honerable career 😂.
Yes, on my first time this happened to me in Germany, I just saw the other drivers pulling to the side and copied them. I actually really like driving on the German autobahn because most people seem to follow the rules in the same way. The UK motorways now seem a bit more chaotic to me whenever I drive back there now, even though I learned to drive in the UK.
Bear in mind also the sirens on these trucks reach twice the distance of USA emergency sirens.
Yeah, I sectors live 100m from an intersection in Hanover, Altenbeckener Damm zur Hildesheimer Straße, and every time either an ambulance or firetruck started sounding off their sirens at night they were about level with our apartmentblock…
I almost had a heart attack at least twice a month
If memory serves it was a Dutch ambulance in the previous reaction.
@moreJps
The cam being mounted to the roof and set back about half a meter from the position of the driver gives you a very good impression of what your sight field is when driving a Euro style Cab-Over truck
Whenever there is a traffic jam you have to create a lane for emergency vehicles to get through. If you only react once you see an emergency vehicle, you often need too long to make space and hold up the responders. All vehicles on the left lane have to hug the left side and all other vehicles need to move to the right, so a lane opens up between the first and second lane from the left.
8:16 There are very few hydrants along the highway. Usually only in the neighborhood of critical structures. A German fire engine (LF) or rescue fire engine (HLF) carries approx. 2000 liters of water, which is normally enough to extinguish a vehicle. There are usually 2 of these fire engines. Tank fire engines (TLF) are alerted at the same time. These tank fire-fighting vehicles carry 2000 - 5000 liters of water and only basic fire-fighting equipment. Tank fire-fighting vehicles (TLF) are primarily used to carry out a rapid attack with various extinguishing agents, as well as to supply the scene with extinguishing water over a longer period of time, if necessary also in shuttle traffic. If, for example, a truck is on fire, the fire engines extinguish the fire and the tanker fire engines supply the fire engines with water and shuttle between the nearest hydrant and the scene.
Here in Portugal everybody must make way to emergency vehicles too. A life might be in dangerous. It's in the culture.
They send a truck with it that searches for a water source nearby or has a bigger tank and they are linked together through a hose. Normally for fires like this, they use foam to put out the fire quicker. Which doesn't use that much water. Dispatchers usually know which trucks to send through asking questions to the person who is calling it in. Once at the scene, the one in charge can always scale up to a higher level of fire and more trucks will be send.
Another awesome video Joel I couldn't do the The Job that a firefighter does my hearts go out to them they do amazing work keep these amazing videos coming Jps you really are amazing man ❤❤❤❤
The siren sound in emergency vehicles in Europe is direction-based, which means you can hear whether it is traveling towards you or away from you.
I wish there were public ads saying when you hear a siren they may be going to your parents, your siblings or other family or friend.
8:30
there are no fire hydrants on the autobahn.
BUT german firefighters have solutions for that
0 Stage: what you see here, use the water from the Truck
1st Stage: bring more trucks with water
2nd Stage: let those truck empty their water and then fetch another load (so called "Pendelverkehr")
3rd Stage: Set up a long line from a reliable water source (hydrant, lake, river), this requires a lot of material and maybe some pumps in between. This kind of water transportation over long distances needs some rough calculations and it's taught for at least everyone that is handling the pump and vehicle. There are also specialized Vehicles, that have basically nothing but water lines on board are are able to deploy them while driving slowly, which makes establishing such lines waaaaaaaaaay faster.
For each Stage there are vehicles suited for that task.
For Stage 0 there are general purpose Fire Trucks that have a reservoir.
Stage 1 is mostly helped by somewhat more spezialized but still quite general tanker-fire-trucks and aided (depending on avilability) by pure specialized water tankers.
Stage 2 requires some more setup to allow a quick drop off of the water and reliable and fast refilling of these vehicles, This usually requires at least 1 more general purpose fire truck at 2 fixed spots.
in Stage 3 is where portable pumps, Water Hose carriers and big tanker's as buffer reservoirs start to show up. A lot of that equipment is mounted to roll-off containers as they are mostly needed in fixed positions and it allows for other specialized mission containers to be used in other situations.
Yes, in Europe apart from major cities it's volunteers, this is why they come from different cars at the beginning, they were working or doing whatever they do during their "on call" times. also I don't think they used water here, more like Carbonated snow (we call it "neige carbonique" in french) or some kind of gaz that suppresses oxygen around the fire, because it's oil fire and water would not help probably)
This is our Volunteer Firefighters. They have normal Jobs and jump into their cars when the Alarm reaches them. We have Hundert of Thousands of this. Just Airports and bigger Cities have professional Fulltime Firefighters.
The public response shows the respect they have dom the emergency services this wouldn't happen in America
it's not only respect, but also a law and fines if they don't do it.
at least if there are spare firefighters or police who can document the misbehavior.
This is the use of a volunteer fire department. They of course have to be alerted. They carry an alert device with them 24/7 that gives them information. It can also be that they come to the fire station in their pajamas.
There are also professional fire departments that are deployed more quickly because it is always guaranteed that the fire station is manned 24/7.
But whether professional fire brigade or volunteer fire brigade they need extensive training
Hi there.
This kind of firetruck, its an very old one due to the steeringwheel, have about 1050 Gallons of water in it. Some other Trucks will follow.
What concerns me more is the operations manager in the passenger seat. He is not wearing a seatbelt and would suffer significant, unnecessary injuries if an accident were to occur.
8:30 No there are no hydrants on the Autobahn, except for places where you normally will have water like cities or truck stops. Firefighting on the highway is only done with trucks with a water tank and if you need more water there are trucks that can deliver more water. The reason is if you had water pipes under the Autobahn it would be expensive and the pipes would most of the time unused and the water inside would grow germs that would make it dangerous to use it for fire fighting, because the germs get airborn and would spread and make people sick when they inhale it..
A firefighter truck has 6000l water and 500l firefighting foam on board. A burning car up to a van need about 1500l water to fight that fire. 1 gallon = 3.8 l
The drivers don't know why there is a traffic jam, they have by law make that path for emergency vehicles as soon as there is a traffic jam. Even if it's just because of to much traffic someone in that traffic jam maybe need help, because of getting a stroke while waiting in the jam or have other problems and it would be hard to create that path in that moment. Creating it as soon as a jam happens is just an insurance for everyone that emergency vehicles can get through if something happens.
6000l Water are too much for the Most German Fire Engine, All above 2500l Water is an Tanker and not an Engine. Most Fire Engine has between 1500l - 2500l (~400-660 Gallons) of Water, the Same Amount as most US Type 1 Fire Engines has
In Germany we have Hose-Trucks to pump water from Rivers, Lakes or something like that and if that's not possible there are special trucks with very big water containers. They can transport up to 4000 or more liters of water. If I remember right there's a Truck with trailer transporting 33000 liters of water for forest fires.
The master fire fighter is sitting on the roof of the truck raising his stick to part the traffic of course.
🤣good one
In germany we call it...Rettungsgasse.Hope you visit germany again.
Just a little information about the "Feuerwehr" they have a so called "Löschzug" and they know with "Brand 0" the lowest fire level up to "Brand 3" the largest fire level, they know how big the fire is and then more or fewer vehicles there go
I hope I was able to explain it well
That varies between the states. Stammham is in Bavaria, which uses B0 - B5
they use high pressure water -simililar to high pressure washers, they get more done with less - and/or foam and in big quantities.
No need for hydrants.
Airports often sont have hydrants on the runway either. They have better stuff than the average new york fd vehicle.
If an appartment house burns up.. that is when you need hydrants.
On highways, they would just send more trucks if required.
----------------
In germany, and other places of europe - if the traffic stops in unexpected places (other than the usual rush hour on/off ramp thing)
you already move to the side, even without knowing what caused the stop - because you can connect the dots. When you hear the siren
you get it confirmed. When the traffic starts moving again without that - then its no harm done.
In stopped traffic on highway, i always keep a keen eye on the backmirror... for blue flashy lights, i do not wait to move
until the big red car starts honking behind me.
Isnt that common sense? to me it is.
Here a firefighter since 2001 answering your questions. Here in Germany it is a law to make space between the left and the next lane in a trafficjamm. Usually here are a lot of waterhydrants, most of them underearth (we screw them onto). If there is no hydrant we have alternatives like bubbles and powder that saves water
I wonder what the downside of following the rules are Joel?
I think the fine in UK for obstruction of emergency vehicle is up to £5000 regards dave
Navigating narrow roads with a large vehicle is something you simply get used to when driving here. It's not as difficult as it seems. I sometimes have the chance of driving a larger vehicle because I get asked for help as my old license is valid for up to 7.5 metric tons total weight, whereas the new standard (EU) licenses are only valid for 3.5. That's a joke because even with a small transporter, you always run the risk of being overweight if you have a heavy load.
Forming a rescue lane is the LAW in Germany, and you get instructed in driving school on how to do it. And most people really can. Of course there always can be a situation when someone reacts too late and finds himself in a not-so-good place, but even then, if possible, people will help him out by moving still farther to the right if somehow possible, and somehow it always worked in the situations I've been in.
For information is are Volunteer Firefighters you can see at the beginning she drove up in her private car
There was a professional fire department in the Austrian Empire as early as 1686. This is the oldest in the world! Back then, people didn't even know that there would be an "America".
always do this formation for helping the ambulance getting to the accident.. some time it can be you who needs this help
6:34 In Germany it's in the "Straßenverkehrsordnung" or "StVO" (Traffic Code), a law on how to drive on German streets and also how to react if e.g. got stuck in a traffic jam. You learn much of that in driving schools. E.g. if you got stuck in a jam you have to move over, the most left lane to the left and all others to the right. And it's forbidden to drive in the emergency lane, if you get caught you've to pay at least €240 (~ $260) and give up your license for a month.
the main structure of the fire departments, in this small towns is voluntary and they really drive an old vehicle
Jps - if US citizens do not make way for emergency vehicles, why do you think selfishness is such a national trait bro?
Its me again:
The man on the tight side has a
yellow vest on=
He is the Leader of the fire brigade
or
the "Einsatzleiter"
means
"Leader on the Incident scene"
Mostly a rank of Brandmeister or more likly Oberbrandmeister =alike Captain in the USA.
And the bigger fire brigades do have bigger tankers with around 5-6000 liters of water
OR
SOMETMES
farmers have a trailer with fire brigade connections with a volume 3000 up to 10 000 liters often they help out here in the region.
I recommend the Series "Feuer & Flamme" if you like to see how professional firefighters work here in Germany
these are all volunteers 👍
90 % f german firefighters are volunteers.
24 h stand by 👍
German fire engines have a huge tank, so they very rarely need additional water access.
If there is bigger fire, they would see that their truck's reservoir is emptying and they would call next fire truck.
The trick is: you have always to leave enough space (the so called Rettungsgasse) when you are in a traffic jam. So the drivers know how to behave before they see or hear the firefighters.
I am not German, but I urge everyone with preconceived notions about them to go visit!
You will find a nation of genuinely decent people welcoming you.
Excellent beer, of course; surprisingly good wine, and the food is brilliant.
For a fire on the Highway the German Fire Service has a Vehicle with a Water Tank (TLF) when we have a empty tank we have more vehicles
Normal thing to give way for police, ambulance, firefighters here in Finland as well.
Joel , Have you ever watch volunteer firefighters Lunteren in the Netherlands ? Very interesting to watch !!
I don't know how it's on a "motorway", but when a few years ago a large bicycle was burning here in the city, while there were hydrants they used, they also pumped water from the nearby canal. (One of the major inland shipping routes.)
Yes, the firefighters knew the situation. Right at the beginning, they were calling out the need for breathing equipment, and then a bit later that the fire was on the middle lane, and how they might have to close which other lanes.
As for the other cars, they didn't need to know what was going on, because there's a general rule that when traffic stops on these kinds of roads, you _always_ have to prepare like this - everybody moves to the right, except the leftmost lane which moves to the left. (Don't ask me why that's the rule, it seems a bit weird.) And you often get problems with both people not paying attention - once everyone is stopped, making room is much, much harder - and of course, given enough people, there will be assholes who either don't want to move aside, or want to use the emergency lane for themselves. Humans will human.
And there are a lot of videos on UA-cam showing both correct application of the rule, and failures.
And I believe in the Netherlands, the rule is for emergency vehicles to use the breakdown lane on the right instead, from when they had that awesome channel showing ambulance rides, with comments on what other vehicles did right and wrong. Unfortunately (and not really unexpectedly), that channel had a problem with patient privacy rules - if you show (even approximately) where and when you pick up patients ... even more if you comment on why you were picking them up. And so they stopped posting videos.
Here in Canada it's the law that with police or fire dept flashing lights / siren drivers must slow down and pull over to the left lane ..
For you to understand. More then 75% of our Firerfighters Are privat!!! Greetings from Germany 😊
According to the VDF (roughly "german firefighter association") 97% of firefighters in Germany are volunteers. The guys in the video are volunteers and they did a great and professional job.
If in my hometown of 16000 people, if there is any emergency call, about 180 voluntary firefighters are ready to get up in the middle of the night or even on the holiday or to leave their workplace.
Just yesterday we where called to a possible kitchen fire after someone burned their bacon a bit to much. However nothing really bad happened except some smoke in the stairwell that activated an alarm.
If you were wondering what language thry spoke..
Weeeell, theoretically it was German but even most Germans will agree that Bavarian is at best remotely related to German 😂😂
Just kidding. It's very similar to a very thick southern accent/dialect in the States. Barely intelligible to anyone not from the area.
The driver was demanding an independent breathing support because they knew they were going to fight a vehicular fire with potentially toxic smoke.
During the drive they discussed the position of the car on the Autobahn and that they would probably have to shut down multiple lanes, either right now, or afterwards due to damage to the road surfaces.
The Firefighter-Machine you "was sittin' on":o) has 'til 6.000 Liters of Water and 500 Liters of Foam for the First Attack!
In the first moments you're listening: "Wir brauchen ATEMSCHUTZ!" what means: "We need respiratory protection!"
You'll see later at the autobahn!!!!!!
8:42 As i'm a german w/o drivers license .. i never cared about that. But you got me curious.
In short: No, usually there are no fire hydrants on the Autobahn in the first place. You _might_ find hydrants in urban areas or near truck stops, where a usual drinking-/potable water infrastructure is nearby.. But managing that for longer stretches on the Autobahn usually is to costly.
So, we have "Tanklöschfahrzeuge" ("water tenders") for that task which will get alarmed when needed. ;)
If it's a bigger fire, they call other units from the surrounding area, in addition, the car is equipped with extinguishing foam and also different types of fire extinguishers, they have enough options to extinguish.
It is not just in Germany it is like that almost everywhere in Europe
there are reservoirs every xxx km and at postitions with "high" demand. they also have pumps/filters etc to get water from anything that holds it.
We Germans are always laughed at because we have so many rules. But here you can clearly see how well various rules work and make sense.
Always remember that these rules are generally made for the benefit of society as a whole and not for the benefit of the individual.
And that is the main difference between the USA and Europe.
Americans go on their ego trips, Europeans build a society.
Please don't take the last sentence too seriously. 😉
In Germany we have volunteer fire Fighter and job firefighter 🤷🏻♂️ and they have a water reservoir in the car
Hello Joel. Very impressive. You might look up the chap from Edinburgh who started fire brigades, for your other channel?
Every 30 Minutes there are traffic news and in an emergency the local station broadcast information about accidents and literally: “keep a rescue lane open” . If there is a traffic jam it is a precaution to do that. One learns it a driver’s school. Using the rescue lane for own purposes will be expensive! 240,- € and loosing the permission to drive for a month. Texting and being on the phone is also forbidden in Germany. Fines start with 100,- €
the most cars in Europe have special traffic channel, if any accident on the autobahn or another big road, the radios or other mediaplayers interrupt playing, and you would be informed about the accident, so you can be informed everytime about ambulance or firefighers
when the firefighters are called they know already what they are expected. on a normal call they send the 1st unit whit some fire contain mesures and a big water tank is deployed by ensurence
Citizenship here in EUROPE is something that tends to come with a sense of collective responsibility,,,, we’re guessing that in AMERICA it’s just everyone for themselves and F everyone else,,,,, this is also as a result of collective Entitlement.
It doesn’t make for a good society,,,, and is totally unsustainable long term,
Did you notice te lack of people in oncoming traffic? Nobody slowing down and rubber-necking.
Blocking emergency vehicles has big consequences in Germany. You get fined 200-300€ and you loose your driving license for a month. You also get points that, if they add up, will cause you to loose your license for longer or permanently. It is also very costly to get a lost licence back. And you can bet that an ambulance or fire truck will get your license plate if you really block them and don't seem to do you best to clear the way. And that's not even taking into account what happens when something bad happens and they couldn't prevent it because you blocked them. This can get you into felony charges. So no, we don't ignore the right of way of emergency vehicles.
There are usually no hydrants on the Autobahn, if there is no pipe because of a restaurant. Usually cars or trucks are extingished "quite" fast with foam.
But if there are several cars, trucks, ... you need to bring the water with other trucks.
Unlike the USA, Germans start studying for their drivers license in 9th grade and they can test for it in 12th grade. So yes, Germans are trained for FOUR YEARS to get a drivers license. Not only must you know every traffic law, you need to know what to do in a emergency like this one, AND you are required to be able to change a tire, make simple roadside repairs, and know first aid as well as carrying a first aid kit in the car. The actual driving test can take four or five hours... unlike the USA... 2 weeks of classes, and a 20 minute test.
8:20 Ny Hydrants on the Highway. Theyre have 1-3.000 Liters inside and if they need more, an other Truck will be called.
also to keep in mind if your car incurs damage due to you not following the law it is NOT covered by insurance.
There is no much water supply along the Autobahn. If you have bigger fires there, you might end up carrying water with multiple trucks with big water tanks or you need to put hose lines over long distances.
Inside of the cities there is usually a really good water supply.