Yacht in flames: Fire brigade extinguishes major fire in Reinfeld!

Yacht in flames: Fire brigade extinguishes major fire in Reinfeld!

The Reinfeld volunteer fire department was alerted on October 25th at 3:08 p.m. with the alarm keyword “Fire Boat”. The location of the incident, Feldstrasse, referred to a burning 30-meter-long yacht that was standing dangerously close to a warehouse. Due to several emergency calls, the rescue control center increased the cue to FEU2, which meant that two fire engines were needed. The fire departments from Stubbendorf and Bad Oldesloe were also called in. On site, the operations manager assessed the situation as critical because the fire threatened to spread to the approximately 30 x 30 meter warehouse.

In order to prevent anything worse from happening, the fire brigade first carried out a deadbolt with a B-pipe. Direct firefighting on the boat was carried out using up to three C-pipes and one turning pipe via the turntable ladder. Since the boat was not accessible, an excavator was used to remove the crashed vehicle in order to extinguish any remaining embers. An additional turntable ladder from the Lübeck fire department was requested to check and cool down the warehouse. The water supply was built up over a long distance. Another innovative use was the Cobra extinguishing system, which is already used in several German cities such as Berlin and Hamburg to act effectively in the event of a fire. This is a lightweight but powerful system that can cut through materials such as wood and concrete while extinguishing at the same time. This increased safety for the firefighters enormously.

Effective firefighting

The Cobra system, whose operating weight is just 5 kilograms, enables access to sources of fire at extreme temperatures of over 1000 degrees. With a water jet of 300 bar, it has a range of up to 60 meters. This allows the fire department to fight fires efficiently and safely without putting themselves in immediate danger. This technology was purchased by the emergency command in 2011 and has since proven itself in numerous operations, including fires in shipyards and carpentry workshops.

A total of 96 emergency services were on site for today's operation. A Mowas warning was issued due to heavy smoke, but there was no danger to residents at any time, which was particularly reassuring. The entire operation ended at 10 p.m., the site was then handed over to the police, while the ASB SEG support provided the stressed emergency services with drinks and food. This confirms the collective effort of many helpers in dangerous situations.

Future vision of fire service technology

Another interesting aspect is the ongoing development of new technologies for the fire department, such as the current research project “Innovative Technologies in the Fire Department” (IT-Fw), which starts in October 2025. The cooperation partners are the University of Wuppertal and the North Rhine-Westphalia Fire Department Institute. This project aims to examine how modern technologies can support the work of the fire department. The focus is, among other things, on training and further education as well as strategic work for senior civil servants.

With a new focus on the digitalization and networking of systems, the fire department is undergoing constant change, which places new demands on the emergency services. The fire department's educational sector is particularly relevant, as over 18,000 participants are trained every year at the largest fire department school in Germany. Further training and modern solutions, such as those promoted through projects and innovative systems, are essential.

In summary, it can be said that the deployment of the Reinfeld Volunteer Fire Department has recently impressively demonstrated how well the cooperation between different fire departments works and how modern technologies such as the Cobra system can revolutionize firefighting. But it's not just technology that's important, staff training and adaptation to new challenges also form the basis for effective fire protection in the future.