Fire and rescue train

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A fire fighting train or rescue train is a rail-bound rescue device and a means of disaster control .

SBB fire and rescue train in Winterthur

Basics

A rescue train is used to rescue people and goods, an extinguishing train for general fire fighting in the event of fires in the immediate vicinity of railway systems , and the oil weir - in practice, both functions are usually combined in one set.

The idea, by rail rescue and recovery forces and other technical assistance with a train introduce them to an accident, is already in the early days of the railways emerged. The first approaches were recovery trains that were used to recover derailed or crashed locomotives and rolling goods . After the central logistical role of the railroad had already been recognized in the American Civil War , the two world wars in particular led to an upswing in the rail-based disaster service.

Today train sets specializing in rescue services and disaster control are an indispensable part of the rescue chain for the rail transport sector .

The vehicles of older rescue trains also consist of former passenger cars that were gutted and converted for this purpose. This work was normally carried out by the railways themselves. The equipment mainly includes extinguishing equipment and personal protective equipment for the emergency personnel.

In addition, rescue trains from rail transport are now organizationally linked with those from the fire brigade at central stations to form a common rescue unit. The rescue train then has low-floor wagons that can be loaded with fire engines so that it can be on site quickly even in poor access conditions (road connection, weather conditions).

Areas of application

However, fire-fighting and rescue trains are getting a new boost with the increasing tunnel construction , and the realization that in the event of accidents in the tunnel , if there is no parallel gallery for road vehicles ( rescue gallery ), the means of rail transport can be on site the quickest - and quickly get back from one can remove escalating danger zone. Today's railway tunnels have reached lengths in which conventional fire fighting from outside is usually no longer possible.

In principle, fire-fighting and rescue trains are intended for use in tunnels and on the open route. Especially in alpine regions with difficult access to the route (road connection) fire-fighting and rescue trains are the most suitable means of bringing large amounts of material to the site and saving many people.

The trains for Deutsche Bahn AG are pure tunnel rescue trains.

When deployed in tunnels, the container system of modern rescue trains offers protection from heat, gases and smoke - converted units were not sufficiently gas-tight. The fully equipped containers are placed on flat wagons or CargoSprinter . The containers have purge air or regeneration systems so that teams and rescued persons can be supplied with breathing air independently for a few hours. The trains also have medical units for first aid . Our own protected tank container units ensure large quantities of extinguishing agents . At the Zugspitze there is an extinguishing robot in state-of-the-art units , which can be remotely controlled by caterpillars to reach the source of the fire even if the rail system has been destroyed and can then proceed to fire extinguishing and recovery attacks. Special communication units are also implemented in order to maintain contact with the operations command if the tunnel communication fails. Measured values ​​on temperature, oxygen content, visibility and explosive gases are continuously recorded and forwarded directly to the emergency services on site, as well as the headquarters.

Examples of fire-fighting and rescue trains by railway company

literature

  • Dräger Safety Austria GmbH, press release on the ÖBB rescue train, May 2005.
  • Peter Thomas: Red savior in the smoking tube. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Technology and Motor section, May 29, 2018

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ D. Bishop, K. Davis: Railways in the First and Second World Wars . Heyne, Munich 1976.