MUNICH FIRE DEPARTMENT’S HOOKLOADER-CRANE-TRUCK IN ACTION
Munich Fire Department - Fire Station 6 in Pasing. Senior Fire Chief Armin Kopfmüller and his team have a special training day ahead of them. They have to master several situations with the hookloader-crane-truck. The Munich professional fire department has several hookloader-crane-trucks in its fleet and the city has two hookloader-crane-trucks. The Scania P410 with PALFINGER PK 18502 SH loading crane and the T20 hookloader are primarily used for emergency responses. When sand and sandbags have to be transported or roofs have to be evacuated in case of danger or when special mobile containers have to be transported - The hook loader-crane-truck is the most versatile device in the fire station. The mobile containers that can be loaded with the hookloader include two "Foaming Agents cell", a "Construction Accident cell", the "Scuba Diving cell" or the "Sandbagging Device cell" and the "Crane Unit" (accompanying vehicle for mobile cranes). The containers are loaded with the corresponding operational material and can be quickly loaded in the event of an alarm for technical assistance or firefighting.
The first exercise is carried out with the cell "construction accident". The cell is equipped with a shaft and pit rescue system and the deployment equipment can be set up with the crane. The crane's accessories, a grapple and a pallet fork, are also available for this purpose. The aim of the exercise is to move securing and underlay material to the 3rd floor of a house at a fictitious construction site.
"With the hookloader-crane-truck, it is particularly important that the operation of the equipment is simple and intuitive. Nevertheless, practical exercises close to the operation are essential for a routine handling of equipment and technology. In an emergency, there is no time to waste, and every operation is unique, no two operations are the same," says the senior fire chief. He therefore directs the crane with precision and delicacy, with the load on the hook, towards his colleagues at a dizzying height. There, the firefighters pick up the material and bring it to the assumed accident site.
After the first scenario, the cell is exchanged for a container and the crew and vehicle go to a nearby gravel pit. Here the handling of the container and the clamshell bucket is practiced. Again and again, sand, soil or other loose bulk material has to be shoveled onto the container with the crane. The ten machinists specially trained in the use of the crane are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the safe and quick handling of the equipment
When asked why he likes being a crane operator in the fire department, Armin Kopfmüller answers with a smile, " I have always been fascinated by high technology. With the crane, you have an exciting field of action."
