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Dream Team - Crane plus TITAN Winch Aboard Koblenz Fire-Fighter Ship

03.06.09
Things can get pretty hectic on the 30 metre ship, the “Rheinland Pfalz 1” (RPL1) of the professional fire brigade in Koblenz, when the crew clears the decks for action. The signal to cast off and slowly manoeuvre the RPL1 from her mooring site towards the Rhine is given by the sound of the two 1,000 hp engines roaring into life. The RPL1’s home port is situated in the so-called “German Corner” (Deutsches Eck) and is the point from which the vessel starts out on all emergency call-outs as well as her regular Friday practice runs. Hermann Günther, chief fire officer and the ship’s skipper, explained that the vessel sailed every Friday as a means of giving the crew ongoing training and testing the ship’s systems. 
Lowering the ship’s boat is just one of the regular training exercises the crew has to perform, all to

ensure quick action can be taken when needed while at the same time keeping the crew safe. The task is made a lot easier by a Hiab crane fitted with a TITAN hoisting winch, which is installed on deck. The well-oiled crew headed by Hermann Günther needs only two minutes to get the job done. 

However, this is only a relatively minor example of the way in which the crane-winch combo supports the fire-fighters in their daily work. “The crane and the winch are both extremely important tools for our work,” emphasised Günther. “For instance, we use the crane and winch duo to hoist the heavy mobile pumps on boats that have sprung a leak and that quickly need to be baled out.” In the event of a fire on board ship, the crane is used to heave the heavy hoses over the ship’s railing, which not only makes the process much faster, but also much safer. Fires aboard ship are always highly difficult to contain and count as one of the most dangerous tasks performed by the RPL1. In such situations, it is
imperative that every crew member makes the right split-second decisions in extremely cramped conditions. After all, even the smallest mistake can lead to disaster. When fighting a fire in the engine room, for instance, the area is flooded with foam. If water were to be used, the hot metal would immediately cause it to evaporate, which in turn would have fatal consequences. Whether they break out on land or on the water, fires are often found to have similar causes. The large barges found navigating the Rhine and the Mosel are furnished much like any normal home. As a result, an iron that is left plugged in or a short-circuit in the TV can just as easily cause a fire on one of these “houseboats”. 

Thankfully, extinguishing fires aboard ships and boats is not an everyday occurrence for the professional fire brigade in Koblenz. The RPL1 is mainly called out in the event of average damage, to help in rescue and search operations and to provide technical assistance.  

The RPL1, including all equipment, was purchased for a price of (then) DM 2.7 million in 1975. In the course of the years, the technology aboard the fire-fighter ship was constantly updated to keep abreast of the latest developments. In December 2007 the crane with the ROTZLER TITAN hoisting winch was added, which provided the professional fire brigade with some very welcome extra assistance for the important work they perform. As Herman Günther put it on behalf of his entire crew: “we’re nothing without the right equipment”. 

                        

The ship's boat can easily and savely be lowered by the crane and winch duo

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