Author/Autor: Stricker & Weiken GmbH & Co. KG, Hemer/Germany
Fig. 1. The volunteer fire brigade of Hemer during the exercise in the quarry of Stricker & Weiken in Hemer. The exercise involved rescuing an accident-stricken machine operator from a mini-excavator. // Bild 1. Die Freiwillige Feuerwehr Hemer bei der Übung im Steinbruch der Firma Stricker & Weiken in Hemer. Geprobt wurde die Bergung eines verunfallten Maschinenführers aus einem Minibagger. Photo/Foto: Stricker & Weiken
In a large-scale exercise, the volunteer fire brigade (FFW) of Hemer/Germany, simulated a realistic operation in collaboration with the quarrying company Stricker & Weiken in Hemer. The focus was on rescuing an operator from an overturned mini-excavator (Figure 1).
The exercise was initiated by Fabian Flocke, an employee of Stricker & Weiken and a member of the Hemer fire brigade. Flocke, who also regularly works with mini-excavators, emphasised the importance of such exercises: “It is crucial that we can react quickly and effectively in an emergency. This exercise has shown that the cooperation between the fire brigade and the company works smoothly.”
During the exercise, an old mini-excavator was deliberately placed to one side to make the rescue scenarios as realistic as possible. The fire brigade practised handling the vehicle involved in the accident and rescuing a dummy that had previously been placed in the excavator. After about 2 hours, the excavator was able to be put back in an upright position.
Managing Director André Thiel was very satisfied with the way the exercise went: “The safety of our employees is our top priority. We are grateful for the good cooperation with the Hemer fire brigade. We are always ready to support further exercises, e. g., pumping water out of a pond or rescuing people at height on our steep slopes.”
Stricker & Weiken thus emphasises its open attitude towards cooperation with the fire brigade and authorities. A few months ago, a special squad of the criminal investigation department was in the quarry to carry out explosions on safes in order to gain insights into how to combat ATM crime.
Author/Autor: Stricker & Weiken GmbH & Co. KG, Hemer/Germany