This is a made-up story that could happen to us like this:
It’s the dead of night in Dollbergen when Helga F. wakes up with a start. An infernal noise comes from the hallway. The smoke detector, she thinks and is paralyzed for a moment. She turns on the light, jumps out of bed, throws something on and opens the bedroom door a crack. Thick smoke hangs from the ceiling, firelight from the kitchen behind it. Helga has to cough and closes the door again. Fire department, she thinks, I have to call the fire department. Her mobile phone is on the bedside table. What was the number? 112, correct. she chooses. The control center reports. Helga yells into the receiver: It’s burning, it’s burning. The voice on the other end stays calm. Asks for her name, address… says several neighbors have already called, the fire department is on the way. Yes, she already hears the sirens in the street ahead. No, she shouldn’t go into the hallway. A shadow outside the bedroom window, knocking, shouting, spotlights. She opens the window, the rescuers are there.
She sees helmets, protective suits. no faces She is led through the dark garden by the firemen’s helmets, coats, boots. My cat, she thinks, said it out loud. One of the hazmat suits next to her passes it on. All hell broke loose on the street. Fire engines are everywhere, blue lights flicker across the night-dark facades, hoses are being unrolled, emergency services are running, taking up positions against their old enemy, the fire.
Helga is wrapped in a blanket and placed in the emergency vehicle. She looks at the face under the helmet next to her. She thinks he’s no older than my grandson. Recognizes him, a neighbor’s son, what’s his name, three blocks away, she didn’t know he was with the fire department. The ambulance is coming soon, the boy tells her. She suddenly feels safe. The young fireman talks to her, forces her to have a cup of water, drink it, he says. He distracts her from the roaring fire where her kitchen was a moment ago. The window bursts from the heat, flames shoot up, the red rooster puffs itself up.
But already the generators are running, the hoses are connected, the water is marching, held by strong arms, the battle of water against fire has begun. The fire-fighting crews are fighting the rage from several sides. Snarling and hissing, the fireworm defends itself, squirms, splits, flares up again elsewhere and finally goes out. What remains is smoking blackness, destroyed, melted, a sore house. I’ve lost everything, Helga thinks, everything.
A uniform comes towards them through the smoke, a tall fireman with a breathing mask, fire-fighting water is dripping down his jacket. Visibly exhausted, but a gladiator after battling the fire-breathing beast, it seems to her. He’s holding something in his gloves, it’s meowing. She sees gray fur, alert eyes. Her cat is placed in her arms and she hugs her. The uniform takes off the mask, a sweaty face appears, grins at her. It wasn’t that easy to find the little guy in the inferno, he says as he walks. The kitchen may be gone, but we saved the house.
Yes, thinks Helga and strokes the cat, you got that.
Extinguish fire
Extinguish fires, contain fires. The most important tool is the water hose.
The medium size C is usually used.
The 15 meter long pressure hoses can be extended by coupling.
Extinguishing with respiratory protection is exhausting, but protects the forces from toxic smoke gases.