By Axel Lier
The capital has the oldest professional fire brigade in Germany (founded in 1851) – and apparently the one with the biggest problems at the moment. Now even the SEK had to be called for help because their own specialists are no longer available!
The emergency call itself has become an emergency. How serious the situation is became clear again on Friday.
Shortly after 10 a.m., the fire brigade was alerted via the emergency call to Rolandufer (middle), keyword: “work accident”. A spokesman for the authorities for the BZ: “One person was seriously injured on a construction site at a depth of 30 meters. His colleagues had already started resuscitation.”
The seriously injured worker was about 600 meters from the entrance to an electrical supply tunnel. It leads along under the Spree in the direction of Friedrichshain. In the tube, which is about four meters in diameter, the casualty lay motionless on the ground. Power cables carrying up to 380 kilovolts hang from the tunnel walls. The arriving rescuers took over the resuscitation.
Detectives and coroners take the worker’s body to the van. The casualty is autopsied in Moabit Photo: Sven Meissner
The accident is actually a classic case for the height rescuers of the fire brigade, who are stationed at the Marzahn station. But the group has not been on duty since July 1 and is not available for special operations. The operations manager alerted the height rescuers of the special operations command (SEK).
An entrance and exit to the electrical supply tunnel, the so-called cable diagonal Photo: Sven Meissner
Map of the 35 firefighters on site: A steel rail with a so-called trolley is mounted on the tunnel ceiling. The injured person was to be rescued using a drag belt stretcher, which every fire brigade aerial ladder truck carries with it.
Paramedics from the Bundeswehr rescue vehicle (RTW) check their equipment. Unfortunately, it was not needed, the casualty died in the tunnel Photo: Sven Meissner
But the rescue turned into a salvage. “Unfortunately, the man died at the scene,” said the fire department spokesman. The SEK had meanwhile withdrawn, and a little later the fire brigade.
There was sadness and horror among the employees on site after the fatal accident. According to the network operator 50Hertz, the accident happened when a power cable was being pulled in Photo: Sven Meissner
“The police and the worker’s company took over the rescue,” said the fire department spokesman. The State Office for Occupational Safety, Health Protection and Technical Safety (LAGetSi) and the police are investigating.
According to the network operator 50Hertz, the accident happened when a power cable was pulled in. “The pull rope suddenly broke for reasons that have not yet been clarified and hit an employee of a service company,” the company said.
The fire brigade was alerted to the scene of the accident at 10:06 a.m. Unfortunately, they had to move away without success. The police and companies recovered the body Photo: Sven Meissner
Stefan Kapferer, CEO of 50Hertz: “We are deeply dismayed by this tragic accident and our thoughts go to the relatives and colleagues. You have our deepest sympathy.”
Like the police, LAGetSi employees investigate serious or fatal accidents at work – such as falling from a height or an electrical accident Photo: Sven Meissner
In addition to the grief for tThere was also great dissatisfaction among the firefighters on Friday when there were fatally injured people on the Rolandufer. “The fact that our high-altitude rescuers could not be alerted to this operation is a novelty and absolutely embarrassing,” said a high-ranking firefighter to the BZ
Police officers consult with employees of the State Office for Occupational Safety and Health (LAGetSi) at the scene of the accident Photo: Sven Meissner