Seventy-Six Vehicles

The Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS) has added 76 vehicles and a new multipurpose boat to its fleet. The new vehicles were lined up beside the Moselle in Mertert on Thursday afternoon as part of Home Affairs Minister Leon Gloden's summer tour of fire and rescue stations across the country.[1]

The new multipurpose boat measures just over eight metres and cost 175'000 euros. It will be used for operations including the rescue of people and animals, firefighting, and the deployment of oil containment barriers. Gloden was also taken for a trip on the boat after putting on a life jacket. "Investing in modern equipment is essential if the CGDIS is to fulfil its various responsibilities towards the population," the minister said. While disasters could not always be prevented, he added, the emergency services could prepare themselves so that a disaster did not develop into a crisis.[1]

Luxembourg also plans to purchase a larger firefighting vessel jointly with the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The boat will be capable of evacuating people from ships and tackling fires involving oil storage tanks. It is expected to be partly financed through European funding.[1]

The seven new types of vehicle displayed in Mertert have a combined value of around 2.5 million to 3 million euros. Christian Schmitz, head of the CGDIS Fleet and Logistics Department, said the 76 vehicles and the boat cost between 10 million and 12 million euros in total, although the expenditure was spread over several years. Some vehicles introduce new capabilities, while others replace older models, including 30 new service vehicles and 38 new crew transport vehicles.[1]

Among the additions are three intensive care transport vehicles, which allow patients requiring continuous intensive medical care to be transferred safely. "They are mainly intended for transfers from one hospital to another or over long distances," professional firefighter Mike Weber explained. "There is plenty of space, and we can work effectively on the patient."[1]

Another new addition is a specialist vehicle for the Hazardous Environment Reconnaissance and Intervention Group (GRIMP), which carries out rescues at height and below ground. "What is special about this vehicle is that it has anchoring points all around it," said Andy Martin, head of the GRIMP rescue unit. This means crews no longer have to find a suitable anchoring point before beginning an operation, allowing them to respond more quickly. At the end of the visit, Gloden put on a helmet and was raised to a height of 32 metres on the CGDIS's new telescopic platform. The 1.2 million euro vehicle will be used for rescuing people at height.[1]

Earlier today, this blog wrote about the minister wearing a bulletproof vest on a police patrol in the Gare district on National Day. Now he is on a boat on the Moselle, in a life jacket, and then in a helmet, 32 metres up. The same minister, the same day, three different outfits, three different services. The CGDIS annual report published earlier this month recorded 75'814 incidents, 2'665 fire reports, 258'000 calls to 112, and over 200 million euros of expenditure. Today, the fleet got bigger. The number that was a statistic in July is an investment in July.[1]