Oil pollution alerts the fire department: Help for Ludwigslust and Grabow

Oil pollution alerts the fire department: Help for Ludwigslust and Grabow

Last week, the region around Ludwigslust and Grabow was alarmed by two worrying operations: oil spills on local waters caused a great deal of effort by the volunteer fire departments. On Tuesday evening, the fire brigade in Grabow was called to the harbor after an alert walker discovered an oil film in the harbor basin. As nordkurier.de reports, Gilbert Küchler, head of the Ludwigslust police headquarters, was forced to suspect that the oil could have come from a boat. The fire brigade used an inflatable boat to lay out oil barriers, but the emergency services were unable to find a culprit.

The Lower Water Authority of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district and the water protection police were immediately informed in order to further assess the situation and support the investigation. But that wasn't all: just two days later, on Thursday evening, there was another alarm for the Ludwigslust fire department. In the area of ​​Kanalstrasse at the pedestrian bridge to Friedrich-Naumann-Allee, massive oil pollution was discovered in the Ludwigsluster Canal. 15 comrades worked for several hours to contain the oil. In this case too, the perpetrator could not be identified, which resulted in a complaint being filed against unknown persons. The water police took over the further investigation.

Alarm situation on the Main

A similar scenario occurred on Wednesday evening when the Großkrotzenburg fire department was alerted to an oil spill on the Main. According to feuerwehr-grosskrotzenburg.de, the pollution was in the area of ​​a lock and extended over around 200 meters in a lock chamber and in the underwater. In coordination with the water police, additional units from Hainburg, Hanau and Maintal as well as the Staudinger plant fire department were called in. An oil barrier was laid out with a total of four boats and the oil was absorbed with special fleece. The entire operation lasted around four hours and proved to be personnel and time intensive.

Protective measures and prevention

But how do fire departments respond to such emergencies? After all, emergency measures on site have high priority. According to denios.de, the success of the measures depends on the previous risk assessment. This assesses which aids are needed and how the situation can best be handled. After an oil leak is discovered, the fire department is immediately alerted, which then informs all designated authorities. This includes not only the water authorities, but also operators of wastewater systems and water supply companies if their systems are affected.

First, life-saving measures are taken, then the scene of the accident is secured. The assessment of the type, quantity and danger of the substance then begins in order to stop the leak and prevent the damage from spreading. These preventative steps are crucial to protect the environment as quickly as possible and minimize consequential damage.

The incidents in Ludwigslust and Grabow as well as on the Main are a stark reminder of the need to minimize risks when dealing with dangerous substances and to sustainably protect our region's waters.