From test to deployment

Two cars burned in one day in one place

This car burned out in Putzleinsdorf

(Bild: FF Putzleinsdorf)

From theory straight to practice! In Putzleinsdorf, breathing apparatus wearers were just completing the "fin test" when the siren sounded. For the second time in one day, a car was on fire. Cause: once unknown. The good news: there are no casualties.

The first incident occurred shortly after midday. A car had left the road on Amesedter Straße and crashed into a tree; the 18-year-old driver had lost control on the slippery road. Flammable liquid had apparently leaked out and caught fire. When the firefighters from Amesedt, Pfarrkirchen and Putzleinsdorf arrived, the car was fully engulfed in flames. "Fortunately, there were no more people in the car," said the fire department, who immediately began extinguishing the fire using breathing apparatus. The young driver was uninjured.

The car burnt out after an accident in the Mühlviertel region

(Bild: FF Putzleinsdorf)

New alarm after five hours
Around five hours later, the siren sounded again. Another car was on fire, again in Putzleinsdorf. But apparently it had not caught fire due to an accident. As some of the firefighters were in the fire station for the annual breathing apparatus 'Finn test', the fully manned rescue fire engine immediately set off for the scene," wrote the Putzleinsdorf fire brigade.

Finn test

The "Finn test" is a standardized minimum standard performance test for breathing apparatus wearers in the fire department. The name comes from the fact that it was developed in Finland. Each candidate, whether male or female, has 14.5 minutes and one breathing apparatus filling to complete five stations.
Station 1: Walking without and with two canisters (time: 4 minutes); walking 100 meters with canisters (16.6 kg each) and walking 100 meters without canisters.
Station 2: Climbing up and down steps (time: 3.5 minutes), about 180 steps (90 up and 90 down).
Station 3: Hammering a truck tire (time: 2 minutes)
Using a sledgehammer (approx. 6 kilos), a truck tire (approx. 47 kilos) must be hammered over a distance of three meters.
Station 4: Crawling under and over obstacles (time: 3 minutes). Obstacles 60 centimeters high are set up over a length of eight meters at a distance of two meters. These obstacles must be alternately crawled under and climbed over in three runs.
Station 5: Rolling a hose (time: 2 minutes). A C-hose simply has to be rolled up. The end must not move from the spot.

Wreckage went to the owner
The breathing apparatus team immediately began fighting the fire, supported by the breathing apparatus teams from the Hofkirchen fire department. And after around one and a half hours, it was all over and the car owner was able to take possession of the wreck.