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

The new multipurpose boat measures just over eight metres and cost €175,000. It will be used for operations including the rescue of people and animals, firefighting, and the deployment of oil containment barriers. 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]

"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. Earlier this month, the CGDIS annual report recorded 75,814 incidents, 2,665 fire reports, and 258,000 calls to 112. Last night, two fires in Bettembourg and Esch kept crews busy. Today, those crews have 76 new vehicles and a boat. The number 76 appears twice this week: once as the thousands of incidents, once as the vehicles bought to respond to them.[1]