The municipality of Graefelfing is giving away its decommissioned fire brigade turntable ladder to Beirut.
The local council has now decided unanimously.
Graefelfing -
It is not only part of the inventory of the Graefelfing fire brigade, whose fleet has been decorating it for 23 years, but also part of the streetscape of the garden city: The turntable ladder, which was put into service in 1997, with a Magirus superstructure on an Iveco chassis, completed countless extinguishing hours in thousands of operating hours -, rescue and relief operations for the good of the citizens
.
The upcoming retirement in Graefelfing does not mean the end of the vehicle, but the beginning of a second life - and a long journey: The next place of work is in Beirut, 2550 kilometers as the crow flies from Graefelfing.
Because the community follows an idea of the fire department management team and is giving away the turntable ladder to Lebanon.
DLK 23/12, as the type is called, is still in use in Graefelfing today, while the successor model is already in the garage.
For weeks the around 100 fire brigade members have been training how to use the new technology, which according to commander Markus Fuchs represents "a quantum leap".
The fire brigade only takes the new turntable ladder into service when everyone has been trained to be saddle-proof.
Kraillinger backed down
Meanwhile, considerations of what should be done with the old vehicle had long been in progress.
The municipality of Krailling, for example, has expressed interest, which does not yet have a turntable ladder.
But in mid-September the rejection came because the Kraillinger favored a different solution.
Finally, through the Gautingen firefighter Holger Hack, the association “Orienthelfer eV”, founded by cabaret artist Christian Springer, was found.
He has already brought various relief supplies, rescue vehicles and fire engines to Syria and other countries in the region.
The association takes on the transport and training of the emergency services there.
Residual value in Germany only 10,000 euros
Beirut in particular, which was badly hit by an explosion in the port that also killed ten firefighters, is a suitable recipient and future location, explained Fuchs and Hack in the local council.
Because, according to German regulations, the turntable ladder would have to be repaired in the medium term, its residual value is only around 10,000 euros.
The local council was extremely pleased with the idea and wholeheartedly approved the donation.
At the suggestion of Florian Ernstberger (BVGL), the committee decided unanimously to include EUR 3,000 as a transport subsidy.
Embarkation is on November 20th.
