Fire service & disaster relief
Getting stuck? "We didn't manage it."
Multifunctionality is in demand on the North Sea. The Volunteer Fire Brigade Spiekeroog, with its two Unimog U 5023s — the tanker fire engine (TLF-2000) and the logistics vehicle (GW-L) — relies on flexibility in operations and reliable handling in extreme situations. Thanks to its roll-container system, the municipality's versatile all-rounder could save a lot of money in the future.
The Unimogs of the Spiekeroog volunteer fire brigade handle firefighting and logistics.
The other side of paradise
Romantic dune landscapes, idyllic beaches, seemingly endless salt marshes. The North Sea island of Spiekeroog is a small paradise in the middle of the Wadden Sea. The 800-resident municipality has banned private motorised traffic. Here nature rules. Here there is peace. But not always.
Wildfires, flooding, sea rescue, evacuation: these incidents make up the restless side of the 18.25 km² island. For the tourists who visit Spiekeroog for its picturesque scenery, it mostly remains hidden. Not so for the islanders of the volunteer fire brigade.
But in the far north people know exactly how to deal with such extreme situations. For decades a reliable partner at the side of the firefighters: the Unimog.
"It could only be the Unimog.
That was clear from the very beginning."
Change of guard: the "Heath tanker" Unimog 1300 L next to its successor, a Unimog U 5023.
Unimog since 1980.
The 44 active firefighters and 18 youth fire brigade members have a total of four vehicles available. Two of them are Unimog U 5023: a 2,000-l tank fire-fighting vehicle (TLF-2000) and a double-cab model serving as a logistics support vehicle (GW-L).
“The Unimog has always accompanied the fire department,” says Spiekeroog's municipal fire chief Claas Warenski. The old “Heidetanker”, a Unimog U 1300 L that had been in service on Spiekeroog since the 1980s, was actually supposed to be decommissioned in 2007. But the whole team found it hard to part with the old warhorse, which had provided such excellent service well into its later years. In May 2024, however, the “Heidetanker” made way for the new GW-L based on a Unimog U 5023.
Logistics marvel loaded with jet skis.
The reason for the new purchase is recorded in the fire department needs plan: "Only one vehicle could be considered, one that has no difficulty getting the two "Rescue Watercraft" quickly and safely into the water." "Rescue Watercraft", or, as a layperson would call them: jet skis. On Spiekeroog they are called Frieda and Walter.
"We need them now and then," reports the municipal fire chief. "For example, when kite surfers drift away, a dinghy, that is, a sailboat, capsizes or people get lost on a mudflat walk in the dark." With the Unimog the pilot can launch without delay. "It works great. Even in heavy seas."
From the perspective of the northern firefighters, there were also only a few vehicles that offer the required wading depth of up to 1.2 m, that can make progress on the sandy ground with a payload of around 3,500 kg without problems and still remain highly flexible in operation: "It could only be the Unimog," says Claas Warenski, "that was clear from the start."
Ready for immediate use: The Unimog's fording depth offers decisive advantages on Spiekeroog.
Everything under control.
"You can't just drive down to the water here like on the Baltic Sea," explains deputy municipal fire chief Kai Kröger. "Because of the tides the ground here is different every day. Sometimes there's a tidal creek, a watercourse, sometimes a hole over there." What helps against that: well-trained operators and dependable technology.
The Unimog's built-in tyre pressure control system TireControl plus allows a switch to different surfaces in seconds at the push of a button. Three modes — "Road," "Sand" and "Rough Terrain" — are available. Alternatively, the pressure can also be adjusted manually. And that's exactly what the Spiekeroog fire brigade chose: the GW-L is optimally set for the local conditions with a pressure of 2.6 bar. The same applies to the gearbox, which can also be switched from automatic to manual to provide more individual leeway. This enables the lightning-fast response required on the island's sometimes hard, sometimes soft surfaces. "We're as light on the beach with it as an elf," jokes Claas Warenski.
Even though the GW-L looks quite imposing on Spiekeroog's narrow streets, the all-wheel-drive all-rounder is worth every centimetre. "We tried to get it stuck," the fire chief reports on the briefing by the Unimog general agent Schelling Nutzfahrzeuge. "We didn't manage it."
Multifunctional through modular design.
What really makes the Unimog stand out, however, is above all the conversion by Eggers Fahrzeugbau and its modular design. This makes it the perfect partner in emergency situations where every second can count.
By default the GW-L is equipped with four containers: one for water rescue, one for breathing apparatus, a module for technical assistance (TH) with equipment such as chainsaws, a cutter-spreader, a cordless angle grinder, a petrol cutoff saw and a multipurpose winch including protective clothing. In addition, the crew cab provides seating for seven people.
Depending on the mission, the fixed containers can be swapped for others. Available to the volunteer fire department are a pump module with a portable pump and collection tank, a hygiene module for disinfection and decontamination, an oil-spill module, and a hose reel container with a 500 m B-hose.
Save lives, save costs.
There would even be room on the Unimog for two more containers. But that free space is kept available for emergency medical measures on the beach, explains deputy fire chief Kai Kröger. In addition, the Unimog is equipped with a vertical lift, a tail lift, a door and a set of steps. "These are features that can quickly mean the difference between life and death during resuscitations or rescue and recovery operations."
And the modular construction also pays off in the long term: "If a new operational area is added or a regulation comes into force, we simply adapt the roll container," explains Kai Kröger. "And that will save the municipality money in the future as well."
Speaking of the municipality. At first it had a bit of trouble with the name the colleagues gave their new vehicle, which is now emblazoned above its windshield: "Beach Pig." But on the one hand the colleagues on Usedom also have their "Wild Boar", and on the other the "Beach Pig" has by now proved itself so well that probably no one would be bothered by its unofficial name anymore.
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