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The German fire service is quite different from the American fire service.

For a löscheinsatz(fire fighting emergency) fire fighters are divided up into Trupp (troop), Staffel (staff), and Gruppe (group). A typical pumper has 9 people including the Gruppenführer (the truck's fire officer) and the Maschinist (driver/operator). A trupp is two people. Each troop contains a Truppmann (troop man) and a Truppführer (troop leader). They are assigned to tactical divisions. Angriffstrupp is the fire attack troop, wassertrupp is the water supply troop, and the schlauchtrupp is the hose troop. The water troop lays hose from the hydrant to the fire apparatus. The hose troop lays line from the apparatus to the gated wye and then from the attack troop back to the gated wye. Oh, no hoses are pre-connected like on American attack lines. The attack troop donns their breathing apparatus, take their nozzle and wait for the lines to be laid.

After that first line is in operation, then hose troop then lays an attack line for the water troop. Now there are two attack lines in place. Usually, the next step is a third attack line manned by the hose troop. This is normally a 3-inch hose line.

A fire attack is not always made from the interior of the building. If there is no life to be saved or if the fire is well advanced, then the fire attack is made from the exterior. Also, the fire officer normally does not enter the facility. They stand outside and give orders to the troops. Once the order is given to the troop, the troop leader recites the order back to the fire officer word-for-word. Also, 1 3/4-inch handlines are not always the first line put into action. Sometimes, a fast attack line is used. This is like a booster line, except high pressure like from a pressure washer. The fine drops of water absorb the heat faster which allows faster knock-down with a lot less water damage. Don't forget, almost every building and home in Germany is concrete. So a fire in any room of a house is usually a "room and contents" fire unless it is not discovered for a long period of time. This also means that besided the roof, the actual building will not burn like a wood frame house in America.

This attack from the exterior proves to be more safe than application of water while inside the structure. How many times have you opened the nozzle and the next thing is the steam rolling around you and the crew. No steam burns here. Want more info on this type of fire fighting, read Fire Engineering, Feb 2000, "Little Drops of Water: 50 Years Later.". Fire Engineering Magazine

According to a fellow West Virginian, the late Chief Lloyd Layman said an indirect attack should be made from outside the structure to avoid the heated gases, smoke, and steam. This would prevent personal injury. Check out that article and some of Chief Layman's books. Kind of old books, but the way he describes fire fighting is how the Germans have been doing it for a lot longer than America has been around.

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