Plant and company fire departments

Safety for employees, properties, buildings, and facilities at the Mainz site: this is what the SCHOTT plant fire department has stood for for more than 70 years. The main task of the plant fire department is to prevent fires from occurring in the first place or to fight them as early as possible in their development.

Fire protection on an industrial site is a top priority, as fires pose a considerable risk to people, property, and operational processes. With state-of-the-art technology, an extensive fleet of vehicles, and a powerful team, the SCHOTT plant fire department responds to around 300 calls per year – from technical assistance, environmental protection operations, and support in medical emergencies to firefighting.

Cooperation with the Mainz fire department is also very important for the SCHOTT plant fire department, whether in joint exercises or mutual support during operations.

Since its beginnings in the mid-19th century, Prefere Paraform GmbH has developed into an internationally operating company with 24/7 production.

The Prefere Paraform GmbH company fire department in Mombach has a decades-long tradition at the plant and is an integral part of the company's hazard prevention system. It recruits its personnel on a voluntary basis from among its own workforce, who are very familiar with the substances and equipment available at the plant and have firefighting training. The company fire department works closely with the Mainz professional fire department.
 
The technical equipment of the Prefere company fire department is adapted to the special needs of a chemical production plant:

• Mobile equipment for fire and leak control distributed throughout the plant
• Stationary fire extinguishing and tank sprinkler systems
• Own vehicle hall with changing area and training room
• UNIMOG firefighting vehicle with dry extinguishing agent and firefighting trailer
• TS 8/8 mobile portable pump
• Extensive personal protective equipment

The company fire department provides services in preventive fire protection and training of staff in the use of extinguishing agents. It also provides technical assistance during normal operations, such as setting up fire watches, measuring containers, and providing technical and organizational replacement measures during maintenance/repairs of fire protection technology. In the event of a fire or leak, it supports the Mainz professional fire department with its detailed local knowledge and company-specific expertise on the substances and systems used.

The Werner & Mertz fire department consists of four full-time employees on day duty. If necessary, they are supported by 14 emergency personnel who normally work in administration, production, or maintenance. All employees are trained in accordance with the applicable fire department regulations and receive further training in their local fire department, at city level, or at the LFKA in Koblenz.

During regular working hours, they independently handle incidents involving fires, technical assistance, hazardous materials, and first responder services. Outside of these hours, the public fire department or rescue service is called in via the permanently staffed plant security department. The full-time fire department employees are also on call 365 days a year.

Day-to-day activities include maintenance and testing of firefighting equipment, work approvals, fire alarm system switching, clearance measurements, and training. Employees also provide support in preventive structural fire protection. The plant fire department at the Mainz plant has three vehicles and various trailers at its disposal, including an LF 16/12 firefighting vehicle, an environmental protection equipment vehicle, and a passenger car for first responder operations and as a command vehicle.