Fire department practices emergency in Jagdberg highway tunnel

On the night of October 19 to 20, 2024, a large-scale exercise of the emergency services will take place in the Jagdberg freeway tunnel near Jena. The Jena professional fire department is carrying out this exercise together with the tunnel operator and other authorities and organizations with security tasks. The emergency services include the fire departments responsible for the tunnel from Jena and the Saale-Holzland district, disaster control units as well as aid organizations from the rescue services and the freeway police. Autobahn GmbH des Bundes is also using the closure for training its operational services staff.

For the exercise, the A4 will be closed in both directions between the "Bucha" and "Jena-Göschwitz" junctions from 20:00 to 06:00. Local and long-distance detour will be set up.

Versatile exercise at 13 stations

Realistic operational scenarios will be rehearsed at 13 different stations. The exercises include

• Extinguishing vehicle fires,
• the rapid rescue of people from a smoke-filled tunnel and
• dealing with a large number of injured persons.

For this purpose, four gas fire appliances are set up as fire scenes and two simulated traffic jam scenarios.

A special focus is placed on a real fire test with a car, in which the stationary firefighting system of the tunnel must be triggered manually by the fire department's monitoring center and incident commander. Furthermore, the Thuringian State Fire Brigade and Disaster Control School in Bad Köstritz is conducting a series of tests with new breathing protection technology together with the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Municipal Affairs and the Suhl professional fire department. This is to be used for rescuing people from smoke-filled tunnels.

350 participants in action

More than 350 people take part in the exercise. Around 200 emergency personnel are actively involved in the exercise. In addition, around 100 extras - mainly students of human medicine at Friedrich Schiller University Jena - are involved as "casualties" with artificial wounds in order to simulate an emergency as realistically as possible. They are supported by around 50 instructors, observers and helpers.

Legal basis

According to the alarm and emergency response plan, a major exercise must take place in every road tunnel in Thuringia every four years. Not only are the operational concepts of the emergency services tested for their functionality, but the procedures for dealing with major incidents are also trained realistically so that they can react quickly and effectively in an emergency. This is particularly important, as smoke and heat can quickly spread dangerously in a tunnel in the event of a fire.

Detour recommendation

Road users on the A4 towards Dresden who want to take the A9 towards Berlin/Leipzig will be guided on a large scale via the digital display boards at the Erfurter Kreuz junction and the detour signs via the A71 and A38. Medium-range road users on the A4 in the direction of Dresden will be informed via the stationary LED information boards at the Apolda junction and diverted via the "U81" (B87 -> Umpferstedt -> B7 -> Jena) to the Eisenberg junction of the A9. On a smaller scale, the detour will take place immediately before the Jagdberg tunnel at the Bucha junction via the U35 (L2309 -> Milda -> B88) to the Jena-Göschwitz junction on the A4.

Road users coming from the A9 from the direction of Munich who want to take the A4 towards Frankfurt am Main will be guided on a large scale via the digital display boards at the Rippachtal junction with the destination "Frankfurt am Main" and the detour signs via the A38 and A71. On a smaller scale, the detour on the A4 in the direction of Frankfurt am Main is via the bypass at the Jena-Göschwitz junction and use of the "U14" detour (B88 -> Milda -> L2309) to the Bucha junction of the A4.

Road users coming from the A71 in the direction of Sangerhausen who want to take the A4 in the direction of Dresden will be guided via the digital display boards at the Erfurter Kreuz junction with the destination "Berlin" or "Leipzig" and the detour signs via the A71 and A38.