Fire drill in the Lobdeburg tunnel

A burning commercial vehicle in a tunnel, numerous casualties and a large-scale operation involving several hundred people: this was the scenario that the fire service, ambulance service and civil protection services practised on Saturday evening in the Lobdeburg motorway tunnel. The full-scale exercise involved the Jena professional fire brigade, volunteer fire brigades, as well as units from the ambulance service and civil protection from Jena and the districts of Saale-Holzland and Saalfeld-Rudolstadt. The exercise was prepared and organised by the Jena Fire Service in collaboration with Autobahn GmbH, the federal government’s motorway operator and the tunnel’s operator.

A total of 305 people took part in the exercise, including 25 role-players who portrayed injured or otherwise affected individuals.

One scenario, many challenges

The emergency services were alerted at 9.50 pm. The units involved then set off for the Lobdeburg Tunnel and began implementing the planned measures.

Unlike exercises involving individual stations, this time a continuous sequence of operations was simulated. The focus was on firefighting inside the tunnel, the search and rescue of people from smoke-filled areas, and the triage, medical treatment and transport of a large number of casualties.

A tunnel fire presents emergency services with particular challenges. Heavy smoke, extreme heat and restricted visibility make it difficult to find one’s bearings and rescue people. Added to this are long distances, difficult communication conditions and the need to treat numerous casualties simultaneously. The arrival of additional emergency services can also be hampered by traffic jams on the motorway.

For this reason, the full-scale exercise was not solely focused on rescue operations. The emergency services also practised managing a large-scale operation, coordinating numerous rescue resources and communicating over long distances. The control centre was also involved: it requested additional emergency services from other areas of responsibility and coordinated their deployment.

Emergency medical services: safety through clear roles and joint training

A particular challenge was providing medical care for the large number of people affected. Whilst in a single emergency the focus is on treating one patient, in a major incident the emergency services must first assess the overall situation, triage the injured according to the urgency of their treatment, and coordinate further care and transport.

Such procedures are practised in advance. However, how they interlock under the conditions of a complex large-scale incident can only be tested in a joint exercise involving the fire service and the ambulance service.

Dr Katharina Jacob, an emergency doctor and member of the ambulance service’s incident command team, explains: “In a major incident, the first thing you need to do is get an overview of the situation. That’s quite different from treating a single patient. Every emergency responder should know: what is my role, what can I decide? And they should also have the confidence to do so. During an exercise, things are allowed to go wrong; that is precisely how we learn. Clarity of roles provides confidence and also protects against feeling responsible afterwards for things that one could not have managed alone. We practise triage beforehand, but we need to experience first-hand how the fire service and ambulance service work together. Exercises like this are time-consuming and have a lasting impact.”

Joint training therefore serves not only to review medical and organisational procedures. It is also intended to empower individual emergency service personnel to carry out their duties with confidence, make decisions and work through difficult situations together afterwards.

Co-operation across district boundaries

Emergency services from three local authorities took part in the full-scale exercise. In the event of major incidents, additional resources from neighbouring districts often need to be brought in. It is then crucial that command structures, communication, rescue operations and medical care function effectively even across jurisdictional boundaries.

Benjamin Koppe, Mayor and Head of the Department for Finance, Safety and Citizen Services for the City of Jena, emphasises the importance of this cooperation: “Civil protection is a shared responsibility. A major incident in a tunnel poses particular challenges for all the emergency services involved. In such cases, it is vital that the fire service, ambulance service and civil protection work together reliably across jurisdictional boundaries and can rely on one another. This is precisely what we are practising with this full-scale exercise under realistic conditions. For Jena, it is crucial that procedures are coordinated with neighbouring districts and Autobahn GmbH, that communication works effectively, and that in an emergency everyone knows what to do. Exercises such as these ensure that procedures run smoothly, but they also highlight areas where we still need to make adjustments. They are therefore an indispensable part of our preparations and directly serve to ensure the safety of the people of Jena and the entire region.”

Volunteer fire brigades from the Saale-Holzland district also took part in the exercise. For neighbouring local authorities, joint preparation is particularly important because large-scale emergency situations do not stop at administrative boundaries.

Johann Waschnewski, District Administrator of the Saale-Holzland district, emphasises the close ties between the district and the city of Jena: “Jena and the Saale-Holzland district are neighbours and closely intertwined. A major incident in the Lobdeburg Tunnel would affect us all. Volunteer fire brigades from our district therefore took part in this full-scale exercise to practise such a scenario and strengthen our cooperation. My thanks go to all the full-time and volunteer firefighters who took part.”

Preparations for the refurbishment of the Lobdeburg Tunnel

The full-scale exercise also served as preparation for the comprehensive refurbishment of the Lobdeburg Tunnel, planned for 2028/2029. The construction work will alter traffic conditions and will therefore also have an impact on emergency services’ access to the site, the deployment of vehicles and tactical procedures. The joint exercise helps the organisations involved to adapt to these specific conditions at an early stage.

For Matthias Posern, tunnel manager at Autobahn GmbH des Bundes, the coordination between tunnel operations and the emergency services is a key aspect: “Safety in a road tunnel depends on the coordination of various departments. In addition to the technical equipment and the safe operation of the facility, it is crucial that the relevant emergency services are familiar with the local conditions and can coordinate their actions with tunnel operations. A joint full-scale exercise provides an important basis for this. It enables us to examine procedures together under realistic conditions and to further develop cooperation between all those involved.”

Tunnel safety requires experience and specialist knowledge

The specific safety requirements for road tunnels also played an important role in the preparation of the exercise. In the event of an incident in a tunnel, the emergency services must be familiar with the structural and technical conditions and tailor their response accordingly.

Frank Steiner, a tunnel safety expert, has supported the technical preparation for such operational scenarios alongside the fire service, police and emergency medical services for many years. For him, the full-scale exercise in the Lobdeburg Tunnel was also his final tunnel exercise in this capacity.

“An incident in a road tunnel places particular demands on the emergency services and poses additional hazards due to the tunnel’s structural envelope. It cannot be compared to an incident in the open air. Smoke, extreme heat, restricted visibility and confined spaces can make the emergency services’ operations particularly difficult. This makes clear procedures, tailored to the specific tunnel, and thorough preparation by all those involved all the more important. Exercises of this nature and scale ensure that the procedures – from arrival at the tunnel through to situational assessment and incident management, including coordination between the incident command centre and the tunnel control centre in Zella-Mehlis – are practised and mastered,” explains Steiner.

His long-standing work in the field of tunnel safety began in the mid-1990s as a fire safety officer for tunnels. Since 2003, he has worked as an external safety officer for tunnels. This full-scale exercise marks the end of his long-standing work in this field for the Thuringian State Office for Construction and Transport and the federal motorway company Autobahn GmbH.

Insights for future operational planning

Nick Ludwig, Head of Specialist Services at the Jena Fire Brigade, gives an initial assessment: “The initial evaluation shows that numerous procedures have already improved compared with previous exercises. In particular, the established command structures have proved to be a sound basis for managing a complex operational situation. At the same time, it became clear where further coordination is needed: communication problems led to delays in the course of the operation in some instances. Challenges also arose within the ambulance service – challenges that were already identified in previous exercises and which require further attention. A positive aspect worth highlighting is the high level of commitment and the great willingness of all participating units and organisations to contribute to this complex exercise. The findings will now be jointly analysed in order to further develop existing procedures and, in particular, to strengthen cross-organisational cooperation. This is precisely where the key value of such exercises lies: in highlighting progress, identifying weaknesses and improving together.”

The exercise will be evaluated afterwards in collaboration with the organisations involved. The focus will be, in particular, on the rescue of people, medical care, operational command, and communication and coordination between the various units. The insights gained are to be incorporated into future operational planning and preparations for similar emergency situations.

Closure of the A4

For the full-scale exercise, the A4 was closed in both directions on Saturday from 8.00 pm in the vicinity of the Lobdeburg Tunnel. The closure was scheduled to last until 8.00 am on Sunday, 8 November. Information about the restrictions and diversions had already been provided in advance, including on digital information boards.

Thanks to all those involved

The City of Jena would like to thank all the emergency services and other contributors who prepared, organised and carried out this extensive full-scale exercise. This includes the full-time and volunteer staff of the fire services, the ambulance service and the civil protection agency, as well as the staff of Autobahn GmbH and the other organisations involved.

An exercise on this scale requires considerable organisational effort, time and the commitment of many people. It provides an opportunity to practise complex operational scenarios together, critically review procedures and further develop cooperation for future operations.