Mercedes-Benz has established a unique partnership with European fire services and has recently conducted their first joint training session with the fire services personnel.
Rescue Operations training was carried out on new Mercedes‑Benz vehicles. The aim of this initiative, organised by Mercedes‑Benz AG in collaboration with the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), is to give firefighters the opportunity to practise on modern vehicles.
This enables faster response times in an emergency and improves operational safety, helping the fire services to save more lives.
According to an estimate by the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 1.3 million people die in road accidents worldwide every year. As a safety pioneer, Mercedes‑Benz follows its mission to significantly reduce this figure.
The company’s goal is Vision Zero; that means aiming to eliminate traffic deaths by 2050. Road safety is a key part of Mercedes‑Benz’s sustainable business strategy. This year’s focus is on “Rescue after an accident”.
For this purpose, Mercedes‑Benz has developed the “MB4Rescue” concept with the vfdb to improve fire service training. “MB4Rescue” intensifies the exchange with fire service experts.
This is achieved by giving emergency personnel the opportunity to practise rescue procedures on the latest Mercedes‑Benz models, so they are better prepared for real-life incidents. At the same time, the Mercedes‑Benz safety experts benefit from the fire services’ day-to-day rescue experience and their feedback from the post-accident phase.
“With our new ‘MB4Rescue’ initiative, we support those who save lives every day: the emergency response personnel. We share our expertise, technology and experience so that rescue workers can act faster, safer and more effectively. Our goal is clear: zero traffic deaths by 2050.”
Prof. Paul Dick, Director Vehicle Safety and Accident Research, Mercedes‑Benz
The “MB4Rescue” pilot event has recently taken place at the Technology Centre for Vehicle Safety (crash test centre) in Sindelfingen. Emergency response personnel instructors from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as fire brigade teams from almost all German Mercedes‑Benz AG plants participated in the event.
The rescuers were able to train on current Mercedes‑Benz models such as the CLA, EQE, EQS, GLE and CLE.
“Our fire services usually do their training with undeformed 10 to 15-year-old cars that are destined for the scrapyard. The increasing speed of innovation in automotive and drive technology, however, continuously leads to new challenges for the firefighters. It is immensely important to practise on the latest vehicle models so that we are prepared to work on these high-tech cars at accident scenes.”
Tanja Hellmann, professional firefighter; vfdb, Vehicle Technology and Technical Assistance Division
Mercedes‑Benz aims to build vehicles that do not only perform well in defined crash test scenarios but also offer a high level of safety potential in real-life road accidents.
The company calls this its “Real-Life Safety” philosophy. Mercedes‑Benz’s holistic approach to safety development pursues two goals: preventing accidents and mitigating their consequences. In addition to protecting the vehicle occupants, it also focuses on the safety of all road users outside the vehicle.