The Unimogs of the Spiekeroog volunteer fire brigade master firefighting and logistics tasks.

The North Sea islands call for multifunction vehicles. The Spiekeroog voluntary fire brigade uses a tanker firefighting vehicle (TLF-2000) and logistics equipment truck (GW-L), both based on the Unimog U 5023. They put their trust in the vehicles' flexible applications and reliable handling in extreme conditions. The multi-talented GW-L comes with a modular roller-shutter container system that could save the municipality a great deal of money in the future.

The other side of paradise.

Romantic dunes, idyllic beaches, seemingly endless salt marshes: the North Sea island of Spiekeroog is a tiny piece of paradise in the middle of the Wadden Sea. The municipality of 800 people has banned motorised private transport. Nature rules here. It’s a quiet place. But not always.

Wildfires, floods, sea rescue, evacuation: incidents such as these are the turbulent side of the 18.25 km² island. It is usually hidden from tourists who flock to Spiekeroog for its picturesque landscape, but not from the islanders of the voluntary fire brigade.

And inhabitants of Germany's far north know just how to cope with such extreme situations. The Unimog has been the firefighters' dependable choice of vehicle for decades.

Changing of the guard: the Unimog 1300 L Heidetanker next to its successor, a Unimog U 5023.

Unimog since 1980.

The 44 active firefighters and 18 members of the youth fire brigade have a total of four vehicles at their disposal. Two of them are Unimog U 5023 models: one 2000-litre tanker fire-fighting vehicle (TLF-2000) and another model with a crewcab used as a logistics equipment vehicle (GW-L).

“The Unimog has always looked after the fire brigade”, says Spiekeroog's chief municipal firefighter Claas Warenski. The old Unimog U 1300 L named Heidetanker, which had been working in Spiekeroog since the 1980s, was actually due to be retired in 2007. But the whole team struggled to give up the old warhorse that had served them so faithfully until late in life. However, in May 2024, Heidetanker made room for a new GW-L based on a Unimog U 5023.

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A logistical marvel loaded with jet skis.

The reason for the new purchase is recorded in the fire service requirements plan. “Only vehicles that can easily get the two rescue watercrafts into the water quickly and safely come into consideration”. A rescue watercraft is, in layman's terms, a jetski. The jetskis used on Spiekeroog are called Frieda and Walter.

Ready to go: the Unimog's fording depth has crucial advantages on Spiekeroog.

“We need them from time to time”, says the chief municipal firefighter. “For example, if kite surfers are blown off course, a dinghy or sailing boat capsizes or people get lost walking on the mudflats in the dark.” Our pilots can get going without delay thanks to the Unimog. “It works brilliantly, even when the sea is rough.”

From the point of view of the northern rescue experts, there were only a few vehicles with the necessary fording depth of up to 1.2 m, combined with a payload of around 3,500 kg, that could still make progress on sandy ground without any problem and continue to provide such a highly flexible range of applications: “It could only be the Unimog”, says Claas Warenski, “that was clear from the start”.

It could only be the Unimog.
That was clear from the start.

Claas Warenski, chief municipal firefighter, Spiekeroog voluntary fire brigade

Everything under control.

“You can't just drive to the water here like you can on the Baltic Sea”, explains deputy chief municipal firefighter Kai Kröger. “Due to the tides, the ground here is different every day. There's a tidal channel here, a stream there, sometimes holes too.” Well-trained operators and superior technology are needed to overcome this difficult terrain.

The TireControl plus tyre pressure control system installed in the Unimog can be adjusted to different surfaces in mere seconds at the touch of a button. There are three different modes available: Road, Sand and Rough. Alternatively, the tyre pressure can be manually regulated. And that’s exactly what the Spiekeroog fire brigade decided to do. The GW-L is perfectly adjusted to the local conditions at a pressure of 2.6 bar. The same goes for the manual gearbox. It can be switched from automatic to manual to guarantee more individual scope when manoeuvring and react to hard and soft island surfaces in no time at all. “We can dance over the beach as light as a feather”, jokes Claas Warenski.

Even though the GW-L might look a bit hefty on the narrow roads of Spiekeroog, the all-wheel-drive all-rounder is worth every centimetre of bulk. “We tried to get it stuck”, the fire department boss reports of the orientation test drive provided by Unimog general distributor Schelling Nutzfahrzeuge. “We did not succeed”.

Modular design for multiple functions.

The main reason that this Unimog stands out is the conversion work completed by Eggers Fahrzeugbau and its modular design, which makes it the perfect partner in emergency situations where every second counts. The GW-L is fitted with four containers as standard: one for water rescue, one for breathing apparatus, a technical rescue module (TH) with equipment such as chainsaws, cutter/spreaders, cordless angle grinders, power cutters and a multi-purpose hoist with protective gear. In addition, the crew cab can seat seven people.

The fixed containers can be replaced with others depending on the application. For instance, the voluntary fire brigade have a pump module with portable pump and catchment tank, a hygiene module for disinfection and decontamination, an oil spill module and a hose reel container with 500 m of size B hose.

Hesse relies on Unimog to fight climate disasters.

Saving lives and saving money.

It would even be possible to make room for two further containers on the Unimog. But this space is kept free for beach rescue services, explains deputy chief firefighter Kai Kröger. The Unimog is also equipped with a vertical lift, a tail lift, a door and steps. “These functions can make the difference between life and death in resuscitation or rescue and recovery operations.”

And the modular design is also beneficial in the long term: “if a new area of application is added or a regulation comes into force, we can simply modify the roller shutter containers”, explains Kai Kröger. “And this will also save the municipality costs in the future.”

Speaking of the municipality, at first, they had a bit of trouble with the name that the colleagues gave their new vehicle, now emblazoned above the windscreen: Strandschwein (beach pig). But the firefighters on Usedom island already have a truck called Wildsau (wild boar) and, more importantly, Strandschwein has already proven itself so worthy that no one is bothered by its nickname any more.

Water rescue with the Unimog on Usedom.