Starting this week, firefighters of the Dutch village Breukelen will hop on their bikes to save the day. Have you ever heard anything more Dutch? 😂
Just imagine this: there’s a fire in the town of Breukelen, Utrecht. The alarm sounds through town and the town’s brave firefighters rush to put on their gear. In groups, they hurry out of the fire station, zoom past the fire truck, and hop onto their trusty e-bikes to save the day!
Say, what?? Well, it’s true. But don’t worry, there’s a good reason for it. The Dutch are madly in love with their bikes but (for the most part) they’ve stayed sane.
“Rather smiling faces, than no fire brigade”
This is the fire station’s solution to the puzzle: a bridge that needs fixing. There is a single bridge crossing the river de Vecht in the village Breukelen, and for the next couple of months, it is under construction, reports AD.
The problem? The station is on one sight of the river, but much of the area the firefighters are meant to protect is on the other. And while there is a temporary bridge in place, the fire truck is far too heavy to cross it.
So, there are only two options remaining. Either taking the fire truck on a detour of several kilometres to the next bridge or hopping on the fiets and speeding across the temporary fixture.
True to their Calvinist roots, the Dutch naturally chose the most straightforward and pragmatic approach. The Commander of the Breukelen firefighter unit Nick van Schaik says: “Rather smiling faces, than no fire brigade.” 💪
E-bikes for the everyday hero
Naturally, the firefighters will still need their cars to reach fires outside of the village. A temporary, make-shift fire station has been set up on the other side of the bridge. The bikes are only used to get there as fast as possible.
And because they’re using e-bikes, it really takes no time at all! The 600 metres from the fire station to the temporary car are covered in a mere 1.5 minutes. “We won’t be out of breath by the time we reach the car,” commander Tim van Dommelen tells AD happily. 🚒
A first time for everything
The fact that the temporary fire station on the other side of the river is on a farm just adds another fun element to the story.
The firefighters have been asked to back out slowly for the first couple of metres so they don’t disturb the animals with car noises.
“I have been with the fire brigade for forty years and have never experienced anything like this,” says firefighter Herman Lokhorst, “It’s unique.”
What do you think about firefighters on bikes? Tell us in the comments!
Feature Image: kokal/Depositphotos
