JENDSCH FEUERWEHRPRESSE FIRE PRESS

Fire- and disaster control apparatus in 1:87/HO scale

More than 4000 fire- and emergency apparatus, among them the fire units and ambulances from Konstanz County, are available in the City of Radolfzell for "operation". In the small scale 1:87/HO, understands itselfs! Wolfgang Jendsch is the owner of one of the most extensive European collections of examplary vehicle models with the "blue flashlight".

In large showcases and exhibition cabinets the models are "available for operation": fire engines from the whole world, from the historical horsedrawn steam engine up to the big water pumpers of European airports -, ambulances and emergency cars of the German emergency services ASB, DRK, JUH and MHD -, disaster control apparatus (KatS), of the German "Technisches Hilfswerk" (THW) and not least the police cars. More than 4000 models on scale 1:87/HO the collection of Wolfgang Jendsch counts, that is again and again added with new pieces of the small preciousnesses.

One of the largest examplary collections in Europe
For more than 25 years Wolfgang Jendsch (50), who is fulltime active as a special editor for fire- and emergency service as well as the information officer of the International Lake Constance Fire Association (BFB) and the Radolfzell Fire Department, dedicates himself in the model construction of fire and emergency apparatus. Already for a long time its extensive collection is well-known in Germany and Europe. Again and again the small fire- and emergency vehicles presents themselfs on large special fairs (for example "Interschutz - Der Rote Hahn", a well-known worldwide fire fair in Germany) or on anniversaries of the fire- and emergency services allover in Europe.

"These models are copied their actually existing examples in the smallest details", Wolfgang Jendsch explains the special feature of the exhibits. "A blue flashlight on a red painted car" is not sufficient in order to let a firefighting vehicle model develop. Chassis, structure and technical loading must be shown absolutely correct in type and details. Colour and organization inscriptions are inferior to its large examples in nothing. In individual cases up to 200 hours the model builder needs in order to let the model of an fire engine or an ambulance vehicle develop. Toy models of the industry, plastics and casting materials as well as various handmade metal parts form the basis of the future miniatures. Factory plans, folders and pictures serve as optical pattern for mass, loading and detail execution.

Excact models in 1:87/HO scale: Hose carrier SW 2000-Tr (KatS-Unit "Löschen und Wasserversorgung"/LZ-W),
Dekontaminations-Mehrzweckfahrzeug (DMF; HazMat Unit) with HazMat-trailer (ABC-Unit)
as well as another hose carrier (SW 2000-Tr) of the LZ-W on Mercedes-Benz 1113/Metz.

Who counts the types, calls the names?!
The collection in Radolfzell shows not at all only a large pallet of apparatus of the numerous fire and emergency organizations from the European countries, the USA, from Africa or Asia - to call only around some examples -, also a majority of the firefighting units and special apparatus of the fire brigades out of Constance County or the ambulances of the Constance County Emergency Service probably are in the showcases and exhibition cabinets.

Thereby the models of historical vehicles are particularly interesting: the handpulled water cart from the 18. century for example, the handdrawn engine with horse covering from 1923 or one of the first steam engines with four horses. Also the police is represented in the model show with numerous land- and aircrafts: helicopters for example or squad cars from Africa, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain and the USA.
With the numerous models it is possible to present the techniqual development in apparatus history of the different organizations, the development of fire- and emergency services or the tactical operation situations with a background of smoking structures and car crashs.

In the professional world well-known types and names of fire apparatus or apparatus of the auxiliary- and emergency services appears also in "small scale". So for example the FLF/GTLF 60/120 "Simba" (crash fire engine) from Rosenbauer, on duty on the Frankfurt International Airport and on the Munich Airport, a large palett of Faun 1410/1412-FLF/GTLF (crash fire engines), "naturally" also the former GTLF 18 (fire engine) of the Frankfurt Fire Department with its reciprocal driving cab, which presents itselfs meanwhile in front of the German Fire Museum in Fulda.
A view abroad shows exotics in lemon green, yellow, khaki-coloured or white - fire engines and rescue trucks for example from Tripoli (Lybien), Vera Cruz (Mexiko) or Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

To short in this collection naturally do not come the disaster control apparatus (for example units according to STAN, special apparatus from HazMat- or communication units or water rescue trucks), the emergency services (from historical ambulances to the modern rescue helicopters) and the police (for example squad cars, amored special vehicles).

Another KatS-fire engine in "small scale": "Löschgruppenfahrzeug" LF 16-TS (fire engine) on Magirus Deutz 170 D 11 (picture left).
Very effective the presentation of fire apparatus history in 1:87/HO scale - here fore example a historic "Kraftspritze" (fire engine) and a "Rüstgerätewagen" (rescue truck) from the years 1926 and from 1934 (picture middle) as well.
The picture on the right shows trucks of a manufacturers fire brigade.

The time is missing!
Also due to the vocational situation of Wolfgang Jendsch the necessary time for making further models is usually missing, then nevertheless always times for some quiet hours remains in order to complete the collection with interesting fire engines, ladder trucks or an emergency car. Particularly after some longer trips throught the USA Wolfgang Jendsch almost found numerous examples of US fire engines for reproduction.
"In my picture archive there are now about 45.000 fotos of fire- and emergency apparatus - there is much to do in further times", so Wolfgang Jendsch optimisticly says.
 

More reports about Wolfgang Jendsch and his modelbuilding hobby
you will find here (contributions in German language!)
 
 

Presse- und Werbeagentur Wolfgang Jendsch
Press- and Public Relations Agency - Fire- and Emergency Service
Wolfgang Jendsch, Special Editor/Author
Buchhof 1 - D-78315 Radolfzell/Bodensee (Germany)
Phone (+49) (0)7732/12893 - Fax (+49) (0)721/151510123
E-Mail: info -ad- feuerwehrpresse.de
(Tip: Because of avoiding undesirable advertising mails/SPAM we replaced the @ in the email-adress by an -ad-)