As a hydraulic construction company, we recognised the danger of legacy ordnance early on. Making construction safe for all parties must be a top priority for all – so we took on the challenge of developing our expertise related to Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). We have been locating and salvaging conventional and chemical ordnance on land and on water in Germany – and beyond – since 1978.
With the increasing demand for sounding and salvaging ordnance, we founded Heinrich Hirdes Kampfmittelräumung GmbH as an independent company to serve this specific market. Our team consists of ordnance experts, analysts, safety experts, planners and specialist administrative – all armed with the same determination to make our surroundings safe and secure. This means, in many cases, digging deep. We assess historical records such as war journals and aerial photographs to track down bombs and mines. We survey compromised areas with systematic precision, using computer support and automated tools, in a meticulous grid process. Combining the latest technology with a highly motivated, skilled team yields the best results in the industry. As a consequence, customers with a real challenge at hand know how to find us.
What makes our onshore EOD tick
Best idea wins
For our EOD crews out there, working as a team is the heart and soul of everything we do. Dealing with high-level challanges on daily basis, trusting and supporting your team members is simply a must. Our crews consist of individuals with sometimes very varying backgrounds, but we always come together as a team.
The key in all of this is our commitment to learn, on and off the field. We embrace a ‘best idea wins’ culture where everybody gets a say, and all ideas are judged on their merits, regardless of the origin. For a long time now, we’ve rotated people among the teams in order to diversify our knowledge base – and we’ve seen that this is highly beneficial both to the individual and the organization.
Future-proofing communities
Many areas in Germany, espacially in the eastern regions, are still silently scarred by the war. Explosives dating back to World War II present an immediate danger to, for instance, construction crews building new neighborhoods. Thanks to Hirdes know- how, it is possible to locate those explosives using advanced imaging technologies – without having to perform extensive digging.
Once we lock on to the explosive ordnances, we eliminate the threat they pose for good. Usually these ordnances can be rendered harmless onsite, but about 5% are detonated under controlled circumstances. In all of these operations, we’ve never experienced any injuries or accidents.