Wrong Hotline Number in Fire Department Report in Langenfeld

On 12 July 2026 the internal note of Langenfeld Fire Department listed the new central number 02173 950-450. App version 1.8 was supposed to display this number automatically.

The plan was for residents to reach the control center directly through the app. The number was entered into the database and set as default.

In reality the database contained a typo. Instead of 02173 950-450 it showed 02173 950-540. The 47 calls placed between 13 July and 3 August reached a private person in Monheim.

The fire department learned of a garage complex fire on Richrather Straße only after four hours. Damage amounted to 1240 euros according to the fire department report dated 15 July 2026.

Time loss through detours

Callers had to dial the city hall switchboard 02173 950-0 after the failed attempt. This took between nine and fourteen minutes in the documented cases. The control center then needed additional minutes to confirm the exact address.

Four hours of delay occurred in the garage fire. Two vehicles from the volunteer fire brigade arrived late.

Direct costs

1240 euros in property damage were listed in the cited report. Another 180 euros for extra materials were later billed by Langenfeld city administration.

App version 1.8 does not run on Android 14. Users of this system still received the wrong number even after the update on 20 July.

Alternative routes

Directly dialing the city hall switchboard 02173 950-0 would have avoided the detour. The control center had already enabled this number as backup since 2024.

Another route via the police emergency number 110 was used in three cases. Police then forwarded the call to the fire department. This path took on average eight minutes longer than the correct app connection.

City administration corrected the number in the database on 4 August. Further reports remained affected until then.

The figure of 1240 euros appears as a verifiable value in the fire department report of 15 July 2026. App 1.8 and the date 12 July 2026 can be traced via the internal note.

Correcting the database alone was not enough. Android 14 users still required additional manual entries.