Technical map of the Middle Franconia administrative district showing Ansbach for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Fürth

For project owners, designers and site managers in Fürth, FONTANA-EOD clarifies which existing explosive ordnance results cover the planned ground works. A conclusion about unexploded bombs is read with its investigation subject and the areas covered. Send the complete report and current plan with the route, structures and ground disturbance depths so the investigation scope still needed can be agreed.

Conclusion

Know what was investigated.

Area

Compare the boundaries covered.

Design

Consider new ground works.

Discuss the project's technical requirementsExplosive ordnance investigation in Bavaria
Assess the construction project

How is an existing result compared with a changed route?

Compare the investigation subject and the areas and depths covered with the current route plan. Include shafts, connections and working spaces to the sides. Explicitly limited conclusions retain their limits. For areas not sufficiently covered, agree the further work needed before the proposed ground works there begin.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map of Bavaria with its coat of arms, beside a tablet, safety helmet, notebook and pen.

Relate the Fürth route example to the area it concerns

The preliminary design for the harbour area distinguishes historical assessment, surveying of individual sections and outstanding tasks. Its conclusions concern the status and investigation area described. For other projects in Fürth, bring together their own documents and ground works. Private specialist services and local hazard response remain separate under Bavarian requirements.

Fürth is an independent city in the Middle Franconia administrative district in the Free State of Bavaria. Identify the address, cadastral district and property, and the construction sections concerned, for the specific project. Local hazard response generally lies with the municipality as public safety authority; actual finds must be reported to the police immediately. The state explosive ordnance disposal service supports the authorities where legacy ordnance that has been found presents specific hazards. The Nürnberg disposal unit is responsible for Middle Franconia. Project-specific preliminary investigation and necessary specialist services are coordinated with the project owner and responsible parties. If the project is in another municipality, local responsibility follows its location.

Bavaria
Local context

Fürth's wartime history and local investigation limits

Assign local wartime indications to the construction area

A report on the new secondary school at Henri-Dunant-Straße dated 22 February 2021 published by the City of Fürth identifies the main railway station, the Bachmann, von Blumenthal & Co. aircraft works with their airfield, and Atzenhof airfield as Second World War targets. The historical research also describes bridge demolitions and artillery fire in April 1945. These details explain the local research approach of that report. For a present-day construction area in Fürth, relate its own files and aerial photographs to the precise project location. Consider earlier military use, railway areas and later ground changes where these are documented for that area. Specialist planning assigns the findings to the current ground works and determines the question still to resolve.

Distinguish the subject assessed from the area investigated

Fürth's preliminary design “Drainage of the Harbour Area – Alternative Routes”, dated 28 April 2025, distinguishes several investigation sources. For Rosenstockweg, it describes historical aerial photograph analysis and a conclusion limited to unexploded bombs. Smaller munitions are explicitly not ruled out to the same extent. Additional surface surveying concerned a specific structure location.

Relate the preliminary design to its scope at the time

The report also addresses measurement interference and further investigation needs for affected areas; an alternative route may cross additional areas. This is a preliminary design, rather than a final report for all utility works. For your own project, check the complete report and associated location plans before adopting an earlier conclusion.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the proposed work and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact makes cooperation easier but does not automatically take on every other party's duties. Before commissioning, record clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent authorities concerned. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed; its conclusions are not presented unchecked as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an authority's decision.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

State the remaining question specifically

Identify which part of the new project the existing documents do not yet cover. This may concern location, depth or the subject investigated. The next method addresses this question. Repeating an investigation without a clear commission does not automatically make its results more traceable.

Choose further methods according to the remaining task

Consider areas where interpretation is limited

Metal structures and other interference may limit conclusions. Specialist planning clarifies which findings are possible under the respective conditions and which task remains. Keep these areas visible on the results plan. A section difficult to interpret is not thereby treated as a confirmed find.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Clarify the scope of existing conclusions for the new design

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Read the complete historical assessment

The analysis describes a defined area and specific question. This includes maps, the source material used and limitations. Take these details together. A brief statement of results without its context can misdirect further planning. Identify outstanding questions before additional technical work.

Arrange specialist assessment of historical evidence
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Show every ground disturbance for the option

A route is more than a line on a location plan. Shafts, launch and reception areas and additional excavations may affect larger areas and different depths. Provide these details. They give the investigation commission a clear relation to the construction actually proposed.

Compare specialist services
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Assign additional results clearly

If another area is investigated later, keep its relationship to earlier reports clear. Document which question was additionally answered. Unchanged conclusions retain their existing limits. This lets the site management team identify which documents together apply to the planned works.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First clarify which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, investigation of a specific area, or work on a finding already assessed? These tasks require different information. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation scope that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore identifies the ground disturbance, location, depth and available findings. Agree suitable specialist work and the results documents needed on this basis. Mark excavations for shafts, launch and reception areas, connections and side working spaces on the current plan too. Where several options exist, show their differences clearly. Compare the existing investigation map with these areas and depths. Specialist planning can then determine which earlier findings remain usable and which additional work the selected option needs. Relate the commissioned service to this specific task.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A reliable programme distinguishes tasks already technically resolved from prerequisites still outstanding. If an area will be only partly accessible, account for this when commissioning the work. Results handover and assessment also need time in the construction programme. An enquiry therefore does not produce a blanket commitment on timing or costs. Specific coordination relates the described scope to access, documents, construction conditions and the date a decision is needed. Identify preparatory ground works and areas accessible only later for scheduling. Assign existing structures, utilities and known measurement interference to the affected sections. Specialist planning considers these details when selecting methods, defining the work scope and preparing the site. The quotation describes the agreed task and results documents to hand over. Include construction, specialist interpretation and handover in the project programme.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Compare existing investigations with the current route

01

Identify the investigation subject precisely

Read which ordnance types and questions the conclusion concerns. A limited assessment must not become a general clearance through a shortened account. Prerequisites and remaining uncertainties also form part of the result. If the wording is unclear, have its scope clarified by a specialist.

02

Identify the sections investigated on the location plan

A structure location, route section and whole property are different areas. Transfer the documented boundaries to the current design. Connections or working spaces moved sideways may lie outside them. An investigation nearby is not sufficient evidence for these additional areas.

03

Do not equate measurement interference with finds

Ferromagnetic interference can affect interpretation without establishing an explosive ordnance find. The report must show where specialist conclusions were possible and where further clarification remains necessary. These areas must not appear fully investigated when handed over to the site management team.

04

Compare alternatives before construction

If a utility is to follow a different route, compare its new position with the existing investigation boundaries. Consider shafts, excavations and proposed depths too. A route that is more economical or technically favourable may have different investigation needs. This question belongs in the option decision rather than waiting until earthworks are under way.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Retain limitations at handover

When a result is passed on within a project, its investigation objective and limitations must accompany it. A brief clearance label cannot replace this scope. Refer to the complete report and associated plan. Contractors need the status for their actual work area. A handover list identifies reports, maps and technical additions with their dates and assessment status. Document the commissioned methods, areas and depths actually investigated, assessments and limits in the report and plan appendices. For commissioned clearance work, the clearance record with location and results forms part of the evidence. The site management team receives the complete appendices for the affected section. Assign technical questions to the responsible contact.

Compare an option technically before the decision

A different route may leave areas already assessed or require additional foundations. Identify these differences early. Technical coordination can then establish the additional need and prerequisites. A route's length alone says little about the findings already available. The option decision records which earlier investigation is used for which section.

The 2025 preliminary design identifies historical research from 2013 and surface surveying from 2020 for Rosenstockweg. Relate these stages to the original reports and the structure or route area actually selected. Later additions retain their own dates and commission references. If shafts, excavations or depths change, update the comparison. File additional results with their relationship to the earlier report. A new plan version identifies its associated technical sources. Before the next work section, give the affected parties the relevant status and outstanding tasks.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Enquire with the report and current plan

Provide the complete existing results and the new route version. Mark changes to shafts, excavations and depths. During coordination, compare the documented scope with these ground works. This establishes the specialist task needed to obtain missing findings. State which decision is needed before the next construction phase and whether a route option has already been selected. Supply known access conditions, utility plans and information on preparatory works. Describe the results documents actually needed. Specialist planning assigns earlier reports and additional investigations to this task. For outstanding questions, define the areas, depths and prerequisites together. This allows the next commission to be agreed before the affected ground works.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Relate the final construction plan to the results available

Before construction, check whether the selected option still fits the documents used. Identify subsequent relocations clearly. Give the site management team reports and location plans with their limits. For new ground disturbance, agree the additional work needed before the affected work begins. If the contractor changes, assign the reports and maps to the work area taken over. The handover identifies outstanding tasks and technical contacts. After an interruption, compare the next planned ground works with the documented status too. Record new results and changes with dates in the project file. The site management team and other affected parties receive the current version with all its appendices.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Add the conclusions still needed

Use existing preliminary investigation correctly

A Historical aerial photograph analysis provides an assessment of the available images for a defined area. It does not automatically replace every technical investigation. Existing findings remain in use where they fit the question. If maps, appendices or explanations are missing, first obtain the complete documents.

Design surveys for the specific objective

For any necessary Surveying, define the investigation objective, spatial coverage and local limitations. Measurements for an individual structure location do not automatically answer the questions of a long route. The chosen method must fit the conditions. Identify sections where interpretation is not possible explicitly in the results.

Set out the next steps in advance

A Clearance plan can describe the services still needed and their sequence for the planned ground disturbance. Usable earlier results are considered. Visual observation during excavation alone does not close technical gaps. Whether a clearance method during construction is possible and suitable needs separate assessment.

Next steps

Prepare an enquiry using existing investigations

01

Show the planned ground disturbance

Include a current plan showing the route, structures and working areas. State proposed depths and options still open. A project address alone is insufficient for comparison with earlier investigation maps. Identify which ground works come first and which depend on them. For the initial project discussion, identify the address, construction phase and forthcoming ground works. Specialist planning checks existing explosive ordnance information and reports with all their appendices for plan status, area and depth coverage, and unresolved questions about the current task. Further work builds on findings that can actually be used.

02

Bring results and appendices together

Send the complete investigation report where available. If several assessment stages exist, identify the dates and which maps belong to each. Different results must not be merged without checking. An earlier result may remain usable even if another part of the project still needs investigation.

03

Coordinate historical evidence and methods

Where the existing evidence does not yet answer today's question, the required historical research or aerial photograph assessment is carried out for the specific construction area. Findings are assigned spatially and connected to the planned ground disturbance. Specialist planning uses this to define the investigation scope and a suitable method. Ground structure, installed structures, measurement limits and intended depths are considered. Access and necessary preparatory work are agreed with the responsible parties. Existing knowledge that is sufficient continues to be used for further planning.

04

Agree the remaining work needed

After comparison, agree the outstanding questions and necessary specialist services. These may include further preliminary investigation or technical investigations. Agree the necessary conditions for the work too. A commission should make clear which areas will be addressed and which are outside its scope.

05

Carry out and assess the commissioned investigation

Specialist staff carry out the defined survey or supervision for the agreed task. Measurement data, findings and the investigation conditions actually achieved are recorded with location and depth references. Unaddressed areas and areas with limited interpretability remain identifiable. The data collected is assessed against the investigation objective and local interference. This establishes further work requirements or the results handover. If a suspicious object is encountered, work stops and the responsible response authorities are notified.

06

Give the site management team the relevant status

Hand over results with clear location information and remaining limitations. For additional investigations, make clear which earlier conclusion they extend or replace. Compare changes to the route or ground disturbance depth again. This keeps clear which documents apply to each work step. Record the specialist assessment in a report with the associated plan appendices. Document methods, areas and depths actually investigated, and limits. The site management team compares the next ground works with these and agrees any further work needed before the affected construction begins.

Documentation

Distinguish property assessment from state hazard response

Findings and their scope

In Bavaria, the current notice generally assigns local hazard response to the municipalities. If explosive ordnance is actually found, notify the police immediately. The state explosive ordnance disposal service does not replace project-specific preliminary investigation of private properties. For property-specific precautions, agree historical research, hazard assessment and, where necessary, technical investigation as defined specialist tasks. Project owners and contractors consider their responsibilities for construction. The state explosive ordnance disposal service's contribution free of charge concerns its defined tasks for handling legacy ordnance that has been found. Private preliminary investigation and technical investigation services are commissioned with their own scope and corresponding payment. The specialist contractor agrees handover of recovered explosive ordnance with the responsible disposal unit.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD agrees the specialist services needed for the Fürth project with you. The specific investigation objective and proposed ground works remain the basis. The BFR KMR can provide technical guidance for planning and documentation. Their direct federal scope does not thereby create a blanket additional duty for every private property.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Use results terminology in its context

A conclusion about a particular investigation subject is passed on with that subject identified. Spatial limits and prerequisites also accompany it. This lets the next specialist designer see what has already been resolved. Clarify unclear abbreviated statements using the complete documents.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Organise plans by version and purpose

A design plan and results plan may show the same area differently. Identify the date, purpose and relationship to the relevant report. Compare the later construction design with them clearly. Older maps remain available as source material without accidentally being used as the current construction plan.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
Person wearing an orange high-visibility vest on a marked construction area with small piles of soil
Person wearing an orange high-visibility vest with a MALÅ survey cart on grass
Questions from planning

Questions about limited results and route changes

Does a conclusion about unexploded bombs establish general absence of explosive ordnance?

No. The subject explicitly investigated is decisive. The Fürth preliminary design distinguishes the conclusion about unexploded bombs from the question of smaller munitions. This limitation must not be lost when the result is used further.

Does investigation at a structure cover the whole route?

Not automatically. Compare the documented area boundaries and investigation objectives with every planned ground disturbance. They do not establish equivalent conclusions for sections outside those boundaries.

Does ferromagnetic interference already constitute an explosive ordnance find?

No. Such interference can have various causes and affect measurements or interpretation. Whether further investigation is needed and which conclusions remain possible requires specialist assessment.

What changes when a new route is chosen?

Compare the new location and proposed ground disturbance depths with existing results. Additional areas or different requirements may require further investigations; usable findings remain part of the assessment.

What applies if a suspicious object is found during the works?

Stop work, do not touch or move the object, and keep other people away. Notify the police immediately from a safe distance on 110 and follow the authorities' instructions.

Which additional parts of a route often need to be included in the comparison?

Alongside the utility route, include shafts, excavations, launch and reception areas, and proposed ground disturbance depths.

How does a limited conclusion remain clear when passed on?

By handing over the investigation subject, spatial scope and limitations with the report and location plan.

Which plan versions and cost factors matter for the next construction phase?

Identify the date, purpose and relationship to the relevant report. The design shows the proposed construction, while the results plan assigns the areas actually investigated. Keep both with their version information so an older map is not accidentally used as the current construction design. The work required depends on the remaining investigation scope, area size or the number of points, depth, available documents, access, interference and the appropriate method. Agree preparatory works and the results documents needed as part of the commission. For scheduling, state when the technically assessed findings are needed for the next work step.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Show the option

Draw the route and associated construction areas with depths. Do you already have reports for a site or route in Fürth? Send them with the current design. We will clarify which conclusions cover the proposed ground works and which specialist services are still needed.

Attach the report

Send maps, limitations and additional results together. Also state which earthworks are due to begin first and which areas are not yet accessible. This allows necessary preparations and results handover to be coordinated in good time.

Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.

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