German fire services

The fire department is accessible throughout Germany via the emergency number 112. Central location for equipment and vehicles, the fire station and the fire station.

The responsibility of the fire service is regulated in Germany in the national legislation by the respective fire department, fire protection or assistance laws. In addition, the fire department may act as a public institution in the context of assistance to other authorities.

The activities and tasks of a single firefighter with others in the network are fixed across countries in the fire department service rules ( FwDV ). Fire departments exist here in different organizational forms. In addition to the local volunteer fire department forms ( Germany-wide mandatory present in each community ), professional fire (in addition to the local volunteer fire department in 102 cities available) and the rare duty firefighters are working in factories or industrial fire brigades entertained.

• 2.1 Establishment of fire brigades
• 2.2 Fire Department in the period of National Socialism
• 2.3 Fire Brigade in the postwar period
• 2.4 Fire Brigade in the GDR

Organization

In Germany the fire essence lies in the legislative competence of the Länder. While technical equipment and training because of uniform national fire brigade service regulations and standards are almost uniformly raised about the organization and financing numerous differences. Therefore, it is almost impossible to speak of the " fire brigade in Germany ". Rather, it is necessary to look at the fire department in the individual federal states.

The fire departments are organized in the fire brigade associations of the 16 states, the Federal groups of professional fire brigade, fire-fighting, young firefighters, Federation of Fire Services, the armed forces stationed in the Federal Armed Forces Association and fire departments. Umbrella organization for the whole of Germany is the German Fire Service Association.

Professional fire

Volunteer Fire Department

Mission Statement:

Membership

To be included in the volunteer fire department, a physical and mental fitness must be present. Depending on local law and local conditions (equipment) can produce a medical certificate, a preventive medical examination after G26.3 ( for respiratory protection equipment carrier ) and / or a certificate may be required.

Active service, in some countries the age of 16 begin (usually outside the danger zone ), in other countries, at least 18 - wherein the insert is generally allowed as respirators support only from the age of 18. Since the service physically demanded very much, there are also volunteers at a specific age limit for the use of services. He usually ends with the achievement of the 60th or 65th year. Older members then switch usually in an " age " or " honor department ". As a youth organization, there is a so-called Young Firefighters in many fire departments.

Training

Since the fire brigades are intended both to effectively and professionally work, on the other hand, the self-protection must not be neglected, a good education is necessary. Most of the training takes place in their own fire department. The training for each firefighter begins with the course troop Part I ( the " Basic Training " ) and is subject to the requirements of the fire service regulation 2 and further developments are carried out at the municipal or county level as well as at the regional fire schools. In order to keep the level of training at a high level, continuous training and repetition of learned Sach-/Fachkenntnisse and skills is necessary. The exercise situations should in this case be as realistic as possible. This can unfortunately often difficult to manage because so easily exercise objects, you can not always find it easy to light, or vehicles that can be cut easily. So most of the exercises remain just a dry exercise, and which must go to the firefighters in flesh and blood in order to make the right decisions in case of emergency. Only in a few cases, so-called hot exercises can be performed; However, these are very important to get used to fire department personnel to dealing with fire. In addition to this practical education and training, a correspondingly comprehensive theoretical knowledge is one of the necessary fundamentals of fire department service.

The increased mechanization of society as a whole the nature of the inserts has become much more complicated. More and more specialists are needed. For this reason, priorities are emerging in some fire departments, such as in the chemical industry or in radiation protection. These fire departments can assist with other professionals.

Partial fire department performance events will be carried out. It is between badges which lean against the service rules for processing a delete insert or technical assistance and to distinguish more sporty competitions. They are carried out up to the " level " world championship.

Outline of the volunteer fire department

The fire protection system and thus the organization of the fire department is subject in Germany as already mentioned above, the legislation of the Länder. Therefore, the organization and the volunteer fire department differs partly considerably in the individual federal states. Basically, the structure of the volunteer fire department, however, inspired by the structure of the respective local authorities (cities, municipalities, unitary councils, etc.). Each municipality has a volunteer fire department, but this is usually represented in multiple locations. The staff and equipment eg fire engines may vary depending upon the present in the responsibility of each fire department facility on site hazard potential of population, industrial and commercial buildings and transport infrastructure (eg, roads or highways ). In some states, from this a so-called fire protection requirements plan must be drawn from the results in the minimum thickness of the fire department taking into account the time required for assistance. In other states minimum thickness Regulations are in place to regulate the equipment of the fire nationwide. The equipment of voluntary fire ranges from sites with a fire truck for a fire squad to locations that are staffed and equipped far beyond the strength of a delete course.

Duty firefighters

Because each community is required to provide for fire protection, it is possible that citizens will be ordered to the fire department, if can not find enough volunteers. This is roughly comparable to the aldermen duty. This fire department is called duty firefighters.

Until 1995, it was also possible in some municipalities to levy a fire service levy for all male citizens who were not members of the fire department.

Werkfeuerwehr

A plant fire department is a fire department in Germany, which is not public in the sense of the law. Werkfeuerwehren are state-ordered or state-recognized fire departments. The members of plant fire brigades are full-time forces and / or part-time staff who engage primarily a different task in the equipment to be protected and alarmed in the application and be exempted from their activities. Accordingly, a plant fire brigade to be organized like a professional fire department, if available supplemented and supported by part-time workers, or similar to a volunteer fire department. The main task of Werkfeuerwehren consists mainly in ensuring fire protection in industrial companies. You must ensure recruitment, training and equipment meet the requirements of both the protected plants and the public fire department.

Werkfeuerwehren specialize in the expected in their business operations. For example, are specifically designed for firefighters on airplanes airport fire departments. In accordance with the requirements of the regulatory authorities, the plant fire brigades may also be used outside the factory premises on request.

Public fire departments (professional, compulsory and voluntary fire brigades ) form with the plant fire brigades, the fire departments of the municipality. Periodically check the regulators, for example, in North Rhine-Westphalia, the district governments, the performance level of the plant fire departments in the county. The plant fire brigade Association Germany ( WFVD ) is an association of all German industrial brigades.

The Werkfeuerwehren the chemical industry entertained together with Austrian company fire brigades, the Transport Accident Information and Emergency Response System TUIS.

Putting up or setting up a plant fire brigade can firstly be a legal requirement because of a safety situation in a company or a voluntary establishment of an establishment which it hopes to have a shorter intervention time commitment of forces opposed to the public fire department and hence possibly by the rapid action a large cost savings by minimizing machine downtime in case of damage.

In Germany the state not recognized, however, is the fire brigade. In Austria there is this differentiation not, here these fire departments are generally referred to as operating fire departments.

Bundeswehr - Feuerwehr

History

Establishment of fire brigades

The first professional fire station in Germany in 1851 passed in the Grosse Hamburger Strasse 13/14, Berlin -Mitte, their determination. Initially attracted horse drawn carriages, which were converted to the turn of the century on automobile operation.

Through the introduction of politics in mid -19th century in the Biedermeier era and the forming Turner associations also emerged around the 1850s, the first volunteer fire departments. These usually called themselves volunteer rescue troop or - as in 1846 in Karlsruhe Pompier Corps. One of the oldest fire departments in the area of ​​present-day Germany is the fire department, founded in 1811 in what is now the town of Saarlouis Saarland.

The equipment of these crowds were mostly paid for itself and consisted of not much more than a uniform, caps, and a few boots. Only at this time, the use of technical equipment ( such as spraying the engineer Karl Metz) and practiced methods of fire fighting and logistics prevailed. Here was Christian stallion from Durlach pioneer.

By developing industrialization end of the 18th century in Europe, the risk increased by fires significantly in industrial plants. Also by the intensification of the social question increased the risk of fire because the fire risk significantly increased by the limited space in the homes of the workers by stoves and fireplaces.

Beginning of the 1870s formed in the factories and companies voluntary factory fire brigades, which were usually supported and financed by the factory owners.

By the end of the 1920s there was a similarly diverse fire department of life, as there are so nowadays.

Fire department in the era of National Socialism

During the period of National Socialism, the National Socialist government in Prussia announced on 28 December 1933, the Law on the fire essence ( FLG - fire extinguishing Act), which came into force with effect from 1 January 1934. Here, then, the term fire-fighting police has prevailed (although this designation is not officially announced ). In many places, this law was welcomed as a significant step towards the unification of the fire extinguishing system in Prussia. The Police Administration Act adopted in 1931 as a result of the reorganization of the fire extinguishing system was even seen as necessary to close existing loopholes in the law of the fire extinguishing system. The fire services have already been exploited by the fire extinguishing tool for law of war.

The Kingdom law on the fire beings from November 23, 1938 was the capstone for the since 1933 carried out by the Nazis involvement of the German fire-extinguishing system in the police. Professional fire brigades were now referred to in Germany as a fire police. Only fourteen days after the pogroms against the Jewish population in the course of in addition to other cruelties committed by the Nazis and the German synagogues were laid in ruins, it was adopted by the National Socialist government. This empire fire law was established in the preamble, inter alia, the growing importance of the fire extinguishing system for defense purposes and the air raid.

The preamble emphasizes the basic principle of rule of National Socialism, the so-called Führer principle. In a rich private -run police force, which also includes the fire brigades were now counting this leadership principle was attached a special significance. The decisions were made exclusively by their superiors ( leaders ) without the participation of subordinates.

Their skills were not formally defined, and they were subject to no control. Of particular importance for the dictatorship came to the police. The National Socialist Germany as a fascist dictatorship fell back on the instruments of power of the police apparatus. All areas of public services were absorbed into the police state, in the course of which the organized fire protection was designated as a police task.

Similarly, the normalization was unified in 1938, this law and introduced the use today Storz coupling for hoses and fittings far -reaching. Until then, the fire departments of the various countries used different standards, which is a collaboration difficult.

Firefighters in the postwar period

After the war, tried the few remaining firefighters, build the fire again with the permission of the occupying power. Verschlepptes device reappeared, the occupying Power was held by units of the fire brigade later. The beginning was hard, the municipalities and cities had no money and it was raise on the market no device. When the currency reform came into force, was suddenly to buy everything, even the communities had money again, the old debts were settled before the devaluation.

Firefighters in the GDR

On January 18, 1956, the GDR announced their first fire-protection law. This Firebrigades was divided into the following areas:

• Central fire protection devices: These included the Department of Fire Service in the German People's Police Headquarters; the Department of Fire Service in the German People's Police district authorities with their direct fire protection inspections and the fire service departments in the People's Police district offices with their subordinate fire prevention inspections and fire commands.

• Local fire protection devices: These included the municipalities and facilities: The volunteer fire departments, fire departments and the duty of the fire protection officer and other persons responsible for fire protection.

• Operational fire protection devices: This included the set up in the industrial and agricultural enterprises, administrations and other institutions professional fire departments, volunteer fire departments and fire departments and fire protection requirement in charge and the persons responsible for the fire protection.

On 19 December 1974, the law on fire safety in the GDR (Fire Act) was promulgated. Then a new definition and a task description of the fire protection law to be made in it.

Pay

Number of firefighters and members in Germany: