German Fire Services

German Fire Services

The Feuerwehr (German for Fire defense) is a number of German fire departments. The responsible body for operating and equipping fire departments are the German communities ("Gemeinden") and cities ("Städte"). By law, they are required to operate a fire-fighting force. In cities, this is usually performed by the Fire Prevention Bureau, one of the higher-ranking authorities.

Most of Germany's 1,383,730 fire fighters are members of voluntary fire brigades, with a lesser number working in professional fire brigades either operated by

  • a municipal body, such as the city of Berlin (Berufsfeuerwehr - full-time city department)
  • a larger company ("Werkfeuerwehr", for the needs of the company operating them) e.g. refineries or chemical industry production facilities
  • airports to meet the ICAO requirements ("Flughafenfeuerwehr" - this includes airplane factories like that of Airbus in Hamburg)
  • the armed forces ("Bundeswehr-Feuerwehr" with specialized divisions such as "Fliegerhorstfeuerwehr Cologne-Wahn"/located at German air force bases, military bases, naval bases as well as on any ship of the German navy).

By law, cities with a population of more than 80,000-100,000 people (depending on the state) are required to have a professional fire fighting force ("Berufsfeuerwehr"). Others such as smaller cities and towns can set up a full-time force ("Hauptamtliche Wachbereitschaft"), which is basically a group or a squadron occupying one large fire station around the clock. This force deals with smaller incidents on its own and is supported by voluntary forces for larger incidents. Each community meets the need of fire-fighting personnel by setting up a voluntary force ("Freiwillige Feuerwehr"). A community or a city may also set up a professional fire fighting force without additional volunteer forces. In case it is not possible to recruit enough personnel for this job, the mayor of a city is required to set up a "Pflichtfeuerwehr" (compulsory fire brigade), where he will draft the number of personnel required.

Read more about German Fire Services:  Vehicles, German Airport Firefighting Vehicles

Famous quotes containing the words german, fire and/or services:

    Sometimes, because of its immediacy, television produces a kind of electronic parable. Berlin, for instance, on the day the Wall was opened. Rostropovich was playing his cello by the Wall that no longer cast a shadow, and a million East Berliners were thronging to the West to shop with an allowance given them by West German banks! At that moment the whole world saw how materialism had lost its awesome historic power and become a shopping list.
    John Berger (b. 1926)

    O none but gods have power their love to hide,
    Affection by the count’nance is descride.
    The light of hidden fire it selfe discovers,
    And love that is conceal’d, betraies poore lovers.
    Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593)

    Working women today are trying to achieve in the work world what men have achieved all along—but men have always had the help of a woman at home who took care of all the other details of living! Today the working woman is also that woman at home, and without support services in the workplace and a respect for the work women do within and outside the home, the attempt to do both is taking its toll—on women, on men, and on our children.
    Jeanne Elium (20th century)