Firefighter heroes honored: Golden decorations for 50 years of service!

Firefighter heroes honored: Golden decorations for 50 years of service!

On November 9, 2025, a touching day of honor for long-time fire department members took place in the district. District Administrator Winfried Becker honored seven dedicated firefighters for their tireless efforts. These gentlemen have performed truly heroic deeds over the past decades - especially in fires, accidents and technical operations. A special highlight of the event was the award to Felsberg Rhünder Harald Ermler, who received the Golden Fire Protection Medal in the special level for impressive 50 years of active service. This makes him a shining example of consistency and courage in the fire service.

The Golden Fire Protection Medal is awarded after 40 years of active service, which clearly recognizes the services of the emergency services. Six other firefighters received this award, which is not only recognition for their long membership, but above all for their active commitment to serving the community. In his speech, Becker emphasized how important the willingness to continue training and commitment itself is for the entire community. This is particularly important in times when the fire service is becoming more and more demanding.

Honors in detail

The honorees for 40 years of active service are:

• Jörg Hohmann (Felsberg-Böddiger)
• Sven Kramer (Felsberg-Niedervorschütz)
• Markus Spruck (Homberg/Efze)
• Dirk Vogel (Homberg/Efze)
• Gert Freund (Homberg-Hülsa)
• Helge Wagner (Homberg-Welferode)
• Alexander Feix (Malsfeld/Beiseförth/Malsfeld)

Harald Ermler was specially honored at the special level for his 50 years of active service.

Importance of service

Mayor Michael Hanke from Malsfeld and deputy district fire inspector Michael von Bredow joined Becker and warmly thanked everyone present. They emphasized how essential the volunteer work of firefighters is for the safety of the population. Without these dedicated women and men, protection from fire and other disasters in our community would be unthinkable. In this context, the Fire Department Medal of Honor, which is awarded for 15, 25, 40 and 50 years of service, represents a sign of thanks and recognition. It is important to emphasize that this honor recognizes operational service, not just membership, which is often misunderstood, as is the case in the [Ministry's] guidelines Baden-Württemberg](https://im.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/sicherheit/feuerwehr/feuerwehr-ehrenzeichen).

In many cases, firefighters are exposed to risk to their health and life. It is therefore important that the emergency services have both the necessary skills and the right team cohesion in order to be able to react quickly in an emergency.

Safety precautions for operations

Another aspect that should not be neglected is the infrastructural arrangements that the emergency services need. Safety during operations is of top priority. According to the new DIN standard 14090, fire brigade areas must meet certain conditions in the future so that emergency vehicles can quickly reach the danger spots. This standard is regularly updated to ensure the highest safety standards and includes, among other things, requirements for the installation areas and movement areas for fire engines.

The event offered an ideal setting to honor the long-standing commitment of the fire department members as well as to address the importance of an optimal operational infrastructure. It turns out that not only are heroes working in the fire department, but that the framework conditions also have to be constantly developed in order to be able to provide the best possible help.