Volunteering in fire and disaster control: 1,300 years of service!

Volunteering in fire and disaster control: 1,300 years of service!

On July 15, 2025, a ceremonial ceremony took place in the Rohrbach village community center to honor the decades of service of the fire department and disaster control on the Southern Wine Route. District Administrator Dietmar Seefeldt honored numerous members who have been working in the fire department for at least 35 years. Among them was Roland Götz, who received the Silver Fire Department Medal of Honor for his special services to the youth and children's fire departments. Overall, appointments were also made in disaster control, with personalities such as Norman Schuck, Jens Wingerter and Nadine Germann receiving awards. These honors are not only recognition of many years of loyalty, but also of commitment to an essential service to the community.

But what is behind the impressive celebrations? The Rhineland-Palatinate state government has introduced significant innovations with the adoption of a new state fire and disaster protection law. This transforms disaster protection from a compulsory task of self-administration to a contracted administration. In addition, the new disaster protection ordinance will transfer numerous duties and tasks to districts and municipalities. This will significantly expand and modernize civil protection in Rhineland-Palatinate.

New competence center

A central component of these reforms is the establishment of the new State Office for Fire and Disaster Protection Rhineland-Palatinate (LfBK) at the beginning of 2025. As reported on the [state government] website (https://mdi.rlp.de/themen/bevoelkerungsschutz-und-rettungsdienst/lfbk), the LfBK will form a service and competence center for non-police security and bundle the tasks of the existing institutions. The planned decentralization of the LfBK with three regional offices is intended to intensify contact with the municipal authorities.

With a new situation center manned 24/7, the ability to respond in civil protection will also be strengthened, while the country's central communications infrastructure supports the rapid processing of information. These measures are a real step into the future and demonstrate the commitment to effective disaster protection.

Volunteer work in focus

A special aspect of disaster control stands out: the immense importance of volunteers. These volunteers are not only the pillars of the fire department, but also indispensable partners in civil protection. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief emphasizes that volunteers play a fundamental role in this critical infrastructure. Your work is particularly important in times of social change. The aim is to ensure long-term security of voluntary work without creating legal obligations.

The current challenge is to promote the compatibility of volunteer work and work in order to attract even more people to the important tasks in disaster control. Jens Thiele, the fire and disaster control inspector, emphasizes this necessity and is actively working to improve the framework conditions.

In summary, the most recent developments and honors show that the fire brigade and disaster control on the Southern Wine Route not only look back on a long-standing tradition, but also work in a future-oriented manner. Linking voluntary work with modern structures will be crucial to ensuring that the level of security in the region remains high.