Ortenberg fire brigade: 20,600 hours of volunteering - honors and records!

Ortenberg fire brigade: 20,600 hours of volunteering - honors and records!

On April 29, 2025, the Ortenberg volunteer fire brigade looked back on an eventful year in which numerous members were honored for their long -term merits in fire protection. At the annual general meeting, a number of fire brigade comrades received the fire protection badge and the Florian medal, which is awarded in recognition of special services in the field of fire protection or brave behavior in fire fighting. According to fnp this was a highlight for the fire brigade festivals, which have had a long tradition of honors since the Second World War.

Last year, the active members of the volunteer fire brigades performed a total of 20,600 hours of service. These are divided into the operational department in 9,300 hours, 4,100 hours in the youth fire brigade, 550 hours in children's groups and 8,800 hours for further training. In his speech, Mayor Markus Bäckel paid tribute to the willingness and social contribution of the firefighters who count 189 active members - of which 154 male and 35 female.

missions and purchases

The fire brigade was called for 15 fire operations and 38 assistance last year, and they also guaranteed fire security at 18 city interests. In order to increase the efficiency of the operations, various new equipment was purchased. These include a portable pump, a team transport car, as well as a boxing wall for water damage and electric fires.

The youth fire brigade in Ortenberg currently has 87 members, including 34 girls and 44 boys, and took part in several competitions. At the same time, the children's group, which currently consists of 35 girls and 46 boys. The disaster protection fire-fighting train carried out regular exercises, whereby the challenge of forest fires and floods was in the foreground.

honors and promotions

A variety of honors also took place. The golden fire protection badge for 40 years of active service was awarded to Hans-Jürgen Groß, Matthias Leinberger and Jörg Rullmann. Steffen Pfeiffer received the silver fire protection badge for 25 years, while several members received the golden badge of honor for the transfer to the age and honor department.

The bronze florian medal was awarded to four members who had recognized themselves through their work in the children's groups: Nina Hoffmann, Christine Altvatter, Michaela Schmidt and Jonas Gömmer.

The fire brigade honorary grooms in Germany are not only awarded for long-term merits, but also for brave acts in fire fighting, which has been a deeply anchored tradition since 1880. This underlines the importance of such awards in volunteer fire work. In Germany, fire brigades that are awarded in bronze, silver and gold are awarded in all federal states except Bremen and Hamburg, which illustrates the wide-ranging recognition for firefighters wikipedia .