Technisches Hilfswerk

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Template:Redirect Template:Short description Template:Italic title Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox government agency The Template:Lang (Template:IPA, (THW) Template:IPA, English: Federal Agency for Technical Relief) is the federal civil protection organisation of Germany. It is legally part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and controlled by the German federal government. 97% of its more than 80,000 members (2021) are volunteers.<ref name="Report2019">Template:Cite web</ref>

Obligations

THW Equipment Vehicle (GKW)

The obligations are defined in section 1 of the THW act (Template:Lang).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These include:

  • technical and logistical support for other (German) GOs, NGOs and other authorities like fire brigades, police or the customs authorities
  • technical or humanitarian relief in foreign countries, as assigned by the federal government
  • technical relief in Germany as part of national civil protection measures.

History

After World War II the Template:Lang was founded in 1950, by order of the minister of the interior Gustav Heinemann. The first president of the THW was Template:Interlanguage link, who had founded the THW's predecessor, the Template:Lang, in 1919. The main purpose of the THW was civil defense in the event of war. This has changed over the decades; today the THW intervenes in a wide spectrum of disasters, such as traffic accidents, industrial disasters, or earthquakes.Template:Citation needed

The most important domestic operations in the 1960s were the North Sea storm flood in 1962 and the mining accident of Lengede in 1963.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The largest disaster control action took place in August 2002 after the flooding of the Elbe river in eastern Germany. About 24,000 THW members participated in the operation, with up to 10,000 people helping simultaneously along the Elbe and its tributaries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The largest engagement outside Germany was in France in 2000, after storms Lothar and Martin blew down power lines and trees, blocking many streets, between 26 and 28 December 1999. The main contribution was supplying temporary electrical power for hospitals and other important institutions and rebuilding parts of the electrical system.Template:Citation needed

The organisation has also been active in many disaster relief operations abroad, for example in Thailand and Sri Lanka after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in the United States after Hurricane Katrina in 2005,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Pakistan after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in 2010 during the flooding in Poland,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> the April 2015 Nepal earthquake,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> and the 2020 Beirut explosions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2021, the THW provided relief during major flooding in southwestern Germany, particularly in the Ahr Valley.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In February 2023, THW personnel deployed to Turkey in the aftermath of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Organization

Template:Unreferenced section As a federal authority which is part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the THW is headed by a president and board. Its headquarters (Template:Lang) are in Template:Lang, together with the Template:Lang (BBK) (Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance).

The THW comprises 668 local chapters, 66 regional offices, eight state associations, and the THW administration in Bonn, which consists of the management staff, the commissioner of volunteers, and the Deployment Section with the units E1 mission, E2 foreign, E3 training, E4 logistics, and E5 technology, and the Central Services Section with the units Z1 volunteers and staff, Z2 organization, Z3 finance, Z4 security and health protection, and Z5 information and communication.

The THW logistics center has its office in Heiligenhaus, and is, via its attachment to the Logistics Unit E4, part of the THW administration.

Field organization

Organization in Germany

The THW is stationed all over Germany in 669 local chapters, called Template:Lang (OV). Some 80,000 people are active in this organisation including about 15,000 young volunteers (members of the THW Youth). The majority of those are volunteers, while about 1,800 work full-time in its administration.<ref name="Overview"/> Each local chapter (Template:Lang) maintains one or more Template:Lang (technical platoons), each consisting of one Template:Lang (command squad), comprising four volunteers, one Template:Lang (rescue units) comprising nine to twelve volunteers, and one to three Template:Lang (technical units), comprising four to eighteen volunteers.

A Tatra 815 from the THW
THW Operation Center
THW six-wheel vehicle at volunteer fair in Travemünde

The main type of THW unit is one of two Template:Lang (1st and 2nd Rescue Groups), equipped with heavy tools like hydraulic cutting devices, chain saws, and pneumatic hammers. Their vehicles are the Template:Lang (GKW 1) (Equipment Truck 1) for the 1st Rescue Group and the Template:Lang (MzKW) (Multi-Purpose Truck) or the older Template:Lang (GKW 2) — which is scheduled to be phased out — for the 2nd Rescue Group.

The Template:Lang (Technical Units) include:

Furthermore, two types of technical units exist outside of technical platoons. They provide support mainly during major incidents or multi-regional operations:

International deployment

For relief in foreign countries, there are four Template:Lang or SEEBA (Rapid Deployment Unit Search and Rescue Abroad) units according to INSARAG standards, able to go airborne within six hours,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and three Template:Lang or SEEWA (Rapid Deployment Unit Water Supply and Treatment Abroad) units.

The Schlauchschwinger also operates high capacity pumping (HCP) modules for the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Furthermore, the THW has a pool of experts which can be rapidly deployed to places of crisis to perform assessment and coordination tasks within the fields of technical and logistical support. Those experts are also active in capacity building operations.

Services provided

Template:Unreferenced section

File:LKWUnfallBAB81.jpg
Helping after an accident.
File:Marshall Center participant sees how Germany's rescue teams care for injured 150625-A-AB123-001-CC.jpg
THW personnel during a rescue demonstration at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany, 2015

Technical threat prevention

  • Area lighting
  • Clearing and blasting
  • Combating flooding and inundation
  • Search and rescue, and salvage
  • Water rescue

Infrastructure technical support

  • Electricity supply
  • Emergency bridge work
  • Drinking water supply
  • Waste water disposal

Command and communication, logistics

  • Catering and care of operational staff
  • Command center establishment and operation
  • Command support
  • Creation of temporary telecommunication systems
  • Establishment and operation of logistical bases
  • Maintenance of material, repair and maintenance work for mission equipment
  • Transportation of consumer goods for mission demands

Technical support in environmental protection

  • Combating and mitigating oil damage
  • Water analysis

Provision of the population

  • Electricity and drinking water provision
  • Establishment and equipment of emergency accommodation and collecting points with matching infrastructure
  • Waste water disposal

Technical support

  • Diving
  • Makeshift road works
  • Maintenance of civil protection facilities such as emergency wells and shelters
  • Rescue from heights
  • Technical help on traffic routes

Personnel

Template:Unreferenced section In Germany, military service was mandatory for adult males until 2011. Instead of joining the military for a shorter period full-time, one of the alternatives was to join a non-combatant volunteer organisation within the German Template:Lang (disaster relief) or Template:Lang (civil defense) for a minimum of four years (this is calculated so that although serving far less time every week, in the end the number of served hours was about the same). The THW was one of those organisations. Others were too, such as volunteer fire brigades and various organisations engaged in emergency medical service; however, the THW relied more heavily on such quasi-conscripts, as it tends to have less local popularity than e.g. volunteer fire brigades (who tend to be the chief social club of their respective village or town-quarter), and as it had less of an infrastructure of paid employees than, for instance, the German Red Cross.

The THW has its own decoration for meritorious service or exemplary achievements in the field of emergency management or civil protection: All three classes of the Template:Lang are approved by the president of Germany.

Ranks

In general, the rank structure of the THW is divided into two groups: the volunteers and the full-time employees.

Volunteers

Chapters
Head of Local Branch
(Template:Lang) 		Deputy Head of Local Branch
(Template:Lang) 		Training and Qualification Officer (Template:Lang)
Expert Advisor (Template:Lang) 		Youth Activity Leader (Template:Lang)
Maintenance Sergeant (Template:Lang)
Public Relations and Volunteers Recruitment Officer (Template:Lang)
Administration Secretary (Template:Lang)
Cook (Template:Lang)
File:Dst.-Kennz. Ortsbeauftragter 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Stv. Ortsbeauftragter 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. AB, FB 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. JB, BÖ, SM, VwBe, Koch 2013.svg
Technical Platoons & Technical Units
Technical Platoon Leader (Template:Lang)
Team Leader Logistics Unit(Template:Lang)
Team Leader Command and Communications
(Template:Lang) 		Command Squad Leader
(Template:Lang)
Command Department Head
(Template:Lang) 		Group Leader
(Template:Lang) 		Squad Leader (Template:Lang)
Command Assistant (Template:Lang) 		Helper
(Template:Lang)
File:Thw dienststellungskennzeichen zugfuehrer.svg File:Thw dienststellungskennzeichen zugtruppfuehrer.svg File:Thw dienststellungskennzeichen gruppenfuehrer.svg File:Thw dienststellungskennzeichen truppfuehrer.svg File:Thw dienststellungskennzeichen helfer.svg
Spokespersons and representatives
Federal Spokesperson
(Template:Lang) 		Deputy Federal Spokesperson
(Template:Lang) 		State Spokesperson
(Template:Lang) 		Deputy State Spokesperson
(Template:Lang) 		Local Spokesperson
(Template:Lang)
Deputy Local Spokesperson
(Template:Lang) 		Representative, Federal Association
(Template:Lang)
Representative, State Association
(Template:Lang)
File:Dst.-Kennz. Bundessprecher 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Stv. Bundessprecher 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Landessprecher 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Stv. Landessprecher 2013.svg File:Dst-Kennz. Helfersprecher 2013.svg File:Dst-Kennz. Vertreter Bundesvereinigung.svg

Full-time employees

Chief
(Template:Lang) 		Vice-Chief
(Template:Lang) 		State Commissioner (Template:Lang)
Headmaster of the Federal Academy (Template:Lang)
Division Chief (Template:Lang)
Commissioner of Volunteers (Template:Lang) 		Department Chief (Template:Lang)
Academy Manager (Template:Lang)
Chief of the Management Staff
(Template:Lang) 		Department Consultant
(Template:Lang)
File:Dienststellungskennzeichen des Präsidenten.png File:Dst.-Kennz. Viezepräsident 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. LB, Leiter der BuS, Abteilungsleiter, BEA 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Referatsleiter, Schulmanager, Leiter des Leitungsstabes 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Referent 2013.svg
Regional Office Chief
(Template:Lang) 		Senior Consultant (Template:Lang)
Specialist Teacher (Template:Lang) 		Service Consultant (Template:Lang)
Instructor (Template:Lang)
Artisan (Template:Lang)
Driver (Template:Lang) 		Consultant (Template:Lang)
Trainee (Template:Lang)
Federal Service Volunteer (Template:Lang)
Social Service Volunteer (Template:Lang)
Intern (Template:Lang)
File:Dst.-Kennz. Geschäftsführer 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Sachbearbeiter 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Bürosachbearbeiter Service 2013.svg File:Dst.-Kennz. Bürosachbearbeiter 2013.svg

Heads of THW

  • 1952–1955: Otto Lummitzsch
  • 1955–1958: Alexander Löfken
  • 1958–1962: Rudolf Schmidt
  • 1962–1977: Hans Zielinski
  • 1977–1985: Hermann Ahrens
  • 1985/1986: Helmut Meier
  • 1986–2002: Gerd Jürgen Henkel
  • 2002–2006: Georg Thiel
  • 2006–2020: Template:Interlanguage link
  • 2020–2023: Template:Interlanguage link
  • since 1 July 2023: Sabine Lackner

Template:Lang

Template:Unreferenced section The Template:Lang (THW Youth) is the youth organization of the THW. It has set itself the target to introduce boys and girls from the age of six to the work of the THWs in a fun way. The Template:Lang is not part of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, but is an independently registered charity. This arrangement was made in order to avoid maintaining a state youth organization.

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Sister project

Template:Humanitarian partners of the European Commission Template:Authority control

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