German Firefighters Offer Expertise for New Civil Defense Command

DFV President Karl‑Heinz Banse wrote to Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt reminding that German fire services comprise more than a million personnel and provide nationwide capabilities in fire fighting, technical rescue, disaster response, ABC hazard mitigation, flood protection and large‑scale damage management.

In the letter he offered the Deutscher Feuerwehrverband and the professional fire‑chiefs’ association as knowledge centres for the steering group “Kommando Zivile Verteidigung” being established under the “Pakt für den Bevölkerungsschutz”. The new command will act as the nucleus for coordination between civilian authorities and the Bundeswehr in a defence scenario, aiming to strengthen civil protection amid heightened security concerns and an increase in extreme weather events.