Leutenberg Mayor proposes reforms for volunteer fire departments

Following a major fire at an agricultural cooperative in Lehesten, Thuringia, Robert Geheeb, the mayor of Leutenberg, has called for fundamental reforms to the volunteer fire department system. The fire, which destroyed a machine hall and caused approximately 500,000 euros in damage, required the mobilization of more than eleven fire departments.

Geheeb argues that the current system based purely on volunteerism is facing failure in rural areas due to demographic changes, declining membership, and increasingly complex emergency calls. To address these challenges, he has proposed three legislative changes:

1. Professional Support: Each municipality should employ at least one full-time fire official to handle administrative tasks, training, and maintenance, thereby relieving the burden on volunteers.

2. Mandatory Service for Municipal Employees: New local government employees could be required to serve as active members of the local volunteer fire department, including a minimum of 40 annual training hours.

3. Corporate Responsibility: Industrial and agricultural businesses that pose significant fire risks, such as biogas plants or recycling centers, should be required to provide personnel for fire services.