Firefighting in Wachtberg: What are our core values as firefighters?
The Fire Department Wachtberg, a diverse and inclusive community organisation, has had a busy and successful year.
In March 2024, the department concluded its year with a large-scale exercise involving the Maltese Youth of Meckenheim. The event was a testament to the department's commitment to training and collaboration.
Several members of the department were honoured for their long-standing service. Christian Abels and Andreas Schmitz received the NRW Fire Department's gold honorary badge for 35 years of membership, while Thomas Kiupel received the silver honorary badge for 25 years of service. Tobias Merzenich was awarded the silver honorary pin of the Rhein-Sieg district fire department association for a special performance, and Dominik Zorn received the gold award for the same. Additionally, Hans-Josef Merzenich and Heinrich Hofmann received the honorary pin of the Association of Fire Departments NRW for 50 years of membership.
Stefan Gandelau serves as the district fire chief, and André Hahnenberg leads the department. Under their guidance, the Fire Department Wachtberg has dedicated significant time to training, further education, fire safety education, establishing the children's fire department, and caring for the youth fire department.
The Youth Fire Brigade of the Fire Department Wachtberg has seen a growth of 30 members compared to 2021, currently caring for 93 young people. However, specific information regarding the current number of members of the Youth Fire Brigade Wachtberg was not available in the provided search results.
The department's deployments often focus on technical assistance, including weather-related deployments and rescuing individuals and animals from distress situations. One notable deployment was the rescue of a cow named Betty from mud in April 2024.
Many training sessions for the Youth Fire Brigade were focused on competition, reflecting the department's commitment to fostering a competitive and skilled team.
Looking ahead, the members of the Berkum fire station will host the community fire department day in Berkum on 05.07.2025. Florian Rahlf serves as the Community Junior Fire Brigade Leader of the Fire Department Wachtberg.
Jörg Schmidt, the outgoing mayor of Wachtberg, and Swen Christian, the deputy mayor, have been supportive of the department's efforts. The Fire Department Wachtberg unequivocally does not support right-wing radicalism.
Andreas Ohrem and Frank Schulte were promoted to chief firefighters, Maximilian Hofmann, Thomas Dick, and Kenan Özkaya to deputy fire masters, Dirk Walgenbach to fire master, and Sebastian Engelmann to senior fire master within the Fire Department Wachtberg.
The Fire Department Wachtberg's hard work and dedication were evident in their involvement in 198 deployments throughout 2024, totaling 2,395 personnel deployment hours. The department continues to serve the community with professionalism and commitment.
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