Voluntary heroes honored: The day of the helpers in Beelitz enthusiastic!

Voluntary heroes honored: The day of the helpers in Beelitz enthusiastic!

In the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark, the "Helfer Day" was celebrated on July 12, 2025, an event that undoubtedly touched many hearts. Around 200 tireless volunteers from various organizations such as the fire brigade, technical relief organization (THW) and DLRG gathered in the fire service center in Beelitz-healing facilities in order to be honored. District Administrator Marko Köhler and district fire chief Jens Heinze took the opportunity to thank the helpers for their tireless efforts, because around 4,000 voluntary comrades in the district make an invaluable contribution to fire and disaster protection.

"We know that volunteering often stays in the background, but today we want to put the committed people in the foreground," emphasized District Administrator Köhler. This event was launched three years ago, in response to the devastating forest fires in the region. The main goal is to make the commitment and commitment of these brave souls visible and to show them the appreciation they deserve.

technical innovations and statistics

A highlight of the day was the ceremonial handover of two new emergency vehicles: a CBRN exploration car and a command wagon. These vehicles, which were financed by federal funds, are now available to the volunteer fire departments in the district. The exploration car remains at the location in Beelitz, while the command and command and the Beelitz volunteer fire brigade is used for regular operations.

The numbers speak for themselves: In the first half of 2025, the volunteer fire brigades in the district already recorded almost 2,300 missions - a truly impressive commitment if you consider that disaster protection in Germany depends heavily on volunteers. According to the Johannitern, over 1.7 million citizens are involved in such tasks, with more than 90 percent of these helpers being volunteer. Despite this large number, however, the organizations face challenges such as demographic changes and the rural exodus that affect voluntary commitment.

challenges and initiatives

A recently conducted study by the Federal Office for Population Protection and Disaster Aid proves that around 1.76 million volunteers are active in disaster protection, but only has around a third of the organizations over sufficient members to cope with the increasing requirements. Climate change also contributes to the fact that extreme weather events occur more frequently, which always grows the need for volunteer forces.

In order to strengthen volunteering, various initiatives were launched, including the "Helping Hand" volunteer award and numerous training offers such as medical assistants or specialist training in population protection. In addition, employers are suggested to release their employees for exercises and missions - a step that is considered a social contribution.

The Johanniter-Accident Aid, meanwhile, is committed to a higher appreciation of the volunteer and wants to sensitize the public to the commitment. However, public funding only make up a small part of the financing of the operational organizations, which underlines the desire for more state support.

Overall, the "Helfer Day" shows how important the contribution of the volunteers in disaster protection is. It is worth thinking about how each of us can work in their free time - because as the campaign "No matter what you can, you can help", every contribution is no matter what form, of valuable importance.

For more information on the topics of volunteering and disaster protection, take a look at the websites of the Potsdam-Mittelmark href = "https://www.johanniter.de/johanniter-unfall-hilfe/mission-bevoelkungschutz/katastrophenschutz/ehrenamt-im-katastrophenschutz/"> Johanniter-unfall-Hilf and Federal Office for population protection and disaster relief .