Saxony-Anhalt is demanding billions for better disaster protection!

Saxony-Anhalt is demanding billions for better disaster protection!

In recent years, the situation regarding disaster control in Germany has increasingly changed. The threat of wildfires is not just a local problem, but also a national one. Today, July 17, 2025, several federal states and experts are highlighting the urgency of investing in forest fire fighting and civil protection. In particular, the Interior Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Tamara Zieschang, is calling on the federal government to provide more support to the municipalities.

Zieschang advocates targeted measures to strengthen the infrastructure for forest fire prevention. This includes, among other things, the suggestion that emergency generators be installed during construction work at schools. These institutions are intended to serve as stable points of contact in the event of a disaster. But the situation is not only tense in Saxony-Anhalt. Municipalities from all over Germany have signaled increased financial needs to ensure the safety of the population.

Unified fight against forest fires

The cross-border cooperation between various aid organizations such as the Technical Relief Agency (THW), the fire department and the police is making waves. Concrete measures are required to improve digital networking and protected area planning, which is particularly important in rural regions. There is also a dissatisfied situation in North Rhine-Westphalia: According to a survey by the WDR magazine Westpol, only two out of 18 independent cities rate the human and financial resources for their forest fire protection as “sufficient”. Dissatisfaction with the country's support in this regard is palpable.

Some districts such as Wuppertal and the Rheinisch-Bergische Kreis emphasize the need to improve infrastructure. Wuppertal is calling for financial resources for fire-fighting water infrastructure, while the Rheinisch-Bergische Kreis is calling for the expansion of air support for firefighting. With the increasing fire risk, which is becoming even more intense due to climate change, the affected communities' demands for nationally coordinated campaigns to educate the population are also growing.

Research and innovation in the service of forest protection

Research also plays a crucial role in efforts to improve safety. The Climate Action Research Lab (CARL) at the University of Freiburg is actively investigating strategies for decarbonization and adaptation to the consequences of climate change. Under the direction of Dr. Moritz Wussow will evaluate how effective different protective measures are and which technological innovations can contribute to forest fire prevention. This multidisciplinary research group works closely with international institutions to find the best solutions.

The support of experts is therefore essential in order to meet the challenges of climate change and the associated increasing risks of forest fires. The calls for quick action are becoming louder and louder because time is of the essence. Political decision-makers are called upon to act now to provide the necessary resources for effective disaster response.