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Volunteering saves lives: DRK deployment during devastating forest fire!
In July 2025, the DRK in Saxony managed a forest fire in Gohrischheide, evacuated nursing homes and organized emergency aid.
Volunteering saves lives: DRK deployment during devastating forest fire!
The region around Gohrischheide has been through a tough time in the last few weeks. A dangerous forest fire that broke out on July 1 caused massive evacuations and extensive deployment of rescue workers from various organizations. A disaster alarm was even raised on July 5th as the flames spread rapidly and the situation around the 1,000 hectare burn area ultimately required communication across borders.
Like that Day 24 reported that not only the fire brigades were on site, but also the federal police and the armed forces. Over 600 emergency services were mobilized to fight the flames and bring citizens to safety. The situation around a nursing home for severely disabled people, which had to be evacuated, was particularly worrying. The use of fire-fighting helicopters was also necessary to drop the 144,000 liters of fire-fighting water.
Volunteer support in disaster relief
Right in the middle: Mattes Brähmig, a 40-year-old father who has been involved in the DRK for over 15 years, was crucial as a platoon leader of a disaster relief platoon. He coordinated communication between the operations management and the DRK units and took responsibility for the medical care of the fire fighters and the care of the evacuated residents. He particularly remembers Wednesday evening during the evacuation - a time full of challenges due to the acute danger that also threatened nearby biogas plants.
As the DRK Saxony emphasized, the emergency services had to react creatively to the situation, especially due to the vacation period, which reduced some forces. A good hand in personnel planning proved to be worth its weight in gold here. Brähmig emphasized the need for concepts to be regularly reviewed and adjusted in order to be prepared in crisis situations.
Future of wildfires and preventive measures
The development of the last few years speaks volumes: vegetation fires have increased in Germany and they represent a challenge for forest owners, forest administrations and fire departments. According to the FVA BW The causes are varied - from hot summers to beetle infestation. Prevention is becoming increasingly important, and projects such as “Forest Fire – Climate – Resilience” are developing recommendations for action to reduce forest fire risks and optimize cooperation between the forestry and fire departments.
The recent events in Gohrischheide have shown that voluntary work and the effectiveness of organizations are crucial. It remains to be hoped that lessons will be learned from these fires in order to be better prepared for future crisis situations, because nature cannot be ignored - there is something there!