Volunteering

Few disasters give notice. They just happen. In the blink of an eye. For Maximilian Brauer,
the switch between his actual job at Union Bauzentrum Hornbach and his role at THW has to take place just as quickly on some days.

In the blink of an eye. In addition to approximately 1,800 full-time employees, he is one of around 80,000 volunteers who work for THW, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief for civil protection and disaster assistance, which is part of the business unit of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs. “The topic of blue lights has been with me all my life. My father took me along to the DRC (German Red Cross) rescue service back in the 1980s,” says Maximilian, explaining how the foundation for volunteering was laid. “After a few detours, I then joined the THW in 2001, first as a youth assistant and then after completing the basic training exam in 2004 as part of the THW Germersheim rescue group.” Maximilian’s unit is one of 668 local sections that have been active throughout Germany in the THW, which was founded by Otto Lummitzsch in Bonn in 1950.

“Doing something meaningful for our society.”

This is how Maximilian from Rülzheim describes his main motivation for the missions in the rescue team. What’s more, it’s exciting – with the broad range of tasks at THW, it’s never boring. The operational team in Germersheim, for example, has its own specialist group for water hazards. 

The vehicles available to the operational team such as the MAN TGM 18,290 4×4 88 with body from Freytag, which has been supporting Maximilian Brauer’s unit since 2020, are just as diverse as the range of tasks. “The leap between volunteering and work is not always easy. When I’m out and about delivering to construction sites, I can’t just leave my employer’s Union Bauzentrum Hornbach’s MAN TGS and drive to the THW,” says Maximilian. But it’s easier when he’s at the company yard or in his spare time. “However, when it comes to being deployed on a mission I usually talk to my supervisor and I also have the opportunity to do so very frequently.” Furthermore, it is positive to note that he also works just 500 metres away from his local section, so sometimes it takes less than two minutes to get to the job. The volunteers are alerted via digital alarm receivers, the so-called beepers, which are carried on a belt or in a trouser pocket and are kept close to the bed at night. In the case of less urgent missions, communication is also sometimes done by telephone. In the event of missions during working hours, the THW emergency services are released from work and continue to receive wages.

In addition to recognition from the population – for example for missions such as in the Ahr Valley or the earthquakes in Turkey – and friendships that often arise from cooperation with other aid organisations, memories and pictures of many aid actions remain in the mind. “There are plenty of missions that you remember,” says Maximilian. “Colleagues often talk amongst themselves about past missions and remember both positive and negative experiences from that time.” Missions involving personal injury in particular stick in ones mind. “These are also the memories that will remain for a long time – unfortunately,” reports the 36-year-old. Although rare, it is also part of it. All missions begin with alerting the helpers, who then drive to the THW local section to change there, reload the vehicles if necessary and then drive to the mission site. Once on site, the group leader reports to the command and receives an assignment. They communicate this to the crew and assign the teams according to their qualifications, such as forklift drivers, welders and respiratory equipment carriers.

Then it’s time for everyone involved to get started. Depending on the extent of the disaster, the mission can be completed quickly or take months, such as in the case of floods in the Ahr Valley. For Maximilian, who feels called to help, this doesn’t matter: He is always ready to go. In the blink of an eye.