Bavaria strengthens fire brigade: New draft law for volunteers!

Bavaria strengthens fire brigade: New draft law for volunteers!

On April 1, 2025, the Bavarian Council of Ministers approved a new draft to amend the Bavarian Fire Brigade Act (BayFwG). This step follows an extensive legislative process and pleased the fire service associations in the Free State. Loud Fireworld Johann Eitzenberger, the chairman of the Bavarian State Fire Brigade Association (LFV Bayern), is particularly satisfied with the consideration of the associations' demands in the draft.

The new bill provides for a comprehensive strengthening of training at the district level. This means that district trainers will be able to receive reimbursement of expenses in the future. This is seen as an important step to promote training quality and retention within the fire service. The position of the volunteer district fire councilors is also being strengthened by law, which underlines the relevance of this position within the fire service system.

Significant changes to the draft law

Another key point of the draft law is the minimum period of service for commanders, which remains at four years. In addition, the age limit for voluntary service will be raised from 65 to 67 years. This proposal, brought forward by Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, is intended to ensure that active firefighters can continue to be involved even as they get older. In Bavaria, the number of volunteer firefighters is around 320,000 out of a total of 328,000 active personnel, which illustrates the importance of this regulation. In addition, the new draft considers the possibility of extending the period of active service by up to three years, several times possible bayern.de reported.

A new regulation should also introduce expense compensation for firefighter trainers. This could help increase motivation and the quality of training, which is of utmost importance for operational safety.

Fire safety education and support for fire service associations

The new law will also anchor fire safety education and prevention as the responsibility of the municipalities. This means that the responsibility for providing information about fire risks and prevention measures is transferred directly to the municipalities. The law should give fire brigade associations a guarantee of existence and the possibility of expanding to include honorary and senior departments, which can secure their future in the long term.

Eitzenberger expressed the hope that the draft law would soon be passed in the state parliament in order to implement the necessary changes as quickly as possible. The LFV Bayern also plans to participate constructively in making adjustments to the implementing regulations and the enforcement notice. The Council of Ministers had already discussed a first draft of the amendment to the BayFwG at the end of December 2024 and initiated the association hearing, which is seen by many as a positive sign for the further development of the Bavarian fire brigade stmi.bayern.de highlights.