Large alarm in Sankt Augustin: Fire brigade extinguishes burning flat roof!

Large alarm in Sankt Augustin: Fire brigade extinguishes burning flat roof!

On Friday, July 11, 2025, the Sankt Augustin volunteer fire brigade was alerted to a fire in Hangelar at 07:56. A gutted institute building that was in the renovation phase was affected. A strong smoke development was already visible on the way, and two craftsmen who were on the roof were able to leave the danger area quickly. This banned the danger to human lives. City fire inspector Herbert Maur took over the operations management.

The alarm level was initially increased to B4 and then to B5, which indicates the severity of the situation. In order to initiate fire fighting, the aerial ladder and a spiral staircase were used on the building. The roof and the attic covers were opened in several places to make the extinguishing work more effective. Until the end of the operation, around 11:50 a.m., around 90 fire brigade, the emergency services, the police and the district government were on site. A manual employee was slightly injured and had to be transported to the hospital.

role of the fire brigade in Germany

The fire brigade in Germany is a public facility that can be reached via emergency number 112. Areas of responsibility and organization of the fire brigades are regulated by state laws. There are different forms, including the volunteer fire brigade, the professional fire brigade as well as work and company fire brigades. Voluntary fire departments are the largest group and have over a million members, which makes them an indispensable part of the German security architecture.

The main tasks of the fire brigade include saving, extinguishing, rescuing and protecting. These activities are specified in the fire brigade service regulations (FWDV). Aid for voluntary fire brigades make up about two thirds of all missions. The fire brigade is not only responsible for fire protection, but also for technical assistance and the rescue of people in emergencies.

challenges and developments

Nevertheless, the fire brigade faces challenges in Germany. In 2022, according to statistics, the fire brigade moved out around 229,000 missions for fires and explosions. At the same time, 333 deaths were recorded by smoke, fire and flames. Technical assistance and animal rescues are also increasingly part of the application spectrum, and the number of false alarms rose to around 403,000 cases.

Security and trust in the fire brigade seem to be awaiting, since almost half of the active members of volunteer fire departments have been exposed to insults, threats or even assault in the past two years. There were violent incidents in North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin. However, the fire brigade remains determined to continue to perform its tasks to protect the population.

The fact that around 48,100 fire departments exist in Germany is reflected in the high commitment of citizens in fire protection and rescue work. This is also evident in the youth fire brigade, which conveys important foundations for the service and stimulates fire protection education at an early stage. In order to meet the challenges of the current fire service, continuous further training of the emergency services is essential.

Interested parties can be more about the situation of the fire brigade in Germany in the corresponding reports on Fireworld , wikipedia and Statista