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Blue light spots in Neumünster: Fire department is urgently looking for new recruits!
The “Blaulichtflecken” in Neumünster provides information about volunteer opportunities and hopes to attract new blood for the fire department and THW.
Blue light spots in Neumünster: Fire department is urgently looking for new recruits!
A spectacular event will take place in Neumünster today that will transform the city into a glowing sea of blue lights! From 12 p.m. around 200 volunteer and professional emergency services from the fire department, police, emergency services and THW will present their impressive work on the Großflecken. The event, known as “Blue Light Spots”, aims to inspire more people to volunteer and recruit much-needed young talent.
Visitors can look forward to a colorful program! The 16 stands not only provide exciting insights into the various areas of operation, but also the opportunity to find out about training and volunteer opportunities. Action-packed demonstrations, such as burning down a Christmas tree or being rescued from an accident car, provide a thrill. If you want to get active yourself, you can take part in stacking sandbags. The crowning conclusion is a lantern parade by the Mitte Volunteer Fire Department at 5:30 p.m.
Urgent need for new members
The blue light organizations agree: There is an acute need for action in recruiting young talent, especially in the volunteer fire departments. Alexander Blüher from the Neumünster fire department emphasizes: “We naturally use an event like this as advertising space because we really urgently need young talent in both the volunteer fire department and our professional fire department.” Despite an increase in the number of members over the last ten years, which increased by over four percent from 2022 to 2023, the number of deployments is increasing rapidly. The increase is not enough to meet demand, especially in rural areas.
The future looks bleak: in the coming years, a large generation of active members could disappear, as the age limit is 67. In addition, many young people are moving to cities, which further worsens the situation in rural areas. In contrast, the Technical Relief Agency (THW) has no problems with recruiting young people and has recorded an increase in the number of emergency services from 5,680 to 6,500 since 2020. The THW benefits from the life and professional experience of older people who have no upper age limit.