50 years of women's power: Büßfeld's fire brigade celebrates anniversary with honor and joy

50 years of women's power: Büßfeld's fire brigade celebrates anniversary with honor and joy

in Büßfeld, a district of Homberg, was recently celebrated an important anniversary: the foundation of the first women's fire brigade 50 years ago. This milestone was duly honored together with numerous guests. Solemn music of the brass band and the applause of those present formed the framework for this special occasion.

The chairwoman of the association, Britta Müller, addressed the founders who laid the foundation stone for the women's defense in January 1974, together with the then local fire chief Adolf Schäfer. Müller recalled that the foundation officially took place on January 4, 1974 when twelve women gathered under the leadership of Hannelore Beyer. Your Initiative was an answer to the urgent need for support in the fire brigade, since many male fire brigade members were at work during the day and were not available in an emergency.

challenges and success

The beginnings were not easy; The idea of winning women for fire service initially met with skepticism. Nevertheless, the group could not be discouraged. The practical training of women began in spring 1974, and the foundation stone was laid for a significant change in fire brigade. According to Müller, the perception of women has changed a lot in this role, and today it is no longer unusual to see firefighters in management positions.

Another interesting point is that a youth group was also launched in parallel to the foundation of the women's group. Despite the negative attitude of some local managers, the women remained persistent and fought their place in the fire brigade. Even insulting statements from the village community, such as "If there is a fire here, no woman comes to the yard", they could not stop.

The founders included personalities such as Elfriede Winkler, Ingrid Seipp and Anita Schäfer, who later acted as a district spokeswoman for women and girls in the Vogelsberg district. Their achievements also included success in competitions, such as the placement at the district association 1975.

A tragic event was the loss of Anita Schäfer in 1977, which died through a traffic accident, which left a great grief in the community and among the comrades. Müller intended at the celebration of this loss and the late Hannelore Beyer and Annerose Seipp.

In recent years there was again an upswing in the participation of women in the Büßfeld weir. A new women's fire brigade was founded in 2014, and in 2015 twelve women were active again in the operations department, which continued to drive gender equality in the fire brigade.

During the ceremony, Mayor Simke Ried praised the pioneering spirit of the founders and emphasized the important role of women in society. City fire inspector Thomas Stein emphasized how the women's fire brigade changed and enriched the social image of the fire brigade.

A amount of money from the fire brigade support association was also presented, and the honors for the founders were a central element of the celebrations. Congratulations and small gifts also came from the neighboring local associations. As a special surprise, the fire brigade from Bleidenrod brought a classic: a recording of a film about the fire brigade from 1985.

The official part of the celebration ended, but the community was not over; It was celebrated happily on Markus Ofenloch's yard. In music, good food and pleasant society, old friendships were refreshed and new acquaintances were closed.

The event showed how strongly the women are integrated in the Büßfeld fire brigade and how their role has developed over the years. The foundation stone that these brave women laid 50 years ago is still bearing fruits in the community and in operations.