Technisches Hilfswerk
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| Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) | |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 22, 1950 |
Preceding agency | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content. |
| Jurisdiction | Germany |
| Headquarters | Bonn-Lengsdorf |
| Employees | 2,200+;[1] 88 000+ volunteers[2] |
| Annual budget | EUR 428,629,000 (2023)[3] |
Agency executive | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
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Parent agency | Federal Ministry of the Interior |
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| Website | www.thw.de |
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The Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "IPA"., THW (Script error: No such module "IPA".), English: Federal Agency for Technical Relief) is the federal civil protection organisation of Germany. It is legally part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and controlled by the German federal government. 97% of its more than 88,000 members (2025) are volunteers.[5]
The predecessor of THW was the "Technische Nothilfe" (Technical Emergency Relief) (TN), founded in 1919 by Otto Lummitzsch, a pioneer (Combat support) officer, which existed in the Weimar Republic and in Nazi Germany until 1945.
Obligations
The obligations are defined in section 1 of the THW act (Script error: No such module "Lang".).[6] These include:
- technical and logistical support for other (German) GOs, NGOs and other authorities like fire brigades, police or the customs authorities
- technical or humanitarian relief in foreign countries, as assigned by the federal government
- technical relief in Germany as part of national civil protection measures.
History
After World War II the Script error: No such module "Lang". was founded in 1950, by order of the minister of the interior Gustav Heinemann. The first president of the THW was Otto Lummitzsch, who had founded the THW's predecessor, the Script error: No such module "Lang". (TN) in 1919.
The 'Technical Emergency Corps' (TN) began as a strikebreaker organisation after the First World War, but developed into a volunteer emergency response unit. During the Nazi Germany from 1933 till 1945 TN became in charge of technical civil defence.[7]
When it was founded, the main purpose of the THW was also civil defense in the event of war. This has changed over the decades; today the THW intervenes in a wide spectrum of disasters, such as traffic accidents, industrial disasters, or earthquakes.[7]
On February 7, 1953, the THW embarked on its first international deployment: Following a major storm in the Netherlands, THW teams participated in the relief and rescue operations. For the first time since World War II, Germans were assisting other countries in an international mission.
The most important domestic operations in the 1960s were the North Sea storm flood in 1962 and the mining accident of Lengede in 1963.[8]
The largest disaster control action took place in August 2002 after the flooding of the Elbe river in eastern Germany. About 24,000 THW members participated in the operation, with up to 10,000 people helping simultaneously along the Elbe and its tributaries.[9][10]
The largest engagement outside Germany was in France in 2000, after storms Lothar and Martin blew down power lines and trees, blocking many streets, between 26 and 28 December 1999. The main contribution was supplying temporary electrical power for hospitals and other important institutions and rebuilding parts of the electrical system.[citation needed]
The organisation has also been active in many disaster relief operations abroad, for example in Thailand and Sri Lanka after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake,[11] in the United States after Hurricane Katrina in 2005,[12] in Pakistan after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake,[13] in 2010 during the flooding in Poland,[14] the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan,[15] the April 2015 Nepal earthquake,[16] and the 2020 Beirut explosions.[17]
In 2021, the THW provided relief during major flooding in southwestern Germany, particularly in the Ahr Valley.[18]
The Russian invasion of Ukraine starting in February 2022 led to the THW's largest logistical operation abroad. By May 2025, the THW had procured and delivered relief supplies worth more than €150 million to its partners. The THW focused particularly on supporting institutions in the front-line areas and on supporting its state partners, the Ukrainian Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Agency, and the Ukrainian Border Guard.[5]
In February 2023, THW personnel deployed to Turkey in the aftermath of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.[19]
Organization and personnel
As a federal authority which is part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the THW is headed by a president and board. Its headquarters (Script error: No such module "Lang".) are in Script error: No such module "Lang"., together with the Script error: No such module "Lang". (BBK) (Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance).
The THW comprises 669 local chapters, 66 regional offices, eight state associations, and the THW administration in Bonn[5], which consists of the management staff, the commissioner of volunteers, and the Deployment Section with the units
- E1 mission
- E2 foreign
- E3 training
- E4 logistics
- E5 technology
- and the Central Services Section with the units Z1 volunteers and staff, Z2 organization, Z3 finance, Z4 security and health protection, and Z5 information and communication.
The THW logistics center has its office in Heiligenhaus between Düsseldorf and Essen in the highly populated Western part of Germany and is, via its attachment to the Logistics Unit E4, part of the THW administration.
Heads of THW
- 1952–1955: Otto Lummitzsch
- 1955–1958: Alexander Löfken
- 1958–1962: Rudolf Schmidt
- 1962–1977: Hans Zielinski
- 1977–1985: Hermann Ahrens
- 1985/1986: Helmut Meier
- 1986–2002: Gerd Jürgen Henkel
- 2002–2006: Georg Thiel
- 2006–2020: Albrecht Broemme
- 2020–2023: Gerd Friedsam
- since 1 July 2023: Sabine Lackner
Personnel
Nearly 88,000 people across Germany volunteer with the THW, of which almost 17,000 are women and girls, and this number is rising.[5]
In Germany, military service was mandatory for adult males until 2011. Instead of joining the military for a shorter period full-time, one of the alternatives was to join a non-combatant volunteer organisation within the German Script error: No such module "Lang". (disaster relief) or Script error: No such module "Lang". (civil defense) for a minimum of four years (this is calculated so that although serving far less time every week, in the end the number of served hours was about the same). The THW was one of those organisations. Others were too, such as volunteer fire brigades and various organisations engaged in emergency medical service; however, the THW relied more heavily on such quasi-conscripts, as it tends to have less local popularity than e.g. volunteer fire brigades (who tend to be the chief social club of their respective village or town-quarter), and as it had less of an infrastructure of paid employees than, for instance, the German Red Cross.
The THW has its own decoration for meritorious service or exemplary achievements in the field of emergency management or civil protection: All three classes of the Script error: No such module "Lang". are approved by the president of Germany.
Ranks
In general, the rank structure of the THW is divided into two groups: the volunteers and the full-time employees.
Volunteers
| Head of Local Branch (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Deputy Head of Local Branch (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Training and Qualification Officer (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Expert Advisor (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Youth Activity Leader (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Maintenance Sergeant (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Public Relations and Volunteers Recruitment Officer (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Administration Secretary (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Cook (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Technical Platoon Leader (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Team Leader Logistics Unit(Script error: No such module "Lang".) Team Leader Command and Communications (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Command Squad Leader (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Command Department Head (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Group Leader (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Squad Leader (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Command Assistant (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Helper (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Federal Spokesperson (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Deputy Federal Spokesperson (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
State Spokesperson (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Deputy State Spokesperson (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Local Spokesperson (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Deputy Local Spokesperson (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Representative, Federal Association (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Representative, State Association (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Full-time employees
| Chief (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Vice-Chief (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
State Commissioner (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Headmaster of the Federal Academy (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Division Chief (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Commissioner of Volunteers (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Department Chief (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Academy Manager (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Chief of the Management Staff (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Department Consultant (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Regional Office Chief (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Senior Consultant (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Specialist Teacher (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Service Consultant (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Instructor (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Artisan (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Driver (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
Consultant (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Trainee (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Federal Service Volunteer (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Social Service Volunteer (Script error: No such module "Lang".) Intern (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
|---|---|---|---|
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Field organization
Organization in Germany
The THW is stationed all over Germany in 669 local chapters, called Script error: No such module "Lang". (OV). Some 80,000 people are active in this organisation including about 15,000 young volunteers (members of the THW Youth). The majority of those are volunteers, while about 1,800 work full-time in its administration.[1] Each local chapter (Script error: No such module "Lang".) maintains one or more Script error: No such module "Lang". (technical platoons), each consisting of one Script error: No such module "Lang". (command squad), comprising four volunteers, one Script error: No such module "Lang". (rescue units) comprising nine to twelve volunteers, and one to three Script error: No such module "Lang". (technical units), comprising four to eighteen volunteers.
The main type of THW unit is one of two Script error: No such module "Lang". (1st and 2nd Rescue Groups), equipped with heavy tools like hydraulic cutting devices, chain saws, and pneumatic hammers. Their vehicles are the Script error: No such module "Lang". (GKW 1) (Equipment Truck 1) for the 1st Rescue Group and the Script error: No such module "Lang". (MzKW) (Multi-Purpose Truck) or the older Script error: No such module "Lang". (GKW 2) — which is scheduled to be phased out — for the 2nd Rescue Group.
The Script error: No such module "Lang". (Technical Units) include:
- Bridge Building (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Debris Clearance (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Demolition/Blasting (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Electricity Supply (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Emergency Supply and Maintenance, (Script error: No such module "Lang"., introduced 2019 as a replacement for the former technical unit Illumination and many 2nd rescue units)
- Infrastructure (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Oil Pollution (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Search and Rescue (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Water Damage / Pumping (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Water Hazards (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Water Supply and Treatment (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Recovery (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Unmanned Aerial Systems (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
Furthermore, two types of technical units exist outside of technical platoons. They provide support mainly during major incidents or multi-regional operations:
- Logistics (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- Command, Control and Communications (Script error: No such module "Lang".)
International deployment
For relief in foreign countries, there are four Script error: No such module "Lang". or SEEBA (Rapid Deployment Unit Search and Rescue Abroad) units according to INSARAG standards, able to go airborne within six hours,[20] and three Script error: No such module "Lang". or SEEWA (Rapid Deployment Unit Water Supply and Treatment Abroad) units.
The Schlauchschwinger also operates high capacity pumping (HCP) modules for the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Furthermore, the THW has a pool of experts which can be rapidly deployed to places of crisis to perform assessment and coordination tasks within the fields of technical and logistical support. Those experts are also active in capacity building operations.
The long-standing expertise on the international field is also integrated into cooperative projects, such as the Cultural Heritage Response Unit (CHRU), a module focusing on the protection of cultural heritage in disaster management.[21]
Services provided
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Technical threat prevention
- Area lighting
- Clearing and blasting
- Combating flooding and inundation
- Search and rescue, and salvage
- Water rescue
Infrastructure technical support
- Electricity supply
- Emergency bridge work
- Drinking water supply
- Waste water disposal
Command and communication, logistics
- Catering and care of operational staff
- Command center establishment and operation
- Command support
- Creation of temporary telecommunication systems
- Establishment and operation of logistical bases
- Maintenance of material, repair and maintenance work for mission equipment
- Transportation of consumer goods for mission demands
Technical support in environmental protection
- Combating and mitigating oil damage
- Water analysis
Provision of the population
- Electricity and drinking water provision
- Establishment and equipment of emergency accommodation and collecting points with matching infrastructure
- Waste water disposal
Technical support
- Diving
- Makeshift road works
- Maintenance of civil protection facilities such as emergency wells and shelters
- Rescue from heights
- Technical help on traffic routes
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The Script error: No such module "Lang". (THW Youth) is the youth organization of the THW. It has set itself the target to introduce boys and girls from the age of six to the work of the THWs in a fun way. The Script error: No such module "Lang". is not part of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, but is an independently registered charity. This arrangement was made in order to avoid maintaining a state youth organization.
See also
- Civil defense
- State Emergency Service – a similar organization in Australia
References
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- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Die Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk im Überblick" (PDF). www.thw.de (in Deutsch). THW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Annual Report 2021" (PDF). THW. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Budget THW 2023" (PDF). www.bundeshaushalt.de (in Deutsch). Federal Ministry of Finance. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leitung Technisches Hilfswerk". Technisches Hilfswerk. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d PDF of THW: Die Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) im Überblick, Mai 2025
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."THW-Gesetz - Gesetz über das Technische Hilfswerk" [THW law - law on the technical relief organization] (in Deutsch). Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.deutschlandfunk.de (30 September 2019). "100 Jahre Technische Nothilfe - Der Vorläufer des THW wird gegründet". Deutschlandfunk (in Deutsch). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Geschichte".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Flutkatastrophe 2002: Wasser, soweit das Auge reichte" [Flood disaster 2002: water as far as the eye could see]. www.thw.de (in Deutsch). 2 August 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rund 10.000 THW-Helfer im Einsatz" [Around 10,000 THW helpers in action]. www.thw.de (in Deutsch). 19 August 2002. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Germany Doubles Aid to Tsunami Area". Deutsche Welle. 28 December 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McCollum, Peter; Poff, Nicole (16 September 2005). "German Federal Agency for Technical Relief assists in relief efforts". U.S. Northern Command. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Technical and Humanitarian Assistance Worldwide". Technisches Hilfswerk. 8 November 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."THW-Flood Mission in Poland: The Water Recedes, the Mud Remains" (Press release). Technisches Hilfswerk. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Erdbeben in Japan: THW setzt Hilfe fort" (Press release) (in Deutsch). Technisches Hilfswerk. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Erdbeben in Nepal: THW-Kräfte nehmen Arbeit auf" (Press release) (in Deutsch). Technisches Hilfswerk. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bundesregierung schickt THW-Bergungsteam in den Libanon". Die Zeit. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kreis Ahrweiler beziffert Flutschäden auf mehr als 3,7 Milliarden". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in Deutsch). 7 August 2021. ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."THW-Helfer aus RLP im Erdbebengebiet angekommen" (in Deutsch). SWR. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The SEEBA Special Unit – the Government's Tool to Help Rescue and Salvage Operations Domestically and Abroad". Retrieved 17 February 2008.
- ^ Germany’s KulturGutRetter: Pioneering the First UCPM Cultural Heritage Response Unit (CHRU), 23.02.2026
External links
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