Technisches Hilfswerk
The Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk (German: [ˈtɛçnɪʃəs ˈhɪlfsˌvɛʁk] , (THW) pronounced [teːhaːˈveː] , English: Federal Agency for Technical Relief) is the federal civil protection organisation of Germany. It is legally part of Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat and controlled by the German federal government. 97% of its more than 80 thousand members (2021) are volunteers.[2]
Agency overview
August 22, 1950
- Sabine Lackner, President[4]
- 3 training centers
- 8 regional offices
- 4 logistic centers
- 66 branch offices
- 668 local sections[1]
The obligations are defined in section 1 of the THW act (Gesetz über das Technische Hilfswerk).[5] These includes:
History[edit]
After World War II the Technisches Hilfswerk 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 Technische Nothilfe, in 1919. The main purpose of the THW was 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.
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.[6][7]
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.
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,[8] in the United States after Hurricane Katrina in 2005,[9] in Pakistan after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake,[10] in 2010 during the flooding in Poland,[11] the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan,[12] the April 2015 Nepal earthquake,[13] and the 2020 Beirut explosions.[14]
In 2021, the THW provided relief during major flooding in southwestern Germany, particularly in the Ahr Valley.[15]
In February 2023, THW personnel deployed to Turkey in the aftermath of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.[16]
Field organization[edit]
Organization in Germany[edit]
The THW is stationed all over Germany in 668 local chapters, called Ortsverbände (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 (Ortsverband) maintains one or more Technische Züge (technical platoons), each consisting of one Zugtrupp (command squad), comprising four volunteers, one Bergungsgruppe (rescue units) comprising nine to twelve volunteers, and one to three Fachgruppen (technical units), comprising four to eighteen volunteers.
Technical threat prevention
Infrastructure technical support
Command and communication, logistics
Technical support in the protection of the environment
Provision of the population
Technical support