Technisches Hilfswerk

The Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk ("Federal Agency for Technical Relief", THW) is a disaster relief organisation controlled by the German federal government. 99% of its members are volunteers.

Tasks

The tasks of the THW are described in a law called "Helferrechtsgesetz".These tasks are:
*technical relief in Germany as part of national civil protection measures
*technical or humanitarian relief in foreign countries, as assigned by the government
*technical and logistical relief for other (German) GOs, NGOs or other authorities like fire brigades, police or the custom authorities.

History

After World War II the Technisches Hilfswerk was founded in 1950. The main purpose was civil defense in the event of war. This has changed during the decades; today the THW is a capable helper 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 severe flooding of the Elbe river in eastern Germany. All in all, about 24,000 THW members participated in the operation, with up to 10,000 people helping simultaneously along the Elbe and its tributaries (see 2002 European flood).

The largest action outside Germany was in France in 2000, when storms destroyed much of the overhead electrical overland wires and overturned trees blocked many streets. The main work 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 after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (for both relief operations and medium-term rebuilding), Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. [cite web |url=http://www.thw.bund.de/cln_036/nn_942466/EN/content/news/international/missions/2005/11/news__001.html |title=Technical and Humanitarian Assistance Worldwide |accessdate=2008-04-29 |format= |work= ]

Organisation

The THW is stationed all over Germany in 669 local sections, called "Ortsverbände". Some 80,000 people are active in this organisation. The majority of those are volunteers, while about 800 work full-time in its administration. Each local section ("Ortsverband") maintains one or more "Technische Züge" (technical platoons), each consisting of one "Zugtrupp" (command squad), comprising four volunteers, two "Bergungsgruppen" (rescue units) comprising nine to twelve volunteers, and one to three "Fachgruppen" (Technical Units), comprising four to eighteen volunteers.

The main type of THW unit (about two out of three) is one of two "Bergungsgruppe" (1st and 2nd Rescue Groups), equipped with heavy tools like hydraulic cutting devices, chain saws, and pneumatic hammers. Their Vehicles are the Gerätekraftwagen (GKW) for the 1st Rescue Group and the Mehrzweckkraftwagen (MZKW) is for the 2nd Rescue Group.

The "Fachgruppen" (Technical Units) include:
* "Infrastruktur" (Infrastructure),
* "Räumen" (Debris Clearance),
* "Sprengen" (Demolition/Blasting),
* "Elektroversorgung" (Electricity Supply),
* "Beleuchtung" (Illumination),
* "Wasserschaden / Pumpen" (Water Damage / Pumps),
* "Wassergefahren" (Water Hazards),
* "Logistik" (Logistics),
* "Ölschaden" (Oil Pollution),
* "Trinkwasserversorgung" (Water Supply and Treatment),
* "Führung und Kommunikation" (Command, Control and Communication), and
* "Ortung" (Search and Detection).

For relief in foreign countries, there are four "Schnelleinsatzeinheiten Bergung Ausland" or "SEEBA" (Rapid Deployment Unit Search and Rescue Abroad) units, able to go airborne within six hours, [cite web |url=http://www.thw.bund.de/cln_036/nn_931992/EN/content/about__us/modern__organisation/seeba/seeba__node.html__nnn=true |title=The SEEBA Special Unit – the Government's Tool to Help Rescue and Salvage Operations Domestically and Abroad |accessdate=2008-02-17 |format= |work= ] and five "Schnelleinsatzeinheiten Wasserversorgung Ausland" or "SEEWA" (Rapid Deployment Unit Water Supply and Treatment Abroad) units.

In Germany, military service is mandatory for adult males. Instead of joining the military for nine months full-time, one of the alternatives is to join a non-combatant volunteer organisation of the German "Katastrophenschutz" (disaster relief) or "Zivilschutz" (civil defense) for a minimum of six years. The THW is one of those organisations, as well as volunteer fire brigades and various organisations engaged in emergency medical service. "See also conscription in Germany".

References

* [http://www.thw.bund.de THW - Homepage] Official homepage, in German
* [http://www.thw.bund.de/cln_036/nn_244766/EN/content/home/home__en__node.html__nnn=true THW - Homepage] English version
* [http://www.thw-nw.de/download/neue-flyer/thw_infoblatt_englisch.pdf Technisches Hilfswerk - German Federal Agency for Technical Relief] Short summary in English (PDF file)