Welcome
Welcome to the homepage of Technisches Hilfswerk THW - i.e. Federal Agency for Disaster and Technical Relief of Germany - local section Baiersdorf.
The local section of Baiersdorf consists of one technical platoon with the following groups:
- command squad (4 volunteers)
- two search and rescue groups (9 volunteers each)
- group for electricity and power generation (9 volunteers)
- group for blasting operations (6 volunteers)
There are about 60 volunteers, including some reserve volunteers, working in the local section of Baiersdorf.
Throughout Germany there are 80 000 volunteers that engage in THW activities. These include:
- search and rescue operations and technical relief when supporting fire departments and the police, e.g. car accidents, fires, floods, storms, electricity breakdowns, etc.
- humanitarian aid projects worldwide, e.g. drinking water supply after floods, search and rescue operations after earthquakes
- civil protection in case of warfare in Germany
- education and thorough training of volunteers
The following missions were successfully accomplished by the THW:
- search and rescue operations with technical and biological equipment in the earthquake in Pakistan 2005
- technical aid and pumping activities in the 2005 flood/hurricane in New Orleans, USA
- providing drinking water in the Tsunami disaster in 2004/2005 in South East Asia
- technical aid and pumping activities in the 2003 flood of Rhône river, southern France
- technical aid and rescue, as well as pumping activities in the 2002 flood of Elbe river, Germany
- providing drinking water and infrastructural build up of refugee camps in Ruanda/Congo in 1994
Therefore special forces, short SEEBA/SEEWA (Rapid Deployment Unit Search and Rescue/Drinking Water Supply) were established, in order to react very fast in worldwide humanitarian aid.
More information can be gained on the english pages of the THW headquarters.