“The need for a means of transport with a weather-protected structure is evident time and again in larger deployments such as the flood deployments on the Elbe and in the Ahr Valley. With this set-up, we now have the option of transporting materials such as tents, camp beds and the luggage of the helpers comfortably and safely to the site of operation,” adds Luis Votel, Public Relations Officer at THW Schopfheim.
THW Schopfheim is one of 668 local associations nationwide. Its varied duties include operations during floods, large fires and bomb finds. After the flood disaster in the summer of 2021 in the mid-west of Germany, 20 THW Schopfheim aid workers were active for a total of four weeks to support the people affected in the Ahr Valley. In March 2022, the THW Schopfheim helpers set up accommodation for refugees from Ukraine together with helpers from other organizations.
Support for the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief
The trucks are so fully loaded with rescue and recovery materials and goods that there is hardly any space left for the helpers’ luggage. But the volunteers from the THW (Federal Agency for Technical Relief) Schopfheim, Germany, must also be personally well equipped for their assignments, often lasting for days. They have a transport trailer at their disposal. Busch Vacuum Solutions has now funded the structure and tarpaulin of the vehicle so that the helpers’ luggage can be transported dry and safely to the deployment location in the future.
Unfortunately, such procurements are not financed by the federal government. Therefore, we are very happy about the support from Busch, which will facilitate our operations in the future.
THW is Germany’s civil protection and disaster relief organization. It provides international humanitarian aid in disaster situations on behalf of the German government and has a unique organizational structure. Although, assigned to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, only two percent of THW employees work full-time. Around 80,000 helpers volunteer in their free time. The THW is primarily mobilized after accidents and natural disasters.