Aid organizations warn: Commercialization of rescue services endangers public safety

Key aid organizations in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), including ASB, German Red Cross (DRK), Johanniter, and Malteser, have issued a joint statement warning about the dangers of commercializing rescue services and civil protection.

The organizations argue that the current system, where rescue service contracts are often awarded to the lowest bidder in public tenders, leads to negative consequences. These include poorer working conditions and lower salaries for employees in the rescue services. Reports of similar issues have already emerged from various parts of NRW.

Furthermore, the organizations highlight the critical interdependency between rescue services and civil protection in NRW. They state that repeated tenders and changes of providers in the rescue services sector have already forced the dissolution of civil protection units. This is because volunteers lack sufficient opportunities for the practical training and ongoing education that rescue service operations typically provide.

The aid organizations also emphasize the essential role of volunteers in ensuring the safety of large public events. Without their contributions, events such as carnivals, football matches, and music festivals would not be possible in NRW. An estimation from the organizations indicates that their volunteers in Münster alone performed over 48,000 hours of work in a single year, with an economic value of 1.2 million euros.

The organizations are calling for rescue services and civil protection, viewed as an integrated system, to be exempted from commercial tendering regulations. They urge policymakers to prioritize the preservation of this established system and halt the commercialization of emergency response. The aid groups have developed concrete proposals and are actively engaging in discussions with politicians and administrative officials in the state.