The Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) is the Federal Government's volunteer response organisation and is part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Its mission includes civil protection and disaster management within Germany. In addition, the THW carries out missions around the globe on behalf of the German government. The THW organises around 80,000 volunteers nationwide in 668 local sections. In their free time, the THW members are involved in a wide range of operations and exercises for civil protection. They are supported by about 2,000 full-time employees in 66 regional offices, eight state offices, the THW headquarters in Bonn and the THW training centres. The list of deployment scenarios for THW is long: fires and floods, road and oil spills, power outages, major events and the outbreak of epidemics are just a few examples of emergency situations in which THW can help with the right equipment and specially trained first responders. More than 23 different specialist groups are spread across all of Germany in more than 1,000 locations and reflect the wide-ranging specialist knowledge of the THW. Each specialist group is trained and equipped for specific challenges: Volunteers from the bridge construction specialist group can build bridges at short notice from prefabricated parts, while the oil damage specialist group uses floating barriers to channel and remove spilled oil on bodies of water.
The Division EI3 Research Projects has been participating in third-party-funded research projects (EU, BMBF, BMWK) in the field of civil security research together with partners from science and industry since 2014. Depending on the project, the THW assumes the role of a collaborative partner or the role of project coordinator. The research projects help the THW better prepare for future challenges and develop capability-based solutions for the first responders. The spectrum of projects includes search and rescue, AI, drone, CBRNE, flood, situational awareness and network projects, to name just a few areas. The THW contributes its expertise as an emergency response organisation to projects in the areas of scenario development, technical requirements and evaluation. The THW is always interested in participating in new projects as long as they promise a discernible added value for the THW. It is essential that you involve us in the project development process at an early stage so that we can take into account the needs of the first responders.
