Almost every fire department in Bavaria has one or more of these people who would like to, who could, but who are no longer allowed to. It’s about going out on missions and the legal maximum age for doing so. Currently, the active service of volunteer firefighters ends at 65. Those who reach this threshold are generally not lost to their department, stay in the fire department association, perhaps help with the vehicle fleet, with equipment or take on other helpful tasks – even if it’s just preparing a sausage salad in the lounge so that their colleagues can have a proper meal when they return from a mission.
On the other hand, potential is being wasted, the older volunteers have a lot of experience and a mountain of training courses under their belts. And when they retire, they also have time that working people often have to struggle to find or negotiate with their employer. And the question of fitness? In Bavaria, there have been firefighters who run marathons but have had to retire from active service due to their age.
But that could change now. There has been debate for some time about raising or even abolishing the age limit. This was also the case in May, when the study “Who will put out fires tomorrow?” was presented at the Nuremberg Technical University in the presence of Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU). The study predicted a decline in the number of active firefighters by around a third by 2041. “We must give people who are fit and can make a good contribution the space to do so even when they are older,” said Herrmann there. The coalition factions now want to change the Fire Service Act after the state parliament’s summer recess. A rule is needed that is supported by the municipalities as the fire service providers and the State Fire Service Association, according to the Interior Ministry. The Association of Municipalities and the Association recently called for the age limit to be raised to 67, the current statutory retirement age. There are several other options – including abolishing the age limit, coupled with health examinations. All of this is particularly relevant with regard to accident protection and the insurance of the fire services.
There are currently around 330,000 active members in almost 7,500 volunteer fire departments in the Free State. The majority of fire service work in the state – apart from a few professional and company fire departments – is therefore carried out on a voluntary basis. It is clear that the longer deployment of older people can only be one building block for their future viability. The Nuremberg study recommends promoting other target groups. The proportion of women is increasing, but is only at eleven percent; in almost one in five fire departments in Bavaria there is not a single woman active.