📋 Tender Overview
What counts is the community not where you come from. We all tackle it together no matter which local or district association we are.Thats what a THW helper who fought against the forest fires in Brandenburg said in the summer.And I think thats exactly the motto that makes the THW family so incredibly strong Dont ask first but tackle it and do it together. Not to see yourself but the community.I believe that the Federal Minister of the Interiors thanks to you all made it clear how large this community is and how many actors are involved. Together they worked 3.7 million hours last year at home and abroad. No one can do it alone - you can only do it as a strong community.And behind that number - 3.7 million hours its hard to imagine - there are so many nights on camp beds for each and every one of you so many days apart from your partner so often having to say to his children This is very important now mum has to drive to the operation as soon as possible. And I wont be back for another five or seven days.There is always a bit of pain and uncertainty involved - but above all a lot of heart and soul.And the bad news that we have to give you along the way is the hours wont be fewer it still needs your heart and soul. Because the consequences of the climate crisis continue to hit us with massive force. We just saw this in a brutal way in Pakistan. And at the same time many of them are still in use around the Ahr Valley.And if you look at these operations as the Federal Minister of the Interior dear Nancy just made clear again then disaster control cannot be divided into a national and an international task because crises do not stop at national or international borders.This cross-border thinking was part of the THW right from the start. That as a community you dont ask where you come from but say Well help as a neighboring federal state as a neighboring state or worldwide.I am often asked about your work when I travel abroad. Of course some dont know exactly what THW is. But internationally the color blue not only stands for our EU missions but also for the THW for your vehicles for your work on site. And there it is often said Thank you Germany for helping us after this earthquake or after this hurricane.The Minister of the Interior and I as Foreign Minister want to pass on this thanks and this recognition to you. You stand for Germany internationally. Nobody then asks How is the THW different from the fire brigade Is the THW based at the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs You represent Germany you help in the name of Germany. Thats why youre a figurehead for German foreign policy. Many thanks for that from my sideI think the nice thing about it is that you always take something back with you so Im sure many of you will be there. It is also important for us at the political level that the foreign assignments are not just giving abroad but that you bring this experience back with you. And not just the cultural experiences but also how to deal with major crises especially the climate crisis. This also strengthens our civil protection in Germany. There are so many examples of this and we will be hearing a lot more from you in the next hour.
