page_title: Technisches Hilfswerk
section_title: Organization in Germany
hierarchical_section_title: Technisches Hilfswerk / Field organization / Organization in Germany
caption_attribution_description: English: Leading Unit of THW Deutsch: Führungsstelle im Verfügungsraum Dortmund, bei der Fußball WM 2006
context_page_description: The Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk is a civil protection organisation controlled by the German federal government. 99% of its 79,543 members are volunteers.
context_section_description: The THW is stationed all over Germany in 668 local chapters, called Ortsverbände (OV). Some 80,000 people are active in this organisation including about 15,000 young volunteers (members of the THW Youth). The majority of those are volunteers, while about 1,800 work full-time in its administration. Each local chapter (Ortsverband) maintains one or more Technische Züge (technical platoons), each consisting of one Zugtrupp (command squad), comprising four volunteers, one Bergungsgruppe (rescue units) comprising nine to twelve volunteers, and one to three Fachgruppen (technical units), comprising four to eighteen volunteers.
  The main type of THW unit is one of two Bergungsgruppen (1st and 2nd Rescue Groups), equipped with heavy tools like hydraulic cutting devices, chain saws, and pneumatic hammers. Their vehicles are the Gerätekraftwagen 1 (GKW 1) (Equipment Truck 1) for the 1st Rescue Group and the Mehrzweckkraftwagen (MzKW) (Multi-Purpose Truck) or the older Gerätekraftwagen 2 (GKW 2) — which is scheduled to be phased out — for the 2nd Rescue Group.
  The Fachgruppen (Technical Units) include:
  Bridge Building (Brückenbau)
  Debris Clearance (Räumen)
  Demolition/Blasting (Sprengen)
  Electricity Supply (Elektroversorgung)
  Emergency Supply and Maintenance, (Notinstandsetzung & Notversorgung, introduced 2019 as a replacement for the former technical unit Illumination and many 2nd rescue units)
  Infrastructure (Infrastruktur)
  Oil Pollution (Ölschaden)
  Search and Rescue (Ortung)
  Water Damage / Pumping (Wasserschaden / Pumpen)
  Water Hazards (Wassergefahren)
  Water Supply and Treatment (Trinkwasserversorgung)
  Furthermore, two types of technical units exist outside of technical platoons. They provide support mainly during major incidents or multi-regional operations:
  Logistics (Logistik)
  Command, Control and Communications (Führung und Kommunikation)
caption: THW Operation Center
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