Association for the Promotion of Fire Protection in Germany

The Vereinigung zur Förderung des Deutschen Brandschutzes e.V. (vfdb) — in English, the Association for the Promotion of Fire Protection in Germany — is a German non-profit registered association founded on 22 May 1950 in Stuttgart. Its stated purpose is the scientific, technical and organisational advancement of non-police hazard defence, covering fire protection, technical assistance, environmental protection, rescue services, disaster control and civil protection, as well as related specialist fields and public education about protection from such dangers. The vfdb positions itself as the expert network for protection, rescue and safety in Germany. It operates through 15 permanent technical committees (Fachreferate) that address different areas of preventive and defensive fire protection, fire service history and rescue services. These committees cover topics such as preventive fire protection, fire and explosion causes, fire services, engineering methods in fire protection, firefighting and hazard defence, vehicles and technical assistance, information and communication technology, personal protective equipment, industrial hazard defence and crisis management, environmental protection, fire protection history, fire protection education and public relations, research management and information, technical fire protection systems, and rescue services. As a network, the vfdb creates a dialogue platform through its technical committees, ad-hoc working groups, and its participation in and organisation of specialist conferences and trade fairs, notably the INTERSCHUTZ fair. It engages in public and political debates with the expertise of its members and working groups, conducts active public relations, participates in research and development, supports experts through technical information, guidelines and a technical-scientific journal, cooperates with other specialist associations such as the German Fire Services Association (DFV), and contributes to standardisation work. It also promotes innovative products and procedures and awards its own quality seal. The association's work is financed and supported by a broad base of personal and corporate members. According to its website, it currently has over 3,000 individual members and over 500 corporate members from business and society, including more than 100 city administrations, as well as ministries, research institutes, associations, clubs and affiliated national and international fire service organisations. The vfdb is a member of CFPA-Europe and maintains national and international cooperations, including with the CTIF (International Association of Fire and Rescue Services) and the Confederation of Fire Protection Associations (CFPA). It is also an ideal sponsor of the INTERSCHUTZ trade fair in partnership with Deutsche Messe AG in Hanover. The vfdb publishes a quarterly technical-scientific journal, which is included in membership fees, and produces guidelines, leaflets and recommendations, some of which are made available via its website. Since 2009 it has been involved as a consortium partner in various research projects funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The association also grants various honours and awards in the field of non-police hazard defence, including the Heinrich-Henne-Medaille, the vfdb Excellence Award, the vfdb honorary medal, the vfdb young talent promotion prize for outstanding theses, and honorary membership. Its board represents the interests of the vfdb and implements the resolutions of the general meeting and the presidium. The current board was elected by the general meeting on 15 May 2023 for a five-year term. Dirk Aschenbrenner serves as President, Dr. Anja Hofmann-Böllinghaus as Vice President, and Roman Peperhove as Treasurer.

The Vereinigung zur Förderung des Deutschen Brandschutzes e.V. (vfdb) was founded on 22 May 1950 in Stuttgart as a non-profit association. Its original and continuing mission is the scientific, technical and organisational development of non-police hazard defence, thereby promoting safety in fire protection, technical assistance, environmental protection, rescue services, disaster control and civil protection, as well as related specialist fields and public education about protection from such dangers. Over the decades, the vfdb developed into a central expert network in Germany. It established 15 permanent technical committees (Fachreferate) covering the full spectrum of preventive and defensive fire protection, fire service history and rescue services. These committees address topics such as preventive fire protection, fire and explosion causes, fire services, engineering methods in fire protection, firefighting and hazard defence, vehicles and technical assistance, information and communication technology, personal protective equipment, industrial hazard defence and crisis management, environmental protection, fire protection history, fire protection education and public relations, research management and information, technical fire protection systems, and rescue services. International cooperation has been a hallmark of the vfdb. Participation in the congress of the World Fire Brigade Association CTIF began under then-President August Ortloph, and the partnership deepened in 1978 when vfdb President Manfred Gebhard was elected Vice President of CTIF. From 1960, several international fire protection seminars took place, promoting the exchange of experience in safety research at the international level. The vfdb is also a member of the Confederation of Fire Protection Associations (CFPA) and, through the Federation of the European Union Fire Officers Associations (FEU) having a seat on the presidium, maintains close cooperation at the European level. The vfdb is a member of CFPA-Europe. On the national level, the vfdb is strongly networked. An important body within the vfdb is the presidium, in which various associations, bodies and working groups hold voting shares. This sustainably promotes the exchange between representatives of fire services, preventive fire protection, administration and other areas, such as chimney sweeps. As an ideal sponsor of the INTERSCHUTZ trade fair, the vfdb maintains a close partnership with Deutsche Messe AG in Hanover. In the area of fire protection education, the vfdb's Referat 12 works together with the German Fire Services Association (DFV); since 2004 the two associations have formed the Joint Committee for Fire Protection Education and Awareness (Gemeinsamer Ausschuss Brandschutzerziehung und -aufklärung). Since 2009, the vfdb has been involved as a consortium partner in various research projects funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The association publishes a quarterly technical-scientific journal, included in membership fees, and produces guidelines, leaflets and recommendations, some of which are made available via its website. It also grants various honours and awards, including the Heinrich-Henne-Medaille, the vfdb Excellence Award, the vfdb honorary medal, the vfdb young talent promotion prize for outstanding theses, and honorary membership. The vfdb is led by a board that represents its interests and implements the resolutions of the general meeting and the presidium. The current board was elected by the general meeting on 15 May 2023 for a five-year term. Dirk Aschenbrenner serves as President, Dr. Anja Hofmann-Böllinghaus as Vice President, and Roman Peperhove as Treasurer. The association continues to be active in public and political debates, research, standardisation and the organisation of specialist events such as the INTERSCHUTZ fair and its annual conference.

• Founded in Stuttgart as a non-profit association.

• Several international fire protection seminars began, promoting international exchange in safety research.

• vfdb President Manfred Gebhard elected Vice President of CTIF, deepening international partnership.

• Joint Committee for Fire Protection Education and Awareness formed with the German Fire Services Association (DFV).

• Began participation as consortium partner in research projects funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

• Current board elected by the general meeting for a five-year term.

Expert network for protection, rescue and safety in Germany, focused on non-police hazard defence.

• Technical-scientific journal (quarterly)

  Published quarterly, included in membership fees.

• Guidelines (Richtlinien)

  Technical guidelines produced by the vfdb's committees.

• Technical leaflets (Merkblätter)

  Practical recommendations and technical leaflets.

• Recommendations

  Recommendations for procedures and practices.

• Technical reports

  Technical reports on specialist topics.

• vfdb quality seal

  Awarded to promote innovative products and procedures.

1. 1Start: vfdb.de - Vereinigung zur Förderung des Deutschen Brandschutzes e.V. - Vfdbvfdb.de
2. 2Über uns - Vfdbvfdb.de
3. 3Leitbild - Vfdbvfdb.de
4. 4Vorstand - Vfdbvfdb.de
5. 5Wikidata: Association for the Promotion of Fire Protection in Germanywikidata.org
6. 6Wikipedia (de): Vereinigung zur Förderung des Deutschen Brandschutzesde.wikipedia.org