Federal Association of Rescue Dogs
The BRH Bundesverband Rettungshunde eV (BRH) is an association based in Hünxe with 1,700 members.
According to its own information, it is the oldest German rescue dog association. There are around 80 BRH rescue dog teams in Germany. The focus of the emergency teams is on the area and rubble search , mantrailing (person tracking dogs ), water location and avalanche search are also offered. In several federal states, the BRH rescue dog squadrons are official specialist services in the respective state disaster control, in almost all federal states BRH units are involved in the municipal and regional disaster control.
In addition to the main task of searching for missing persons on behalf of the police, rescue dog operations are also carried out nationally in the area of searching for rubble, especially in the case of house collapses after gas explosions or major incidents such as the ICE accident in Eschede , the collapse of the ice rink in Bad Reichenhall or the collapse of the historic city archive in Cologne .
On average, a BRH rescuer provides 350 hours of training and practice times per year, plus the operating times. Operations outside of the disaster are free of charge for both alarming and wanted persons, the BRH units are always available for requesters. The BRH provides the specialist bodies for rescue dogs for the main cynological associations ( FCI , VDH , dhv , AZG ). The rescue dog handlers, helpers and board members organized in the BRH work on a voluntary basis .
Association
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the Federal Air Protection Association began training rescue dogs to search for rubble on behalf of the Federal Minister of the Interior in 1954. These rescue dog teams were involved in the extended federal disaster control. The Federal Association for Self-Protection continued this training in the 1960s. Because the federal authorities relied on the newly developed electronic tracking devices, rescue dog training was discontinued in 1973 by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, also for financial reasons.
Some dog handlers founded the rescue dog teams Heilbronn (Unterland), Ulm, Rottweil and Pforzheim (Enzkreis) in 1974 and 1975. In addition, there were only a few rescue dogs with the fire departments in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. These private rescue dog teams, located exclusively in Baden-Württemberg, founded the Association for the Rescue Dog System in Baden-Württemberg in 1976. After two private rescue dog teams were founded in Hesse and another in North Rhine-Westphalia, the association for the rescue dog sector in Baden-Württemberg was expanded to become a federal association through a corresponding amendment to the statutes.
Since 1983, this association has also provided training for the search for space . In the following years, other aid organizations ( DRK , Johanniter , ASB , MHD , DLRG and THW) also started training rescue dogs.
Membership in associations and organizations
The BRH is a member of:
- German Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband / Parität International since 1983
- Founding member of the International Rescue Dog Organization (IRO) since 1993
- Action Germany helps - through the DPWV since 2001
- German Dog Sports Association since 2003
Cooperations
The BRH cooperates with:
- German air rescue service
- Bilateral disaster agreement EDAK Edirne, Turkey and the BRH
- the American Rescue Dog Organization
- ÖRHB, Austrian Rescue Dog Brigade
Structure of the association
The basis of the BRH are the rescue dog squadrons, which carry out the elections of the board of directors, the committees and the functional groups, decide on the statutes and regulations on the annual association day.
The board of directors consists of the presidium (president, 1st and 2nd vice president) as the board of directors according to the German Civil Code (BGB) and the heads of the departments National Deployment, International Deployment, Training, Finance, Law & Insurance, Technology and Equipment, Media & communication, performance judges, the chairman of the advisory board (elected by the state representatives) and the honorary president.
The state commissioners are elected by the squadrons in the respective federal state and represent the interests of the BRH at state level. The members of the BRH arbitration tribunal are elected from the ranks of the state commissioners.
The technical commission is made up of the operational areas (training, deployment, technology + equipment and performance judges) together with the task of promoting and increasing the quality features of rescue dog work.
Well-known and internationally recognized personalities from disaster management, cynology and sociology form the BRH Board of Trustees. This committee supports and advises the association on the basis of the respective specialist areas.
The federal association and the BRH rescue dog squadrons are recognized as non-profit associations. The administration of the entire BRH is now based in the BRH training center in Hünxe with five staff positions. The office in Hünxe in the Wesel district is the central point of contact for around 151,000 BRH sponsors.
Training centers
In particular, the basic training in the human and cynological area as well as the further qualification of so-called rubble search teams for deployment in major incidents is a focus for investments of the BRH. The objective is to create regional training centers for the neighboring and surrounding federal states that support these goals via an appropriate infrastructure.
The BRH maintains its own training centers in western Germany (Hünxe, North Rhine-Westphalia), northern Germany (Malchin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) and in southern Germany ( Mosbach , Baden-Württemberg). The BRH is a world leader in setting up such a number and structure of training centers for rescue dogs and specialist units specializing in Search & Rescue.
The BRH sees its activities for the creation of training centers in the public interest of the respective federal state or rural or urban district, since primarily issues of disaster and civil protection are pursued and promoted. Authorities and BOS organizations as well as specialist services from other auxiliary services benefit from the BRH's investment measures, as the site usage concepts enable, for example, complex exercise scenarios across specialist services and organizations.
The training centers are run under the name TCRH (Training Center Rescue and Help), the carrier is a limited liability company of the same name, the sole shareholder of which is the BRH Bundesverband Rettungshunde eV.
TCRH Hünxe
On April 9, 2008, the BRH signed the purchase agreement for the former Anita-Thyssen-Heim in the town hall of Hünxe near Wesel in North Rhine-Westphalia . The property became the world's first training center for rescue dog handlers and emergency services only .
The approximately 75,000 square meter area is suitable for practical exercises such as searching for areas and rubble, subordination and working with equipment. The rubble area meets the high demands of rubble work.
The property was originally built by Thyssen as a training facility for employees and therefore offers a sufficient number of seminar and conference rooms of different sizes. The BRH training center offers the existing large kitchen and the possibility of accommodating 68 event participants.
The renovation of the former Thyssen training facility was largely carried out by the members of the individual squadrons.
TCRH Malchin
In March 2010, the BRH acquired a large industrial wasteland near Malchin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . The area offers a variety of different training opportunities and is continuously being expanded. The aim of the expansion is a worldwide unique rubble practice area.
The approximately 25,000 square meter area of the former concrete plant is suitable for handling complex exercise scenarios. The specialty: several 90 meter long, up to 16 meter wide and up to three storey high halls form the basis for the establishment of indoor exercise objects and thus ensure year-round training. A large brick building with a beam construction was brought down in a controlled manner and offers a realistic scenario. This also applies to the lavishly designed rubble area.
Since the opening of the site, there have been regular large-scale and operational exercises from a wide variety of organizations as well as sightings of BRH foreign squads.
TCRH Mosbach
On the site of the former barracks Neckar valley between Neckarelz and Neckarzimmern in Baden-Württemberg the BRH has been running 2015 on a core area of 110,000 square meters and in the meantime, with a total area of 270,000 square meters exercise an education and training center for civil protection . BOS organizations practice all areas of disaster and civil protection as well as internal security in an interdisciplinary, specialist service and cross-organizational manner.
The existing space and building structures cover all the requirements of technical and non-technical specialist services for tactical and operational training and exercises. Special scenarios as well as large-scale damage, amok and terror situations are shown here. The facility has training and indoor exercise rooms, conference technology and offices, as well as overnight accommodation for up to 150 people.
There is a cooperation with the owner of the site. This makes it possible to provide different materials such as concrete, wood, steel, electronics, paper etc. including disposal for destructive and non-destructive exercises and training measures.
For the BRH itself, the TCRH Mosbach serves as a focus center for the training of teams in the biological and technical location in ruins. Numerous damaged areas are under construction or have already been completed. They depict a wide variety of operational situations and are intended for the qualified training of the emergency services.
Dog breeds
There is no typical rescue dog in the rescue dog sector. Therefore, a large number of different races including mixed breeds are represented in the BRH. The selection criteria essentially relate to the dog's character, willingness to work and performance. As a rule, all medium-sized dog breeds meet these requirements.
Rescue dog handler
Due to the strain on people and dogs in rescue and disaster operations, certain requirements are placed on dog handlers and helpers, which they must periodically prove. In addition to the will to be active in the rescue service and disaster control and knowledge of dog training , they must also have practical and theoretical knowledge of operational topics such as terrain orientation, operational tactics, radio, first aid for humans and dogs, damage assessment and operational management.
Training and exams
The training is carried out in the rescue dog squadrons by trainers certified by the association and in supraregional training courses. The basic requirement for the way to the rescue dog is the companion dog test according to VDH / AZG. A preliminary examination is followed by the main examination in the areas of area search and rubble search. There are separate examination regulations for mantrailers.
Furthermore, the exams according to IPO-R A and B can be taken in all areas (area search, rubble search, tracking search, avalanche search). The exams are held by performance judges who are independent of the tier.
Alerts and operations
Local and supraregional alerts are forwarded to the responsible relay via the police, fire brigade and other aid organizations. Alerts for missions abroad are sent to the BRH's central operations management. Alerts and interventions are free of charge for the requesters and those affected.
In a number of federal states, the BRH is included in the state's disaster control plan (e.g. Baden-Württemberg, Saxony) and / or is integrated into the extended disaster control of the respective district (e.g. Hesse, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Saarland). In addition, in some federal states there is a cooperation agreement with the state's interior ministry to search for missing people in cooperation with the police authorities (e.g. Hesse). For this purpose, an additional check of the rescue dog squadron by the state police authority and / or police dog school is required.
In 2002 a foreign qualification test was introduced. Particularly qualified teams from the fields of rubble search, rescue / recovery, medicine, logistics and leadership are deployed under UN mandate as so-called BRH foreign cadres in international disaster situations. The international activities of the BRH (BRH Search and Rescue) are divided into two areas:
- Foreign missions in Europe within the framework of aid from mostly neighboring German federal states also within the framework of bilateral agreements or missions by German disaster control. These are usually provided by the local, regional or supra-regional BRH rescue dog teams.
- International operations in major incidents under a UN mandate. These are completed by members of the BRH international team under the umbrella of ISAR Germany .
A separate situation center (international situation center; ILZ) was set up in Hünxe to handle all foreign missions.