Fire Brigade Decoration (North Rhine-Westphalia)
The fire brigade decoration of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was donated on December 29, 1954 to honor merits in the field of fire protection.
Content of the law
The Fire Brigade Badge of Honor is awarded in three stages, with the first two stages valid for active service. The times of career training in the fire service and the times in the youth fire department are to be taken into account. The times in a plant fire brigade are also eligible, but only up to five years. The Fire Brigade Decoration can therefore be awarded to:
- Members of the volunteer fire brigades ,
- Members of the professional fire brigade ,
- Members of the plant fire brigades as well as
- other employees who belong to a career in the fire service
Graduation
The already mentioned 3 levels of the honorary badge are not tied to German citizenship and contain the following classification:
For active service
- 3rd level: for 25 years of active service in silver on ribbon (ribbon medals) and the
- 2nd level: for 35 years of active service in gold on ribbon (ribbon medal)
Special level
The special levels of the fire brigade decoration are awarded in North Rhine-Westphalia in gold and silver as a plug-in cross. The following criteria apply.
- in silver: for special services to fire protection
- in gold: for particularly courageous and determined behavior in connection with a fire service.
Appearance, texture and way of wearing
The fire brigade decoration of all levels consists of an isosceles enamel cross and shows a red flame cross on a white background on all four arms. The flames themselves are framed in either silver or gold, depending on the level awarded. The coat of arms of North Rhine-Westphalia is applied in the middle. In the highlighted ring, the inscription for merits in fire protection can be read. The 3rd and 2nd levels are worn on the red-white-red ribbon with the corresponding color (silver or gold) on the left side of the chest. The special step is also worn as a cross on the left side of the chest. At the award of the Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor in gold, the silver level is dropped.
Award procedure
The decision-making authority regarding the award rests with the Minister of the Interior on behalf of the state government. The badge of honor is awarded with a certificate of honor, whereby the badge of honor passes into the possession of the recipient. After his death, the decoration remains as a souvenir for the bereaved.
Withdrawal and withdrawal of the badge of honor
The fire brigade badge of honor can also be withdrawn again in the cases that:
- a) the owner appears unworthy of the award due to his later behavior, in particular due to a dishonorable crime and
- b) such behavior only becomes known retrospectively in the event of an award.
In both cases, however, the person concerned must be heard beforehand by the responsible district government. This then submits the result of their examination to the Ministry of the Interior for a decision. The Ministry of the Interior then withdraws the fire brigade decoration and the associated award certificate.
Retroactive awards
With regard to the awarding of the Fire Brigade Decoration, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia has stipulated that the honorary badge can also be awarded retrospectively if fire service members, since August 23, 1946 (formation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia), have received a certificate of honor for the then (25-, 40 or 50 years of active service have received an honorary certificate. In these cases, this certificate is regarded as the award certificate.
Implementing regulation
The issued implementation ordinance then regulates the positions authorized to make proposals as well as the further consolidation of the creditable service periods. In extracts these are:
Authorized bodies
- Members of volunteer fire brigades by the fire protection agency
- Members of professional fire brigades by the employer
- Employee of a firefighting career by the employer
- Members of plant fire departments through the company
- Members of fire brigades who are subject to the supervision of the mining authorities by the employer ( Arnsberg district government )
All suggestions must contain the first and first name, the date of birth and information about the length of service and rank. In the case of awards at the special level, a detailed justification must also be enclosed, otherwise a simple statement. The proposals for the award must then be submitted by the district governments at least three months before the intended award date, namely on January 1st, April 1st, July 1st and October 1st of each year. The report for this must then be sent to the Ministry of the Interior on January 31, April 30, July 31 and October 31 of each year.
Creditable service hours
- Active service in the operations department, even after the service period has been extended
- Comparable service times in a fire brigade service outside of North Rhine-Westphalia, with non-contiguous service times (also in North Rhine-Westphalia) being added up
- Basic military service and compulsory military service if joining the fire brigade occurs before being called up for military service
- Periods of leave of absence for childcare up to three years for each child
Individual evidence
- ^ Law on the Foundation of a Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor of 23 November 1954, Section 1
- ↑ Law on the Foundation of a Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor of 23 November 1954, Section 2 Paragraphs 2 and 3
- ↑ Law on the Foundation of a Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor of 23 November 1954, Section 2, Paragraph 2
- ↑ Law on the Foundation of a Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor of 23 November 1954, Section 2 Paragraph 4
- ^ Law on the Foundation of a Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor of 23 November 1954, Section 3
- ^ Law on the Foundation of a Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor of 23 November 1954, Section 4
- ↑ Law on the Foundation of a Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor of 23 November 1954, Section 7
- ↑ Implementing provisions of the Act on the Foundation of a Fire Brigade Decoration of Honor of January 22, 2004, point 4