Helmet labeling

Helmet identification at the fire brigade (group leader)

In Germany , many authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS) have helmet markings in order to quickly and clearly display functions, qualifications, units, guard numbers or ranks.

Situation in Germany

In Germany, helmet markings can be found on almost all BOS, but especially on members of the riot police , fire brigades , civil protection and other aid organizations .

Helmet labeling by fire departments

Standard in most federal states

The German fire brigades primarily use helmet markings to quickly identify the qualifications of a fire brigade member in action. Bavaria is an exception (see below). The actual function identification, i.e. the fact whether a qualified fire brigade member is currently performing this function, is displayed with identification vests.

Since the legislation for the area of ​​fire and disaster control in Germany falls within the legislative competence of the federal states, the same markings on the helmet can have different meanings.

Volunteer firefighter

Labelling	BW	BY	BE	BB	HB	HH	HE	MV
	Squad leader	unavailable	Squadron leader	Squad leader Local defense leader for groups	Squad leader	Squad leader	Squad leader deputy Wehrführer / Wehrführer with group leader training Vehicle driver for full-time employees	Squad leader
	Platoon leader	unavailable	Platoon leader	Platoon leader Local defense leader in case of strength	Platoon leader	put. Wehrführer	Platoon leader deputy Wehrführer / Wehrführer with platoon driver training Head of the guard department for full-time employees	Platoon leader Local military leader
	commander	unavailable	Leaders of associations	Wehrführer Official fire chief Leaders of associations	Standby leader	Wehrführer Area Leader	deputy Community / city fire inspector Community / city fire inspector	Leaders of associations Wehrführer
	District fire chief	unavailable	unavailable	District fire chief State fire chief	Area Leader	Regional leader	deputy Head of a fire department Head of a fire brigade with more than 50,000 residents without a professional fire brigade	District and city defense leaders
Labelling	NI	NRW	RP	SL	SN	ST	SH	TH
	Group leader (qualification)	Group leader (F III or B III)	Squad leader	Squad leader	Squad leader	Squad leader	Squad leader	Squad leader
	Train driver (qualification) Fire chief (function)	Platoon Leader (F4)	Platoon leader Wehrführer	Platoon leader	Platoon leader	Platoon leader	Platoon leader Wehrführer up to strength	Platoon leader
	Community fire chief (function) Standby supervisor (function)	Union leader Head of the fire department	Leaders of associations Defense chief	Union leader	Local armed forces chief Deputy Chief of Defense - broken line	Union leader	Leaders of associations Wehrführer on strength of train Military leader	Union leader
	Section Head (Function) District fire supervisor (function) Government Fire Chief (Function)	District fire chief and deputy District fire supervisor and deputy	City fire department inspector District fire brigade inspector	District fire chief Fire inspector State fire inspector	Community or city defense chief Deputy community or city defense chief - broken line	unavailable	District and city defense leaders	unavailable

• Note on Berlin: Berlin works with a relay concept, so the group leaders are called "only" relay leaders despite F3 / B3 qualifications.
• Note on Hamburg: If the helmet is marked with a surrounding red ring, this is not above, but below the reflective stripe.
• Note on Rhineland-Palatinate: A helmet label is reserved exclusively for managers who have received management training and who have been assigned this function.

Professional fire brigade

Labelling	BW	BY	BE	BB	HB	HH	HE	MV
	Group leader middle service	unavailable	Vehicle driver (non-relay vehicle, e.g. DLK)	Squad leader Vehicle driver	Chief fire chief	Chief fire chief	Vehicle driver Squad leader	Squad leader Vehicle driver
	Platoon leader, middle service	unavailable	Squadron leader	Platoon leader Head of the watch department	Head of the watch department (platoon leader)	Deputy Head of the Guard Department Vehicle driver	Platoon leader Guard Division Leader	Platoon leader Guard Division Leader
	Official of the high-level fire service	unavailable	Platoon leader Chief of operations, senior service (C service)	Official of the high-level fire service	Operations control service (HB)	Guard Division Leader Platoon leader	Members of the high-level fire service District fire chief	Official of the high-level fire service
	Official of the higher fire service	unavailable	Head of operations in higher service (B / A service)	Official of the higher fire service	Directorate Service (HB)	Watchman B service A service FL service	deputy District fire inspector District fire inspector Members of the management service Members of the higher fire service Members of the top and top fire protection supervisory service State fire director	Official of the higher fire service
Labelling	NI	NRW	RP	SL	SN	ST	SH	TH
	not specified	Squad leader	Squad leader	Medium fire service with a leadership course	not specified	not specified	Squad leader Vehicle driver	Squad leader
	not specified	Chief fire chief with official allowance Officials who have been promoted to category 2 without an examination	Platoon leader Guard Division Leader	Training in high-level fire service	not specified	not specified	Platoon leader Guard Division Leader	Platoon leader
	not specified	Official of the high-level fire service	Official of the high-level fire service Watchman	Training in high-level fire fighting service with association leader qualification higher fire service	not specified	not specified	Watchman Official of the high-level fire service	Union leader upscale fire service
	not specified	Official of the higher fire service	Official of the higher fire service Head of a professional fire brigade	Trunk	not specified	not specified	Head of the fire department Official of the higher fire service	higher fire service

• Note on Berlin: Berlin works with a relay concept, so the group leaders are called "only" relay leaders despite F3 / B3 qualifications.
• Note on Hamburg: If the helmet is marked with a surrounding red ring, this is not above, but below the silver reflective stripe.
• Comment on Hessen : The two red rings on the state fire director are double the height.
• Note on Rhineland-Palatinate : A helmet label is reserved exclusively for managers who have received management training and who have been assigned this function.

* District fire inspector mostly full-time in high service

There are also stickers to identify the guard numbers or other qualifications such as paramedics ("S") or wearers of breathing apparatus ("A") in the center front.
As an alternative to the two mentioned, blue dots or triangles are used in some federal states for emergency services with the training SAN-B or higher and a red dot for breathing apparatus wearers, which are usually attached to the side above the silver reflective stripe on classic DIN helmets.

Labelling	Volunteer firefighter	Professional fire brigade
	Paramedics in the fire brigade (not in all federal states)	not available, as compulsory training (not in all federal states)
	Respirator wearer	Respirator wearer

• Note from Saxony-Anhalt: The variant with the red dot may only be used until December 31, 2023.

Example of a possible combination of the identifications group or vehicle driver, paramedic and respirator wearer

Exception Bavaria

According to the Fire Brigade Act, managers in Bavaria are identified by their roles using "rubber bands" that are worn at the level of the reflective stripes.

Changeable job badges

Changeable function badges may only be worn “while exercising the function” (Ordinance on the Implementation of the Bavarian Fire Brigade Act (AVBayFwG); Annex 3 8.2.2).

Volunteer firefighter		Professional fire brigade
function	Labelling	function
Vehicle driver (training group leader)	black circumferential band 10 mm thick	Vehicle driver (training group leader)
Platoon leader	black circumferential band 20 mm thick	Platoon leader
Section Leader	red circumferential band 10 mm thick	Inspection Service (Union Leader)
Operations Manager	red circumferential band 20 mm thick	Directorate Service (Local Operations Manager ÖEL)

Fixed job badges

Fixed job badges identify the organizational function:

function	Labelling
commander	a red bar
District / city fire chief	two red bars
District / town fire inspector	three red bars
District / City Fire Council	four red bars
Head of the professional fire brigade	two red circumferential ribbons, each 20 mm thick

The bars are attached vertically to the front of the helmet.

Helmet labeling in the German rescue service and disaster control

As with the fire brigade, the helmet markings also show the rescue service only the level of training, but not the current function. This identification is also carried out in use using identification vests in different colors.

Labelling	German Red Cross	Medical, care and catering service Rhineland-Palatinate
	Squad leader	unavailable
	Squad leader	Group leader of a SEG-S, SEG-B or SEG-V
	Platoon leader	Leader of an operational unit (platoon leader)
	Standby line Association leader (Baden-Württemberg)	Head emergency doctor Organizational Head
	Association leader (Saarland only) District Emergency Management	unavailable

• Note on Rhineland-Palatinate: A helmet label is reserved exclusively for managers who have received management training and who have been assigned this function.

For identification in disaster control, the red cross is primarily used on a white background to identify medical workers and the blue triangle on an orange background to identify technical assistants (fire protection, technical assistance, rescue, etc.). However, both marks are international trademarks and may only be used by those organizations and institutions authorized to do so by the Geneva Conventions. In addition to one of these two symbols, the qualification or function labels of the respective organization can be attached to the helmet.

• 

  international red cross symbol

• 

  international civil protection mark

Helmet identification by the riot police

At the police station, the identification is on the helmet i. A. only if the riot police are deployed (closed associations / units) . Here a group leader is marked with two horizontal dots and a platoon leader with three dots. These signs are probably derived from the order of magnitude signs from (P) DV 102 “ Tactical signs ”.

Situation in Austria

The Austrian fire services generally do not provide for any labeling of helmets. Only the head of operations can wear a red helmet. In many smaller brigades, this so-called squad leader's helmet is not even available. For larger operations, the leaders of part of the operation (e.g. head of respiratory protection, etc.) can wear this helmet.

Situation in the Netherlands

The Dutch “Brandweer” also uses red stripes on the helmet to indicate the training status of the wearer.

Labelling	function
	a thin red stripe "Bevelvoerder" - (German command leader) leader of a fire engine , corresponds to the group leader
	two thin red stripes "Officier van Dienst" - (Eng. "Officer on duty")
	three red stripes "Hoofd Officier van Dienst" - (German "Hauptoffizier vom Dienst")
	a wide red stripe "Commandant" - (Eng. Commander)
	a thin and a wide red stripe "Regionaal Commandant" - (Eng. "Regional Commandant")

Situation in Switzerland

In Switzerland, too, there are helmet markings that indicate a general qualification or a role in the fire service. Even here, the fact that someone has the qualification does not mean that he or she performs the associated function in action; this is indicated separately on the identification vests.

Helmet labeling by fire departments

Labelling	designation	Specialty
	Respirator wearer	Qualification marking
	Squad leader
	Platoon leader
	Fire chief	Function identification
	District fire chief

Helmet identification at the rescue service

Labelling	designation	Specialty
	Squad leader	Qualification marking
	Platoon leader
	On-call manager	Function identification
	District readiness leader and deputy
	Emergency doctor / on-call doctor

Individual evidence

1. ↑ State Fire Brigade School Baden-Württemberg, Training of Voluntary Fire Brigades - Basic Training, Neckar-Verlag, 2005
2. ↑ ^{a b} Helmet labeling for managers of the fire brigade in the state of Brandenburg
3. ↑ ^{a b} helmet markings of the Hamburg fire brigade
4. ↑ ^{a b} Hessian fire brigade clothing and service grave regulation (PDF)
5. ↑ ^{a b} Identification of executives of the fire brigades in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ( Memento from August 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ; PDF)
6. ↑ Ordinance on municipal fire brigades , State of Lower Saxony, April 30, 2010 §15 Paragraph 4 in conjunction with Annex 8A
7. ↑ ^{a b} Regulations on the rank and function badges of the fire brigades, the institute of the fire brigade NRW and the supervisory authorities of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the helmet markings for fire brigade executives
8. ↑ ^{a b c} Guideline for the management service in fire protection, in general help and in disaster control Rhineland-Palatinate (PDF) Annex 3
9. ↑ ^{a b} Decree on the identification of executives and special functions of the non-police authorities and organizations with security tasks (npolBOS) in Saarland from January 1, 2020 (PDF; 2.1 MB) Saarland Ministry of the Interior, Construction and Sport, 2020
10. ↑ fire brigade advertising accessed on Feb. 18, 2020
11. ↑ Saxony-Anhalt Office Dress Ordinance ( Memento from April 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Annex 3, Section 9
12. ^ ^{A b} Uniform regulations for the fire brigades in the state of Schleswig-Holstein
13. ↑ ^{a b} Annex 2 - Identification of the qualifications of the emergency services as well as managers and specialists with special functions of the Thuringian Fire Brigade Organization Ordinance (ThürFwOrgVO) , accessed on June 29, 2017
14. ^ Ordinance on the implementation of the Bavarian Fire Brigade Act , Bavarian State Government
15. ↑ If i. A. only worn by drivers of a tactical unit (squadron / group) and not for vehicles with a crew.
16. ↑ Helmet labeling of helpers and managers of the DRK (PDF; 76 kB), DRK, 2008
17. ↑ Uniform Rules DRK Saarland. (PDF) (No longer available online.) March 1, 2015, archived from the original on November 13, 2016 ; accessed on November 13, 2016 . 
18. ↑ Brandweer Algemeen - Rangen ( Memento from July 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) 112meldingen.nl/
19. ↑ ^{a b} Uniform, work clothing, personal protective equipment, qualification and function identification with helmet identification Switzerland