Rescue Medal (North Rhine-Westphalia)
The rescue medal of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was endowed by law as a state award in 1951 by the then Prime Minister Karl Arnold .
Content of the law
requirements
The rescue medal is state recognition for the rescue or attempted rescue of a person from danger to life or for averting a considerable danger to the general public. The rescue medal is pronounced by the Prime Minister on behalf of the state government. The same applies in the case of a public commendation. However, people who have been entrusted with the protection of life for official or professional reasons will only receive the rescue medal if they have significantly exceeded their incumbent duty in the underlying rescue act .
Rescue medal
The rescue medal is only awarded to people who have carried out the rescue act at the risk of their own lives, whereby the award can also take place posthumously in the event that the rescuer has a fatal accident during the rescue act. In contrast to the Saarland Rescue Medal, the Rescue Medal of North Rhine-Westphalia can be awarded repeatedly to one and the same person, although there is no legal entitlement to the award.
Public commendation
The public commendation instead of the rescue medal is given if the rescuer has carried out the rescue act without giving his own life or if the rescue attempt was unsuccessful in spite of his own life. Otherwise, the same rules apply as for the awarding of the rescue medal. So z. B. the public commendation also take place posthumously.
Award process
The suggestions that can lead to the award of the rescue medal are usually submitted by the district governments in whose area the rescuer is domiciled or in whose area the rescue act was carried out if the rescuer is domiciled outside the state of North Rhine-Westphalia . There is no official examination if the rescue act was two years ago. The award of the rescue medal is announced in the ministerial gazette, the award of the public commendation in the official gazette of the responsible district government.
Implementing regulation
The implementation ordinance issued on April 27, 2004 then regulates the further procedure and deepens the award criteria. In this way, the prerequisites for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia are specified. There is only a reference to the federal state
- If a person was rescued in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia regardless of the resident or nationality of the rescuer or the rescued person.
- Rescue of a person in another federal state of the FRG if the rescuer or rescued person is resident in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the rescue is not recognized by the state in the other state;
- rescuing a person abroad if the rescuer is resident in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and
- Rescuing a person who is resident in North Rhine-Westphalia abroad
- a) a foreigner or
- b) residents of another country in the Federal Republic of Germany, if this country is not recognized by the state.
Determination of the rescue acts
The investigation of the rescue acts that lead to the award of the medal or the public commendation must be carried out ex officio. For example, the district or urban district in which the rescuer or rescued person resides is responsible for the investigation, with the foreign investigation being carried out by the district administration. To clarify the facts, the rescuer, the rescued person and any witnesses must be heard beforehand if the previous facts are not sufficient for clarification. In case of doubt, an expert must clarify whether there was actually a risk to life during the rescue. In the event of an act of rescue in mining, the competent mining authority must be heard beforehand. The results of the investigation must then be passed on to the Prime Minister through official channels.
Shape, texture and way of wearing the rescue medal
The rescue medal of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia is a round silver medal with a diameter of 33 mm. On its front it shows the embossed state coat of arms of the state with the inscription: North Rhine-Westphalia . The reverse shows the four-line inscription in the middle: For / rescue / out / danger . The rescue medal itself is worn on an orange ribbon 25 mm wide with a narrow white stripe running through its edges. It is based on the Prussian original from 1833. The rescue medal is worn as a ribbon medal on the left side of the chest or as a ribbon clasp.
Handing over of the rescue medal
The rescue medal is always given by the prime minister of the state, although the award can be delegated by the prime minister. The presentation of the certificate of the public commendation is carried out by the responsible district president, unless the prime minister makes other arrangements.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Law on State Recognition of Rescue Acts of March 30, 2004, Section 1 Paragraph 1
- ↑ Law on the state recognition of rescue acts of March 30, 2004, § 2
- ↑ Law on the state recognition of rescue acts of March 30, 2004, § 3
- ↑ Law on the state recognition of rescue acts of March 30, 2004, § 4
- ↑ Ordinance on the implementation of the Act on State Recognition of Rescue Acts, Section 1
- ↑ Ordinance on the implementation of the Act on State Recognition of Rescue Acts, Section 3
- ↑ Ordinance on the implementation of the Act on State Recognition of Rescue Acts, Section 3
- ↑ Ordinance on the implementation of the Act on State Recognition of Rescue Acts, Section 4