Change at the top: Lengde fire department with a new management duo!

Change at the top: Lengde fire department with a new management duo!

A significant personnel change is imminent in the Lengde local fire department: At the turn of the year, local fire chief Hendrik Zimmermann and his deputy Dominik Steinmeier will resign from their positions. Hendrik Zimmermann, who has been in command for 20 years, will make his difficult decision on December 31, 2025 after two decades of loyal service. Steinmeier, part of the operations department since 2011, follows him on the same path. With the upcoming changes, two new faces will become active in the leadership of the Lengde fire department: Daniel Kaufmann, who will temporarily take over the position of local fire chief, and Sönke Zimmermann, who will act as deputy.

The appointments were made by Goslar's First City Councilor Dirk Becker, who in his speech acknowledged both the willingness to take on these responsible positions and pointed out the additional burden in the private circumstances of the new managers. In his speech, city fire chief Christian Hellmeier made clear the immense importance of volunteer work and emphasized the need to have committed people in leadership positions. Kaufmann has been active in the Lengde local fire department since 2015 and previously looked after the youth fire department for seven years, while Sönke Zimmermann already has over 30 years of experience in the Goslar fire department.

A smooth transition

Zimmermann will support the new management duo during their induction, a valuable wealth of experience that is particularly important now. The challenges associated with running a fire department should not be underestimated. At the end of 2022, there were around 48,100 fire departments in Germany, with volunteer fire departments making up the largest proportion of them, with over a million members. In recent years in particular, however, the focus of operations has increasingly shifted to rescue and recovery, which makes the responsible offices even more important Goslar.de reports that Kaufmann will act on an acting basis for two years until all the necessary courses for a final appointment have been completed.

The fire brigade in Germany does valuable work not only during fires. According to current statistics, the fire brigade went out on around 229,000 missions in 2022, spread across the areas of rescue, firefighting, recovery and shooting. The increase in acts of violence against firefighters is particularly alarming, a development that should not be viewed carelessly in Goslar RegionalHeute.de.

A look into the future

Daniel Kaufmann and Sönke Zimmermann are now faced with the task of navigating the Lengde local fire department through the coming challenges and continuing to make it an important pillar of the community. Preparations for this are already underway, and both managers can count on the trust of the city and their fellow firefighters. With the motto “Strong together” they will ensure that the Lengde fire department will continue to ensure safety in the region in the future.

Changes are also underway in the Goslar fire department in the Wiedelah local fire department. Sven Michaelis will take over the position of deputy local fire chief there from November 1, 2025. He succeeds Markus Schlimme, who has already announced his resignation on October 31, 2025. Michaelis, who has been active in the operations department since 1989, also has a lot of experience that he will bring to the new position.

These personnel changes once again show the dynamism in the volunteer fire departments and the constant commitment of the members, who always stand up for the safety of their fellow citizens in Northern Germany Statista.