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Flood heroes honored: Salzgitter shows gratitude for emergency services!
Mayor Klingebiel honored emergency services for their tireless flood efforts in Salzgitter and the surrounding area.
Flood heroes honored: Salzgitter shows gratitude for emergency services!
On June 17, 2025, the brave emergency services were honored in Salzgitter for their tireless efforts during the severe flooding in the winter of 2023/2024. At a celebratory event in the Ratskeller, Mayor Frank Klingebiel handed out the Lower Saxony flood badges of honor to the leaders of the volunteer fire brigades and aid organizations. An impressive number of 461 emergency services from 27 local fires and various aid organizations were honored.
The major flood operation, which took place from December 23, 2023 to January 5, 2024, posed an enormous challenge not only for the firefighters, but for all active helpers. The focus was on sandbag shoring in Salzgitter-Ringelheim to protect the city from the threatening flood waters.
A concert of helpfulness
These extraordinary missions were not an isolated incident. The flood was the result of a rainy autumn, exacerbated by the Zoltan storm, and led to sharply increased water levels in many rivers in Lower Saxony. Minister of the Interior and Sport, Daniela Behrens, emphasized how impressive the commitment of around 55,000 full-time and volunteer workers was during this crisis. Neighborhood assistance was also provided in the Wolfenbüttel and Hildesheim districts, while the DLRG water rescue group and diving group offered support in the Heidekreis.
“We rely on volunteers,” said Dr. Oliver Liersch, President of the DLRG, during the operation. Around 1,500 DLRG staff were deployed, often under difficult weather conditions with constant rain and temperatures just above freezing. During these critical times, many responders had to leave their families behind over the holidays to protect the lives of others.
A spatial challenge
In fact, Lower Saxony experienced the largest flood event in its history. Emergency services worked not only in Salzgitter, but also in areas such as Emsland, Celle and Hanover. Thanks to the high level of commitment and cooperation between the fire department, DLRG and THW, many people and animals were helped. “The support we received from the population was enormous,” emphasized Liersch.
The Lower Saxony state government is now planning to award the flood badge of honor not only in Salzgitter, but also in other cities. This award will be officially presented in the fourth quarter of 2024, and authorities and volunteer agencies are invited to submit proposals.
| emergency services | organization | Total operating time |
|---|---|---|
| 461 | Volunteer fire departments, DLRG, DRK, Johanniter, THW | December 23, 2023 – January 5, 2024 |
This great community effort not only appreciated the people affected, but also goes down in the history of Lower Saxony as an example of solidarity and willingness to help.
regionalheute.de reports on the honoring of life savers. The [Freiwilligenserver](https://www.freiwilligenserver.de/aktuell/aktuelles?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=deta il&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=2949&cHash=18fbd7e2605190738294b164416d646a) highlights the impressive number of emergency services and the Feuerwehrmagazin presents the record number of helpers during the flood situation. This means that volunteer work in critical situations remains a central concern of society.