Hello everyone,

Well, basically title. I tried the freiwilliges Feuerwehr, but I dont think they want non-german people.

Any other ideas?

I speak fluent german, english and spanish, 30s, male, etc

  • @electrogamermanOP
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    61 year ago

    I sent an email to the freiwilliges Feuerwehr in Köln and they told me that they would put me in a waiting list. A couple of weeks later a german friend sent the exact same email and they replied to call them for an interview. The only difference in the email was my very non-german name vs his Max Mustermann name (not his actual name). I also asked a german colleague of mine that is in the freiwilliges Feuerwehr in his town and he told me he finds very strange that they put me in the waiting list because they are always in need of people.

    • leobm
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      1 year ago

      That’s sad, unfortunately there are racists everywhere, but you shouldn’t let that discourage you. There are also organisations that are happy when you come. And then you wonder why integration doesn’t work in Germany. Something like a community, like the voluntary fire brigade, could be a place to achieve good integration.

      In the end, the people who always talk about failed integration don’t really want integration, I think sometimes.

      Or is there an association of volunteer fire brigades? Maybe one should report it?

      Edit: https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/freiwillige-feuerwehr-ehrenamtlerin-mit-100.html “Basak Aslan würde es gut finden, wenn sich viel mehr Migranten für ein Ehrenamt bei der Feuerwehr entscheiden würden – ein Leben ohne den Dienst in der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr kann sie sich jedenfalls nicht mehr vorstellen. Und mittlerweile ist auch ihr Vater stolz auf sie.”

      It’s kind of ironic when you read that.

      https://koeln-muelheim.de/nachrichten.php?ID=24204

      this here too

      • @electrogamermanOP
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        21 year ago

        Im not discouraged at all. I mean it sucks because i was really looking forward to work as a fire fighter (or at least close to it), but if they dont want me, I wilö give my time and help somewhere else. I just need to find the right thing :)

    • @[email protected]
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      1 year ago

      From my personal experience of more than 20 years in that field, waiting lists for new members are indeed a very odd thing. Usually it’s the opposite, volunteer fire brigades will pester anyone who looks only remotely interested to please join right now, basically, in most places, you’ll be handed a form and told where to sign faster than you can say out loud “I’d like to join” 3 times.

      Unequal treatment of applicants, if done on purpose, would be very much illegal.

      The things new members might have to wait for is getting fitted with personal equipment, delivery times have been a sad joke since the pandemic, I’ve seen people wait for more than half a year for a pair of new boots.