Baden-Württemberg Moves to Keep Volunteer Firefighters on the Front Line Until 67
Published on 10/25/2026 at 16:10 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Volunteer firefighters in Baden-Württemberg could stay on active duty two years longer under a reform package unveiled by the state's interior minister — one piece of a broader push to shore up emergency services that already run at roughly one call every four minutes.
Manuel Hagel, the CDU interior minister, announced on 24 October 2026 that the state's fire service law will be amended so that volunteers can remain in operational service until they turn 67, rather than stepping back at 65 as current rules require. The change is slated to take effect next year and would apply in principle to all 112,600 volunteer fire service members in the state. Full-time professional crews fall outside this specific provision.
Training gets an upgrade
Beyond the retirement age, the legislative package reshapes how the state trains its emergency personnel. Hagel said the existing state fire service school will be expanded into an academy for fire and civil protection, a move intended to meet growing demands on civil and disaster response and to modernise the state's training and further education offering.
The plans drew backing from within the governing coalition. Green interior policy expert Pascal Haggenmüller welcomed Hagel's proposals the same day.
Relief for towns on vehicles and stations
Municipalities stand to gain on the financial and administrative side as well. Under the minister's plans, cities and towns would receive support both for buying vehicles and for infrastructure projects. For new equipment houses, the state envisages standardised, repeat-build designs to cut planning effort and construction costs at the local level.
A bulk purchasing scheme launched by Baden-Württemberg in 2025 is already under way. The first statewide joint order covers 69 LF 10 fire engines, with the contract awarded to manufacturer Ziegler of Giengen an der Brenz. Fifty-seven cities and municipalities plus one industrial fire brigade are taking part in this initial round.
The pooled approach carries a financial incentive: the state contributes 182,000 euros toward each LF 10 bought through the joint procurement, compared with 140,000 euros for a comparable individual purchase by a municipality. On 24 October 2026 the state said it would continue down this road, with joint procurements for portable pump vehicles with water tanks planned next for 2026.
A heavy operational load
The reforms come against a backdrop of sustained demand. In 2025, fire services across Baden-Württemberg responded to a total of 128,385 incidents — arithmetically, about one call every four minutes. During those operations, responders brought 16,296 people to safety or rescued them from danger. The planned amendment is meant to help keep crews' staffing levels stable over the long term.
