More Girls Join Youth Fire Brigades in Northern Germany

Fire stations face waiting lists as thousands of kids, especially girls, rush to join. Why are youth brigades booming in this German state?

, and Administrator

2026 March 14 . 7:06 AM

1 min read

The image shows a group of firefighters in uniform standing next to each other in a room with a... — The image shows a group of firefighters in uniform standing next to each other in a room with a door on the right side and a wall on the left side. In the background, there are pipes and other objects, suggesting that the firefighters are in the midst of a training exercise.

Youth fire brigades in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are seeing a growing number of young recruits. Currently, 11,249 boys and girls take part in 631 youth fire brigades across the state. Among them, 4,289 are girls—a noticeable increase in recent years.

State Youth Fire Chief Christian Borchardt has welcomed the trend. He hopes many of these young members will later join active service as firefighters. However, not all fire departments in the region provide youth programmes or groups for children aged six to ten.

Some stations have even introduced waiting lists. This step reflects sufficient personnel and resources in those areas. Despite the demand, only 631 of the state's 941 fire departments currently run youth initiatives. While the number of girls in local brigades has risen, broader data for other German states remains unavailable. Official records do not show how participation has changed nationwide over the past five years.

The rise in young recruits, particularly girls, highlights growing interest in youth fire brigades. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania now has thousands of children and teenagers involved in training. Yet, not every department offers these programmes, and some have limited capacity for new members.