DLRG
Encyclopedia
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The DLRG is a non-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, independent organization based on volunteers.
Tasks
The most urgent goal of the DLRG is the creation and promotion of all activities used to fight drowningDrowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
. Additional tasks are:
- Teach swimming and self-rescue to the public
- Educate people about the dangers of swimming and how to avoid them
- Teach and train rescue swimming
- Basic and advanced training in First AidFirst aidFirst aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
- Help and technical safety support for water related activities
- Providing lifeguardLifeguardA lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
s at public places - Perform rescue related exercises and water sports competitions
- Environmental protection at, on and in waters.
- Cooperation with German civil defenseCivil defenseCivil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
, especially concerning floodsFloodA flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
.
Qualifications
The DLRG trains interested members as qualified technical personnel in the following ranges:- Swimming
- First aidFirst aidFirst aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
- Boating
- Rescue diverScuba divingScuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
History
On 28 July 1912, a pier in Binz on the island RügenRügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
, Germany collapsed under the load of 1000 people waiting for the cruise steamer Kronprinz Wilhelm. Sailors of the German navy were able to save most people, but 17 people died because they could not swim, including seven children. This catastrophe caused the foundation of the "Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (DLRG)" (German lifesaving organization) on October 19 1913 in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
.
With almost 560'000 members in approximately 2,100 local groups, the DLRG is the largest voluntary water rescue organization in the world. Including donors, over one million people support the work of the DLRG.
See also
- WasserwachtWasserwachtThe Wasserwacht is a German lifeguard service. It is one of the five voluntary societies of the German Red Cross. The Wasserwacht is a non-profit organization made up of on volunteers.- Tasks :The main task of the Wasserwacht is the prevention of drowning...
- LifeguardLifeguardA lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
- German rescue swimming badgeGerman rescue swimming badgeThe German rescue swimming badge is awarded by the Wasserwacht of the German Red Cross and the DLRG for proficiency in rescue swimming skills...
- German Wiki article about the DLRG