Wasserwacht
Encyclopedia
Lifeguard
A 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...
. It is one of the five voluntary societies of the German Red Cross
German Red Cross
The German Red Cross , or the DRK, is the national Red Cross Society in Germany.With over 4.5 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within and outside Germany...
. The Wasserwacht is a non-profit organization
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...
made up of on volunteers.
Tasks
The main task of the Wasserwacht is the prevention of 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....
. But there are also some additional tasks:
- Environmental protectionEnvironmental protectionEnvironmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
- Teaching of swimming, rescue swimmingRescue swimmingRescue Swimming refers to skills that enable an individual to attempt a rescue when a swimmer is in difficulty. These include a combination of communication skills, specific "rescue" swimming strokes, and release and evade techniques for self-preservation should the rescue go wrong.* From the...
and 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...
to the population, especially youth, in schools and federations - Training its members in life saving
- Organization of competitionCompetitionCompetition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
s in life saving - 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...
- Education of young members
- Cooperation with German civil protection, especially concerning floodFloodA 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...
s.
In order to accomplish these tasks the Wasserwacht educates interested people with qualified technical abilities from the other departments of the German Red Cross.
The Wasserwacht's activities encompass many areas, including:
Swimming (Schwimmen)
A task of the Wasserwacht is the training of nonswimmers and the continuation of swimming education among the population. BadgesGerman swimming badge
The German swimming badge is awarded by members of the Wasserwacht of the German Red Cross and the DLRG for completing certain requirements and for demonstrating swimming skills.-German swimming badge in bronze:...
are awarded based on the level of education, and begin with the "Seepferdchen" (early certificate) up to the Gold German Swimming Badge.
Rescue Swimming (Rettungsschwimmen)
This group is responsible for the education and training of lifeguardLifeguard
A 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.
Boating (Motorboot)
The Wasserwacht provides live-saving services on most lakes in as well as on the coast of Germany. Therefore they require fast and powerful transportation in case of an emergency.The Wasserwacht oversees regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
s and sailing meetings.
Rescue Diving (Rettungstauchen)
Rescue divers are needed for the salvaging of goods, vehicles, garbage, and corpses. The education of a rescue diver usually takes one to two years. Each active rescue diver of the Wasserwacht is required to undergo a dive-medical investigation annually.History
The BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n city Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
is considered to be the birthplace of the lifeguard service of the German Red Cross. In 1883, during a flood, German Red Cross
German Red Cross
The German Red Cross , or the DRK, is the national Red Cross Society in Germany.With over 4.5 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within and outside Germany...
aids were used for the first time. In the following years, "Sanität und Wasserwehrkolonnen" (medical and water rescue stations) developed along the coast and inland waters.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Wasserwacht, as a government organization, was forbidden by the allied military administration. But the Bavarian Red Cross, a regional organization of the German Red Cross within the Free State of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, received permission to resume its work. Other regional organizations followed the example of Bavaria and reinstituted their lifeguard services.