Women on Fire: Ten years of promoting women in the professional fire department

Increasing the proportion of women in the Offenbach Fire Department: this is the goal of the "Women on Fire" program, which will be offered again next year and is celebrating its anniversary.

"With our women's promotion program at the Offenbach professional fire department, we are sending a clear signal for equal rights and equal opportunities. Promoting this and putting it into practice in the city administration and the professional fire department is very important to me personally," emphasizes Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke. "I am delighted that we have been able to recruit more women in recent years to work as firefighters for our city and I hope that we will be able to recruit many more."

Dr. Michael Eiblmaier, Head of the Offenbach Fire Department, adds: "The tenth anniversary of 'Women on Fire' is a milestone for us. It shows our commitment to equal opportunities and the promotion of female talent in the fire department. We are proud to have created a platform that inspires and encourages women to pursue their dream job with us."

The success of "Women on Fire" is already clearly noticeable: In recent years, the number of program participants and applications submitted by women has increased. The participants report consistently positive experiences and great interest in the fire department as an employer. One participant said: "For me, 'Women on Fire' was a very successful program and confirmed my career aspirations. In Offenbach, I feel that the recruitment of female junior staff is practiced authentically. Right from the start, I had the feeling that I was part of the Offenbach fire department and not just any old applicant."

In the new year, the new round of the program will start on Thursday, 16 January, with a digital introductory event. Interested women will have the opportunity to find out more about their training opportunities in an online format and gain an initial insight into everyday life in the fire department. During a digital tour of the fire station, participants will receive exciting information about the diverse tasks of the fire department. This event offers an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas with potential future colleagues and take an exclusive look behind the scenes of the Offenbach fire department.

In February and March, there will also be two workshops to prepare for the recruitment test. At a wood workshop in an Offenbach wood workshop, applicants can brush up on their manual skills under the professional guidance of a carpenter. The sports workshop offers interested women the opportunity to train for the professional fire department recruitment test and find out more about the requirements.

The 250-strong fire department team is looking forward to welcoming new faces who want to help shape the fire department on its path to the future and appreciate a particularly informal atmosphere. The application phase for the start of training in April 2026 will begin in the next few weeks, and the examination dates can already be viewed on the homepage: www.offenbach.de/feuerwehr-als-arbeitgeber. All women who are interested in starting their apprenticeship in April 2026 and still have questions in their minds are cordially invited to the digital entry event "Women on Fire". Participants should not be over the age of 34 at the start of training.

Further information and the registration form for the digital event and the workshops can be found here: