Division 6 - Civil Protection

In principle, disaster control is a matter for the federal states by law. Within the Hessian state administration, three levels have been implemented that are responsible for disaster control. In relation to the city of Offenbach, the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and Sport acts as the supreme disaster control authority, the Darmstadt Regional Council as the higher disaster control authority and the city of Offenbach, as an independent city, as the lower disaster control authority. The Civil Protection Department was commissioned with the operational management of the UKB by the Lord Mayor of Offenbach as the city's supreme disaster control authority. Its tasks include, among others, the management of the emergency vehicles of the civil protection, the planning preparation of civil protection defense measures and the implementation and coordination of relief measures in the event of disasters of various kinds. The UKB is also responsible for supplying the emergency services and the population. The UKB is responsible for monitoring all units and facilities deployed in disaster control, organizing the helpers and training and financing them. It is essential that the UKB can determine and announce a disaster. The UKB is required to set up a disaster control center with an administrative staff, a disaster control staff, an information and communication center and a hazardous substance ABC measuring center.

The Central Services department is responsible for the administrative management of the UKB and the Civil Protection department. It also manages internal and inter-agency communication with institutions such as the Darmstadt Regional Council, the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and Sport, the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, the police authorities, the German Armed Forces, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief and other organizations. A further area of activity is participation in the command and disaster control staff of the city of Offenbach. The Central Service is responsible for the administration of both staffs and works with them in the event of an emergency. In the event of a disaster, the fire department's command service and event-specific specialist advisors form a disaster management team to deal with the exceptional operational situation. In emergency scenarios that fall below the disaster control threshold, the so-called fire department management team meets.

The second area is disaster control and civil protection. While civil protection includes planning for the management of extraordinary natural events in order to cope with scenarios such as extreme weather situations, heavy rainfall events, floods and forest fires, civil defense deals with all areas of civil defense, even in times of peace. One example of civil defense is population warning (setting up population warning systems such as sirens or warning apps) or ensuring the emergency supply of drinking water and food for the population. This extensive subject area includes many interfaces with other authorities and directly affects the population in the event of an emergency. The department is responsible for planning and implementing all necessary preventative measures to ensure effective disaster prevention to protect the people of Offenbach. This includes, among other things, the creation, review and updating of disaster prevention plans.

The emergency response planning department (operational planning) is responsible for managing the fire department's alert and response plan as well as the disaster control units and facilities and is responsible for creating concepts for day-to-day emergency response. This includes operational concepts, property deployment plans and, among other things, communication plans. Operational planning thus summarizes alarm keywords, alarm levels and the resulting alarm responses. The aim is to deploy the right forces in the right place at the right time in order to provide effective assistance. In order to ensure public safety, deployment orders for major events are drawn up and implemented, for example as part of the risk and safety analyses. At the "Kommt-Gesund-Wieder-Stadion" on Bieberer Berg, for example, the Offenbach fire department ensures the safety of all fans and visitors at Kickers Offenbach soccer matches with the so-called external command center and the fire safety service, as well as a medical service provided by the German Red Cross, so that they can watch the match without worrying. The operational planning not only determines which resources, i.e. both vehicles and emergency service personnel, but also which aids are required to deal with damage scenarios. The employees in the department deal with every conceivable emergency scenario - from the smallest garbage can fire to major incidents - so that they can intervene quickly and professionally in the event of an emergency.