Firefighters in Dreieich-Sprenglingen acknowledge stars for exceptional duty.
In the heart of Dreieich, the volunteer fire department held its annual honorary evening in 2024. This event, marked by speeches from local representatives and a focus on promotions and honors, was a celebration of the dedication and hard work of its members.
The evening began with a series of promotions, a testament to the department's commitment to recognising and rewarding its volunteers. A total of 13 promotions were made, elevating individuals to various roles within the department.
- Firefighter: Jennifer Lotz, Jonathan Burggraf, Dominik Fritzinger, and Henri Giardino were promoted to this entry-level position.
- Senior Firefighter: Valentin Maliqi, the deputy chief, was promoted to Senior Firemaster, alongside Andy Dang, Julian Geist, and Jonas Schögel.
- Chief Firefighter: Four individuals, including Stefan Retzlaff, were promoted to this role.
- Fire Master: Two promotions were made to this rank.
- Fire Chief: The highest promotion of the night went to Chief Christian Poriska and Thomas Spengler, who were promoted to Chief Firemasters.
City Fire Inspector Markus Tillmann emphasised the importance of the high level of training required to operate the department's vehicles, including the new logistics equipment vehicle (GW/L) based on a Unimog, which was presented at the event. The new vehicle, provided by the state of Hesse, is part of the department's modern equipment and will require additional training from the operational personnel in the coming months.
The event also honoured numerous members for their dedicated service. Stefan Retzlaff received an acknowledgement prize for 20 years of active service, while Manfred Groß was awarded the gold district and county fire association honorary badge for 50 years of membership.
The honorary evening was held for the first time in combination with a New Year's reception, marking a new tradition for the department. Over 370 incidents were handled by the volunteer fire department in 2024, a testament to the hard work and dedication of its members. The department, praised as the "backbone of the Dreieich fire department," continues to serve its community with courage and commitment.
At the New Year's reception, which followed the honorary evening, a discussion was held about expanding the department's activities, touching upon the possibility of introducing other sports programs for the volunteers.
As the department's community service expanded, Chief Christian Poriska and Thomas Spengler, in their new roles as Chief Firemasters, proposed organizing intramural sports tournaments to foster camaraderie and teamwork among the members.
