Federal order of merit for ex-county fire chief rittelmeier
Helmut rittelmeier will be wearing his firefighter uniform ("matter of honor") today, wednesday, and will be on his way to wurzburg. There the 68-year-old stands at 14.30 p.M. In the princess hall of the residence with the focus of a ceremony: secretary of the interior gerhard eck (CSU) and government president paul beinhofer will present him with the cross of merit on ribbon of the order of merit. He has really earned it.
Rittelmeier is a qualified mason with a master's certificate and worked in the district administration office. He is a firefighter with body and soul. At the age of 18, he joined the army in his hometown of nudlingen, made a successful career there and was promoted to commander.
That he joined the nudlingen defense force was "a matter of course at the time, you have to do something for the community. And: "you can't just demand all the time, you also have to contribute something."
Steep, straight career
Helmut rittelmeier sees the awarding of the medal less as an honor for himself than for the fire department as a whole. For many had contributed.
His rise as a rescuer was steep and straightforward. In 1982 he became district fire chief and in 1986 – as the youngest in lower franconia – district fire chief (KBR). This made him the highest-ranking firefighter in the district of bad kissingen. He is it until 25. November 2006 remained. Then, at the age of 61, he had reached the "crunchy limit" he has achieved his goal for this function; after all, he was still able to become chancellor. However, according to helmut rittelmeier, it was also time for a change to benno metz. He had never been in favor of extending the period of service: "when it's over, it's over"."
Financially uninteresting
When taking on this responsible and in many respects demanding office, financial considerations played no role. Although there was an allowance, it was more symbolic and had to be taxed. The same applied to the bright red company car for private journeys: "the state gives nothing away."
A district fire officer is only authorized to give instructions during operations. His main tasks are education and training, fire safety consulting, and fire safety education in schools and kindergartens.
He has consistently tried to maintain good relations with the commanders and has not interfered in their areas of responsibility, says herbert rittelmeier. He has always relied on cooperation, also with politicians. He thanked them for their support.
"It gets under your skin"
He enjoyed the social events, the get-togethers with young people, active members and former members of the fire brigade. Maintaining contacts and camaraderie are important to him.
Then there were the bad events when people were killed in fires and accidents. Helmut rittelmeier: "something like this really gets under your skin, you don't just put it away." This problem must be recognized and worked on. He did. The county fire marshal a. D. Involved in setting up the emergency chaplaincy in 1995. It helps deployed forces cope with stressful events and has become indispensable today.
2500 operations ("roughly estimated") he had experienced in almost 18 years of service. He traveled more than 2,000 kilometers per month. Up to 40 hours a week have sometimes been accrued in this way. That was often at the expense of family life.
Nevertheless: helmut rittelmeier does not regret his commitment to the people and the citizens.
Numerous awards
After the end of his service as a district fire chief, he was still involved in the firefighters' recreation home in bavarian gmain. In 1994, he was appointed vice chairman of the association, and from 2004 to 2010 he was chairman of the association. He is now its honorary chairman. KBR "h.C." It has been since 2006. He has also received numerous other awards, including the german fire department cross of honor in gold.
In 2010 he finally withdrew: "you can't stick to your posts."
Honor the order of merit of the federal republic of germany was established exactly 62 years ago. There are ten levels: from the medal of merit to the special level of the grand cross. However, only heads of state, their family members and federal presidents receive them. Anyone can nominate someone for the award. The decision is made by the federal president (or his office). 30 percent of the honors are reserved for women. To date, about 244,000 medals have been awarded, compared to about 1750 in 2011.
The "order of merit" is awarded for achievements in the political, economic and social spheres, as well as in the field of intellectual work…) served", it is stated in the decree of the foundation of the order of merit.
Fire departments in the district of bad kissingen there are currently 115 volunteer fire departments and three company fire departments. According to KBR benno metz, they have 5400 members, of whom approx. 400 women. There are 1000 trained respirators and two music platoons. 837 young people are involved in 95 youth groups, 203 of them are girls.