Berlin – November 04, 2026 -- The Berlin-Brandenburg branch of the German Fire Brigade Union (dfeug) is demanding a dedicated rescue-service career branch in the next coalition agreement, citing that nine in ten Berlin Fire Brigade call-outs are rescue-service missions while career law remains built around firefighting.
Entry rules for paramedics require fire-service qualifications
Paramedics (Notfallsanitäter) can enter the civil-servant career only after completing a fire-technical preparatory service and proving special physical and medical fitness. The union notes that the brigade already employs civil servants in rescue services who followed neither a fire-technical nor an administrative track, including emergency physicians in the higher service.
The fire-technical requirements include a minimum height of 165 centimeters, which is not written into any law. Women are hit hardest: 82 percent of female trainees at the Berlin Fire Brigade enter via the rescue service, and the average woman in Germany is 1.66 meters tall.
Six months of extra training lead to ambulance-only duty
Already qualified paramedics complete six months of fire-technical preparatory service. According to the job advertisement, they then drive only ambulances. The union argues that trainers, courses and duty time go into content that is never applied. Union chair Manuel Barth says a career track should reflect what the job actually involves.
Proposed branch would add promotion posts and keep transfers open
The branch would be anchored in the fire-service career ordinance. Vertically, it would create promotion posts in the rescue service; the union cites lack of career prospects among the main reasons people leave the profession. Horizontally, transfers between the rescue and fire-technical tracks would remain possible in both directions.
Senate review running since 2022 has produced no result
The Berlin Senate has examined a separate branch since 2022 without an outcome. The dfeug says an amendment to the career ordinance is legally sufficient. It points to December 2025, when the revised rules for the brigade's top posts were signed into force eight days after the committee recommendation.