22 people from Garstadt founded the voluntary fire brigade 150 years ago

The Garstadt volunteer fire department is celebrating its 150th birthday on Sunday, June 4th. In the anniversary year, Commander Achim Hiernickel can rely on 58 active firefighters.

It all began in 1873. In that year, more than 40 volunteer fire brigades were founded in what is now the Schweinfurt district. On June 15, 1873, interested citizens gathered in Garstadt on the basis of a district official announcement. Of these, 22 signed a commitment to set up a volunteer fire brigade.

The first captain was Johann Heinrich Mauder. He was in command of the Floriansjünger for 27 years, from the founding to the turn of the millennium. His deputy was Johann Zitzmann.

The risers and the syringe department

The firefighters were divided into a riser and a spraying department. The Garstadt fire brigade had to master its first test just one month after it was founded: on July 18, 1873, 30 residential buildings, 30 barns and some outbuildings burned down in Bergrheinfeld.

After the extinguishing work, 15 men took turns staying on site for three days to continue to help in emergencies. Further assignments followed the following year in Hirschfeld and Püssensheim. At that time, the weir was equipped with a mobile syringe with a suction mechanism, a small portable syringe and the associated hose material.

Heavily challenged during air raids during the war

In 1898 the 25th and in 1924, on a smaller scale, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the fire brigade was celebrated. There are no entries in the log book for the period from 1936 to 1952. Some people here were probably afraid that their dark past would catch up with them. The small village fire brigade was severely challenged during World War II, for example during the air raids on Schweinfurt and the neighboring town of Hergolshausen.

With the delivery of a new motor fire engine in 1954, a new era began for the Garstadt fire brigade after the war. In 1970, nine young women between the ages of 16 and 20 formed the first women’s fire brigade group in the district. In May 1971, she successfully passed the first performance test.

In addition, there was even a telegram of congratulations from the then member of the Bundestag, Dr. Max Schulze-Vorberg. Even today, women are still active in the Garstadt volunteer fire brigade.

The first fire engine for the foundation festival

In the course of local government reform, Garstadt was incorporated into Bergrheinfeld in 1971. The 100-year celebration of the military did not take place. The 110th anniversary of the foundation was celebrated ten years later. In this context, the Wehr received its first fire engine, a portable pump vehicle (TSF).

Six years later there was a new reason to celebrate: the fire station at the entrance to the town was inaugurated. The municipality of Bergrheinfeld had invested the impressive sum of 715,000 marks for the new domicile.

In 1998 the 125th anniversary was celebrated with a church service, procession, state honors and a festival. In 2015, the fire department received a new TSF with a permissible total weight of 4.5 tons and with the equipment for a fire-fighting team to replace the 32-year-old fire engine. A portable pump is inserted in the rear, and a power generator with a submersible pump and a light mast are available as a special load.

The 150th birthday the FFW Garstadt will be celebrated on Sunday, June 4th. The festive dance begins at nine o’clock with a service in the church of St. Michael. Then the procession takes us to the fire station. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. with the state awards, accompanied by the Garstadt village musicians. Afterwards there will be a festival with lunch at the Winzerhof Gessner. The fire station can be visited from 2 p.m. There are round trips with the fire truck and a youth Olympics. Musical entertainment is provided.