History

Before the NSDAP’s rise to power in 1933, firefighters and their regulations were overseen by the individual German states. Fire services were more or less run by the communities as they saw fit. Larger towns and cities featured professional fire services (Berufsfeuerwehr), while rural areas featured volunteer fire services (Freiwillige Feuerwehr).

Under Third Reich rule, fire services were to be unified on a national level and therefore placed under the control of the German Police. National socialist doctrine was infused and the fire services militarised in preparation for war and the anticipated bombing of German cities.
Between 1933 and 1938, the professional fire service was referred to as “Feuerlöschpolizei” (fire extinguishing police), while between 1938 and 1945, they were referred to as “Feuerschutzpolizei” (fire protection police) as a subdivision of the German Police.
Volunteer firefighters were classified as part of the Hilfspolizei (police auxiliary forces).

Firefighter uniforms had generally been made of dark blue material, predominantly in Prussia. This colour was still used during the 1930s, but then changed in 1939 when members of the professional fire service received a green uniform similar to that of the German Police. The uniform garments featured carmine piping and initially black, later dark brown (as of September 1942) collars, cuffs, and cap bands as identifiers. However, volunteer firefighters kept wearing dark blue uniforms with carmine piping until the end of the war.

The metal cap eagle used for the firefighter visor caps was taken over from and is identical to that of the German Police. The 1st pattern was introduced in 1934. It was replaced by the 2nd pattern in 1936. The difference between the two eagles is that the 2nd pattern eagle is all in all thicker and larger, and it features a swastika inside a wreath, while the 1st pattern eagle’s swastika has no wreath to surround it.