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 regional firefighter belt buckles were introduced in 1934. They were worn by those firefighters, paid or volunteering, that were not part of the Fire Protection Police (the professional fire service). The centre plate usually depicted a state or city coat of arms within a full laurel (sometimes oak leaf) wreath.

The buckle is usually silver-coloured, sometimes with a burnished black finish for Enlisted Ranks, and mostly in a bronze colour for Officers, but they have also been encountered in silver or gold colour.
Officers wore a round buckle, while Enlisted Ranks wore a rectangular one with either a smooth or pebbled surface. The buckles were worn with a black leather belt strap. It is though that every regional version can be encountered in both Officer and Enlisted Ranks form, but

The regional firefighter buckles were discontinued for virtually everybody in 1936.