The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, with 191 National Societies, is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. The German Red Cross (DRK) is part of this global community. For over 150 years, it has provided comprehensive assistance to people in conflict situations, during disasters, and in health or social emergencies.
In the spirit of humanity, we are committed to the protection of life, health, well-being, safety, peaceful coexistence, and the dignity of all people. We support the poor and needy and uphold international humanitarian law. Our mission is supported worldwide by around 15 million volunteers and members, with approximately three million members engaged in Germany alone. The DRK is deeply rooted in civil society, with its status being internationally recognized and established under international law, making it unparalleled in Germany.
Discover the diversity of the German Red Cross in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern!
The DRK in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has many strengths, particularly in its commitment to public health protection. We have over 32,000 supporting members, 5,000 active members, and around 10,000 employees. The DRK’s specific approach to handling disasters and major emergencies is known as the Complex Relief System. Its goal is to plan and structure the tasks of the German Red Cross in a way that allows for flexible and coordinated action during disasters, under a unified leadership system. The Complex Relief System must be reliable, consistent, rapid, transparent, and interoperable at all levels. This requires close cooperation among all those involved in the Red Cross. This approach also aims to enhance the resilience of the German Red Cross and thereby improve the organization’s capacity to withstand crises. The Complex Relief System is continuously evolving and provides all Red Cross members the opportunity to contribute to the broader interests of the organization, allowing everyone to help shape a unified profile for the German Red Cross.
The central services of the DRK in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern:
- Disaster Relief and Crisis Management: In the event of a disaster, the German Red Cross plays a crucial role in planning and executing response measures. We provide emergency shelters, ensure food and medical care, and coordinate relief efforts.
- Emergency Medical Services: The DRK emergency medical services in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern operate around the clock to address medical emergencies, including both ground and air ambulance services.
- Water Rescue Service: The DRK Water Rescue Service ensures safety at water bodies, rescues people from dangerous situations in the water, conducts swimming courses, and monitors bathing areas.
- First Aid Training: The DRK offers extensive courses to train the public in first aid. These courses are accessible to all age groups and professions, teaching life-saving measures
- Social Services: The DRK is involved in caring for the elderly, supporting people with disabilities, and providing assistance to migrants and refugees.
- Tracing Service: The DRK assists in finding missing persons, especially in crisis and disaster situations.
- Medical Care: The DRK in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern operates four non-profit hospitals, providing high-quality healthcare access to the population in rural areas.
Strong Numbers for the DRK in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
The core competency of the German Red Cross is to care for the population and ensure their health and social welfare. These tasks are consolidated in the Complex Relief System.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, this includes 90 rescue stations, 100 ambulances, 54 patient transport vehicles, 38 emergency physician vehicles, 11 medical response units with 325 helpers, 11 care services with 274 helpers, and 5 water rescue groups with 84 helpers.
The DRK's Medical Task Forces, with 377 active members, are specially trained and equipped for large-scale emergencies and disasters. The German Red Cross maintains 10 district information offices with 72 helpers for registering volunteers and injured persons during crises or emergencies. Last year alone, the DRK in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern conducted 1,515 first aid courses with over 20,000 participants and 1,310 advanced training courses with over 15,000 participants.
