German Red Cross Calls for Expanded Crisis Preparedness Training

The DRK urges increased funding and participation to train millions in first aid and self-help for emergencies over the next five years.

The German Red Cross (DRK) proposes training four million people, or one in ten households, in first aid and crisis self-help by 2029.
The current federal funding plan supports training only 450,000 individuals within the same timeframe, far below the DRK's target.
DRK President Gerda Hasselfeldt emphasizes that these courses, offered voluntarily and free of charge, would enhance community resilience during emergencies like power outages or floods.
The organization also advocates for funding the training of care support workers to assist in shelters during crises, estimating this would require a modest increase in federal spending.
Hasselfeldt calls for improved data collection on vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, to enable better-targeted disaster responses, particularly during severe weather events.