Elisabeth Ruske: The leader of the Pritzwalker fire brigade in action!

Elisabeth Ruske: The leader of the Pritzwalker fire brigade in action!

Pritzwalk, Deutschland - Elisabeth Ruske, 27 years old, is an inspiring figure in the world of the volunteer fire brigade, which is involved in Pritzwalk. She joined the youth fire brigade at the age of 11 and switched to active service at 16. Today she has achieved the role of the association leader, which has promoted her to the highest management level. In their local fire brigade Pritzwalk, only three women are represented among the approximately 50 active members. This number reflects a broader trend, such as rbb24 reports.

The proportion of women in the Brandenburg youth fire brigade is significantly above the nationwide average of 30.9% with 36.9%. In the active fire service, 29.6% of women switched to active service in Brandenburg in 2024, which is remarkable compared to the nationwide value of 27%. However, access to management positions for women remains a challenge: only 8% of the participants in the training as a group leader and 1.8% to the association leader in the past five years have been women.

challenges and leadership style

Elisabeth Ruske has a degree in safety and danger in Magdeburg and works as a fire protection tester. She is faced with challenges, especially when it comes to being taken seriously by civilians. One of the most important experiences in their professional life was the use of the fire of the construction center in Falkenhagen, in which quickly action was required. It turns out that more women are in demand in management positions and that Ruske campaigns for this topic.

Your leadership style is described as sensitive and team -oriented, which is of great importance in the hectic and often challenging world of the fire brigade. In doing so, she also wants an improvement in operational clothing, which should be better adapted to the needs of women.

youth promotion in the fire brigade

The youth fire brigade plays a crucial role in the youngsters in the fire brigade. An example of this funding is an excursion of a group of the youth fire brigade to Garching, where they visited the fire brigade at the Technical University of Munich. The young people received insights into the premises and the organization of the fire brigade, which certainly increases their enthusiasm for fire service. Such initiatives are important to increase the attractiveness of fire work and motivate future generations.

women in the fire brigade: a statistical overview

A comprehensive investigation by the German Fire Brigade Association on the number of female fire brigade members in Germany shows that the proportion of women has grown slowly but steadily in recent years. Between 2015 and 2022, this proportion increased, which underlines the need to take further measures to promote women in the fire brigade. The proportion of women in the fire brigade is an indicator of gender equality in this area and remains an important topic for the future.

With her tireless efforts, Elisabeth Ruske sets a strong sign of the integration of women into the fire brigade and encourages others to go this way too.