Lawmakers Gather on Capitol Hill for Debates - Fire department initiatives for managing obese individuals: balancing expenses.
Towns can now ask insurance companies to pay for the expenses of firemen helping very heavy people in medical emergencies. This is part of a new law called the Brand and Disaster Protection Act, which the government in Thuringia plans to pass before they stop working for the summer. A group of people decided on this on Thursday, but the details will be sorted out within five more years.
Before this, towns couldn't ask for money from the companies to help with these interventions. The person in charge of this group, Sascha Bilay, said the payments will go to insurance companies.
The new law also says that volunteer firefighters must say they support a democratic way of life. The language was changed a bit from earlier talks, as Bilay explained. It used to say that people in the fire department should follow a democratic way of life, but now firefighters just need to say they agree with it.
The Green Party's person in charge of interior issues, Madeleine Henfling, said this law will make it clear that firefighters are supposed to follow a democratic lifestyle. In many places, cities already have rules about this.
The amendment will also increase the money towns receive each year for youth fire brigades. Currently, the government pays this money to towns based on the number of young people who help in the fire brigade. Now, the cities will get double the amount. Thuringia's interior minister, Georg Maier, said the new law is one of the most modern in Germany.
Bilay also said that fire departments will be allowed to help control traffic if the police aren't there - like during parades during carnival season.
The Thuringian CDU (a political party) said it's a shame that it took so long to make these changes to help with disaster protection in Thuringia. "It's about time we have made these necessary changes in Thuringia," said Jonas Urbach from the CDU.
The changes in the Brand and Disaster Protection Act might pass through the parliament before they break for the summer. This month, they are planning on having six big talks, each with more than 100 things to discuss.
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The Thuringian Parliament is considering passing the Brand and Disaster Protection Act before their summer break, which includes changes allowing fire departments to assist with traffic control during events like carnival parades. Sascha Bilay, who led the group responsible for the law, mentioned that insurance companies will receive payments for covering expenses related to fire department operations involving obese individuals. Despite the delay in making these changes, Thuringia's CDU expressed relief that improvements in disaster protection are finally being addressed. The new law will also boost funds for youth fire brigades in Thuringian towns.
