With its new exhibition, ‘Neighbours. Rescuers. Role Models – A Portrait of Our Fire Brigade’, the municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin is paying tribute to the dedication of its volunteer fire brigade. The exhibition features striking portraits of firefighters who volunteer their time for the good of the community – regardless of whether their day jobs are as nursery teachers, chimney sweeps, police officers or IT specialists.
Alongside the portraits, which showcase the diversity of the rescue workers, photographs of recent fire brigade drills are also on display. The exhibition is the result of the tribute paid at the 2025 Spring Reception. At that time, the fire service was honoured for its commitment – Mayor Sabine Löser and the Chair of the Local Council, Sven Templin, symbolically presented the municipal fire chief and the local fire chiefs with portraits, which were subsequently produced for all active members. Every active firefighter will receive a professional portrait photograph – as a personal token of appreciation, to be displayed at the fire stations or at home. The photo shoots took place over several weeks and the results are now being shown to the public for the first time.
The new exhibition at the town hall will open on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, at 5.00 pm in the council chamber of Rüdersdorf Town Hall near Berlin (Hans-Striegelski-Str. 5, 15562 Rüdersdorf near Berlin). At the opening, guests can look forward to a panel discussion with representatives from the fire service, who will provide insights into this voluntary role and its social significance, as well as into particularly moving, exciting or challenging call-outs. Attendance is free of charge – however, to help us plan effectively, we would ask you to register by emailing ortsleben@ruedersdorf.de or by telephone on 033638 / 85-316 (Ms Crowley).
The exhibition will then be on display until the end of the year during opening hours on the first and second floors of the town hall.