About Lauffeuer

Lauffeuer

Lauffeuer is the member magazine of the Deutsche Jugendfeuerwehr (German Youth Fire Brigade), the youth organisation within the Deutscher Feuerwehrverband. Appearing eleven times a year with a monthly circulation of around 10,500 copies, it is the highest-circulation magazine in the youth fire brigade sector. Its target groups are the volunteer leaders of local youth fire brigade work, decision-makers and executives from the entire fire service sector, administrations and ministries, and the young members themselves. The editorial focus is on contributions dealing with social issues and questions of youth work, offering orientation and support to both young readers and volunteer leaders. The magazine is complemented by the online platform lauffeuer-online.de and a mobile app.

Overview

Lauffeuer is a classic association magazine: it serves the internal communication of a large youth organisation while also addressing the public interested in its work. Eleven issues per year inform young people, youth group leaders and all interested readers about topics concerning the youth fire brigade and provide ideas for youth work. The monthly circulation of around 10,500 copies makes it the leading title in its niche, reaching the leadership of nearly 18,000 youth fire brigades across Germany.

The Deutsche Jugendfeuerwehr, founded on 31 October 1964 in Berlin, is the community of youth within the German Fire Services Association. The number of youth fire brigades has grown continuously from 13,925 in 1966 to almost 18,000 today, with more than 260,000 young people active, including over 57,000 girls. The average entry age is ten, and members typically transfer to the operational departments at seventeen. On the basis of the DJF's educational programme, youth fire brigade leaders practise general youth work with adolescents and train them in fire service skills, with activities spanning sport and games, crafts, competitions and tent camps, stage programmes, environmental protection and more.

The magazine's editorial mission, as defined by the association, centres on contributions dealing with societal topics and questions of youth work. It aims to give both young readers and volunteer leaders orientation and support, addressing the issues that concern young people in the fire service: from the practicalities of youth group leadership to broader social questions such as democracy, diversity and civic engagement. A special issue on democracy, compiling contributions from 1999 to 2019, illustrates the magazine's engagement with political education, including sensitisation against right-wing extremism, racism and National Socialism.

History

Lauffeuer has accompanied the Deutsche Jugendfeuerwehr through its development into one of Germany's largest youth organisations. The magazine grew with the association, documenting the professionalisation of youth fire brigade work and the changing concerns of young volunteers. Its online presence was relaunched with a new concept: lauffeuer-online.de was introduced as a supplementary discussion and communication platform, strengthening the Lauffeuer brand and complementing the monthly print magazine with interactive features, article comments, social bookmarking, surveys and blogs.

The magazine's development reflects the broader evolution of association media: from a pure member newsletter to a multi-channel communication platform serving internal information, public relations and youth participation. The launch of the LAUFFEUER Magazin app, available on mobile platforms with regular updates, extended the brand to the smartphones of its young target group.

The editorial leadership has changed over the years: Holger Schönfeld served as editor-in-chief at the time of the online relaunch, articulating the vision of Lauffeuer-Online as a new concept for discussion and communication. More recently, the association advertised for a volunteer editor-in-chief, with Jan Frigger named as the contact, reflecting the association's tradition of volunteer leadership in its media.

Content and Sections

Each issue of Lauffeuer combines youth-work practice with broader social topics. Practical contributions offer ideas for group evenings, exercises, competitions, camps and projects, giving volunteer leaders concrete material for their work with young people. Reports from youth fire brigades across Germany showcase activities and achievements, fostering exchange and identification within the nationwide community.

Social and political topics form the second pillar: the magazine addresses democracy, diversity, participation and civic responsibility, encouraging young firefighters to engage with the society they serve. The democracy special issue, spanning two decades of contributions, shows the continuity of this commitment. Environmental protection, a traditional field of youth fire brigade activity, is covered with practical projects and background.

Association news keeps readers informed about the DJF's decisions, campaigns and events, from federal competitions to educational programmes. The magazine also serves the adult leadership: decision-makers and executives in the fire service, administrations and ministries are part of the target group, and the magazine provides them with insight into the concerns and achievements of the youth organisation.

Publisher and Organization

Lauffeuer is published by the Deutsche Jugendfeuerwehr im Deutschen Feuerwehrverband e.V., the youth organisation within the German Fire Services Association. The association is based at Reinhardtstraße 25, 10117 Berlin, with Karl-Heinz Banse as president and Christian Patzelt as federal youth leader. The magazine is produced as an association publication, with volunteer editorial leadership supported by the association's press and public relations structures.

The business model is that of a member magazine: financed through the association's budget, membership contributions and advertising, it is distributed to the youth fire brigade leadership and interested readers. Advertising clients are suppliers to the fire service and youth work sectors. The volunteer editor-in-chief model, with the position advertised as an honorary engagement for people over 21, reflects the association's ethos of civic volunteerism.

Digital Presence

The online platform lauffeuer-online.de complements the print magazine with current news, background and interactive features for young people, firefighters and all interested readers. The site was relaunched with a modern design and Web 2.0 functionality, allowing visitors to comment on articles, recommend them via social bookmarking, participate in surveys and report on activities in their own blogs. The LAUFFEUER Magazin app extends the brand to mobile devices, with the latest version updated in February 2026.

The online platform lauffeuer-online.de complements the print magazine with current news, background and interactive features for young people, firefighters and all interested readers. The site was relaunched with a modern design and Web 2.0 functionality, allowing visitors to comment on articles, recommend them via social bookmarking, participate in surveys and report on activities in their own blogs. The LAUFFEUER Magazin app extends the brand to mobile devices, with the latest version updated in February 2026.

The digital strategy serves the association's communication goals: internal information for members, public visibility for the youth fire brigade's work, and participation opportunities for young people. For a youth organisation, the combination of print magazine, website and app covers the media habits of both the young members and the adult volunteers who lead them. As the member magazine of one of Germany's largest youth organisations, Lauffeuer remains a distinctive voice in the German association press, in print eleven times a year and online every day.

Germany's fire service is overwhelmingly volunteer-based: of the roughly one million active firefighters in the country, the great majority serve voluntarily in their local brigades, and the youth fire brigades are the indispensable recruitment pipeline for this system. Lauffeuer thus serves a strategic function far beyond a member newsletter: it binds the next generation of volunteers to the fire service at the age when their commitment is formed. The magazine's coverage of federal competitions, educational programmes and international youth exchanges presents the youth fire brigade as a modern, attractive youth organisation rather than merely a feeder for the operational departments. Its engagement with democracy and diversity topics reflects the association's recognition that a volunteer organisation in a plural society must actively cultivate openness: the youth fire brigade positions itself as a place where young people of all backgrounds learn cooperation, responsibility and civic commitment. In this sense Lauffeuer is both an internal communication tool and a public statement of what the Deutsche Jugendfeuerwehr stands for.