Change of guard and impressive balance sheet

In addition to looking back on a busy year 2025, the main focus was on a historic turning point at the top of the fire brigade. To the sounds of the marching band, the head of the fire brigade, Marcus Scheele, welcomed numerous guests from politics and administration, including Mayor Michael Gerdhenrich and representatives of the council factions, the police and the German Red Cross. After a moment of pause and the song "Good Comrade" in memory of the deceased members, the focus shifted to the bare figures.

Record deployment: almost 9,000 calls

The balance sheet for 2025, presented by Johannes Fuest, is impressive: with a total of 8,897 deployments, the Beckum fire brigade recorded an increase of 148 alarms compared to the previous year. The lion's share, at 8,214, was accounted for by the rescue service and patient transport.

However, the core tasks of firefighting and technical assistance also placed huge demands on the firefighters. The volunteer and full-time firefighters were called out 683 times (+61 deployments). In the process, 41 lives were saved (15 in fires, 26 in technical assistance operations). Unfortunately, help came too late for two people in serious road accidents.

An emotional farewell: Marcus Scheele goes into retirement

The most emotional moment of the evening came with the farewell to Marcus Scheele. After years of service at the helm, he was officially retired as head of the fire service by Mayor Michael Gerdhenrich. The standing ovation from comrades from all units - from the main office to the fire engines and the youth fire brigade - emphasised the deep appreciation for his work. He was bid farewell to the department of honour with best wishes for "good sailing at all times and a hand's breadth of water under the keel".

See also separate report on the adoption  

The new head: Christian Heickmann takes over

At the same time, the succession was sealed: Christian Heickmann officially takes over the helm. With the handover of the new epaulettes and the A-duty waistcoat by the mayor, the change of guard is now complete. Heickmann takes office with the broad support of the troops and politicians.

See also separate announcement on the appointment

Honours for up to 70 years of loyalty

Another focal point was the numerous honours. District fire chief Patrik Hildebrandt and his deputy Hendrik Roggenkamp honoured deserving members. The rare anniversaries were particularly noteworthy:

• 70 years of membership: Hugo Orthaus (LZ Neubeckum)
• 60 years of membership: Franz Stuchtey, Josef Stake and Herbert Hemschemeier (all members of the Beckum honour division)
• 50 years of membership: Peter Klose, Heinz-Jürgen Marke, Klaus Stripper, Elmar Stallmann, Hans Josef Steinhoff, Michael Hagemann, Werner Hagedorn and Josef Stöppel.

In addition, Hendrik Roggenkamp, Sven Hasselberg, Dirk Zahrt and Michael Bureck were honoured for 25 years of active service and Petra Heimann, Ulrich Jasper, Michael Schliper and Sebastian Günnewig for 35 years.

Promotions and personnel changes

The high level of qualification of the fire brigade was demonstrated by a long list of promotions. For example, Marc Weber was promoted to fire chief inspector and Jörg Rößler and Maximilian Wewer to fire inspectors. Wewer also officially took over the position of platoon leader in Vellern from Benedikt Laukemper, who was thanked for his many years of service.

In his speech, Mayor Gerdhenrich thanked them for their tireless commitment and assured them that politics and administration would continue to provide the necessary resources to maintain this high level of security in Beckum.

The evening traditionally ended with the joint fire brigade song - a symbol of the cohesion that will continue to characterise the Beckum fire brigade under its new leadership.