A major German emergency response information event planned for this weekend has been postponed as the country faces soaring heat, with the temperature record expected to be broken as early as Friday.
The Civil Protection Day scheduled for Saturday, with a main event in the south-western city of Freiburg, will not take place due to the current heatwave, the Federal Interior Ministry announced on Friday.
"Due to the weather conditions expected in Freiburg on Saturday, the planned 2026 Civil Protection Day at the exhibition centre has been postponed. A new date, likely in the autumn, will be announced in due course," a spokeswoman told dpa in Berlin.
Hagel: Civil protection personnel needed elsewhere
The minister for the interior for the state of Baden-Württemberg, where Freiburg is located, Manuel Hagel, cited the rising temperatures.
"We are expecting Saturday to be the hottest day, with extreme heat stress for people," the conservative politician told dpa in Berlin. He therefore decided, together with Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt to postpone the event, he said.
"Especially now, as the temperature continues to rise, we want to ease the burden on our civil protection personnel as much as possible and deploy them exclusively - and keep them on standby - where they are most urgently needed right now: on the ground." Hagel advised members of the public: "Particularly in these extreme temperatures, please avoid the sweltering heat, drink plenty of fluids and stay in cooler places. Thank you for taking these precautions."
Civil Protection Day is intended to provide information across the country on civil protection and disaster management issues, with organizations and emergency services involved in civil protection showcasing their work.
New record high temperatures are expected in the south-west this weekend. According to the forecast by the German Weather Service (DWD), temperatures could rise to between 37 and 41 degrees Celsius on Saturday, and locally to 42 degrees in the Kurpfalz (Electoral Palatinate) region.
