German Life-Saving Association

Life-Saving Activities and an Active Club Community

The German Life-Saving Association (DLRG) has nearly 1,000,000 members and sponsors and is the largest voluntary water rescue organisation in the world. The Wolfsburg location group is responsible for ensuring the safety of the Allersee lake. It was founded in 1950 and now has over 900 members, who work in the Allerpark to watch over swimmers, water sports enthusiasts and visitors at major events. They also provide first aid in the case of both small and larger injuries. The Wolfsburg group has additionally been actively involved in the disaster management activities of the city and the DLRG Regional Association for Lower Saxony since 2007. On top of all this, the DLRG also offers a number of other services!

The association’s voluntary helpers teach children how to swim, train lifeguards and run first-aid courses. The DLRG not only runs training sessions and provides lifeguard and first-aid services, but also organises a variety of activities for participants of all ages. Children, for example, can make the most of a multitude of different opportunities offered by its clubs that have nothing whatsoever to do with swimming, for example craft afternoons and group excursions. The DLRG generally considers its work with young children to be extremely important, which is why it, for example, sends its helpers to nursery schools to explain swimming safety rules in exciting and entertaining presentations. During these visits, the DLRG members make it extremely clear that they love what they do, enjoy the sense of team spirit within the association and its groups and would be delighted to welcome anyone who would like to join them.

On the basis of its particularly high safety standards for swimmers, the DLRG awarded the Allersee lake the “Bewachter Strand (Lifeguarded Beach)” certificate in 2009. This rating is the result of an inspection and risk assessment of the Allersee carried out by the DLRG and the “International Saving Federation of Europe” and provides guests with a clear indication that the lake is a safe place to swim. It also enabled the Allersee in Wolfsburg to become Germany's first certified inland swimming lake.