Fire Chief Thomas Deckers moves to the Ministry of the Interior

Thomas Deckers, head of the Bocholt fire brigade, will move to the Ministry of the Interior in Düsseldorf. This has now been announced by the city of Bocholt. Deckers, who has been head of the Bocholt Fire Brigade since 2015, is moving to the Operations Department of the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia as an officer.

"This means a great loss for the city of Bocholt," says Mayor Thomas Kerkhoff. However, he can understand the move: "Mr Deckers has big and important tasks waiting for him in the Ministry of the Interior." Not least the disaster in the Ahr valley had shown how important comprehensive disaster control was. "I am convinced that Thomas Deckers, with his far-reaching experience and his extraordinary network in the field of civil protection, will be able to move and achieve a lot in Düsseldorf," said Kerkhoff.

"I have enjoyed working with my colleagues in both full-time and voluntary positions," says Thomas Deckers. "We have achieved a lot together, and I am very proud of that."

Thomas Deckers has left his mark on the Bocholt fire brigade since 2015 and has rendered outstanding services to the development of both the fire brigade and the Fire and Rescue Service Academy. Deckers has built strong structures for the fire service, from which the city of Bocholt will continue to benefit for years after his departure. "We also thank him sincerely for this. We wish Mr Deckers all the best for his professional future in the state capital," said Thomas Kerkhoff.

Professional career

After his training and almost 20 years of service with the professional fire brigade in Wuppertal, Thomas Deckers worked for the fire brigade in Bocholt for more than 13 years. First as deputy chief since 2010 and finally as fire director and chief of the Bocholt fire brigade from 2015.