Relief for caregivers: the funeral home emergency team
Whether in the wake of devastating natural disasters or serious accidents, every second counts for emergency responders when it comes to saving lives. But who takes care of the deceased? The Federal Association of German Funeral Directors (BDB), with its approximately 5,000 member businesses, has established a unit to support emergency responders in the recovery and care of the deceased during major disasters and other emergencies. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
24 Mar 2026Share
When government agencies and emergency responders reach their limits, the BDB Emergency Team is on hand to both relieve the burden on on-site personnel and ensure that bereaved families are not left alone in their hour of greatest need. At INTERSCHUTZ 2026, the Funeral Directors’ Emergency Team will provide information about its work for the first time (Hall 17, Booth C16).
The emergency team was founded at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by the Federal Association of German Funeral Directors under the operational leadership of Markus Maichle. The harrowing images from Italy and the uncertainty about how the situation would unfold here provided the impetus for its creation. Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and the resulting uncertainty gave the organizers further confirmation that they were closing an important gap in civil protection. “Our goal is to enable civilian forces to carry out their actual mission—saving and caring for people—during large-scale national emergencies with potentially many fatalities,” says Markus Podsendek, deputy operations manager of the Funeral Directors’ Emergency Team.
Providing mental and physical relief for emergency responders
According to Podsendek, by relieving the burden on emergency responders, the funeral directors aim not only to give rescue personnel more time to care for survivors, but also to provide them with mental and physical relief. He experienced firsthand what this means in practice during the severe earthquake along the Syrian border in Turkey in 2023. At the time, he was on the ground there with the partner organization DeathCare, which handles international missions. “It was hell on earth,” recalls Markus Podsendek. “We were dealing with 200 to 400 bodies a day.” It is precisely in such situations that knowledge and skills in handling the deceased are crucial. “This is knowledge that is thoroughly taught during funeral director training,” Podsendek continues. DeathCare is also represented at INTERSCHUTZ (Hall 17, Booth A27).
EU Civil Protection Exercise
The funeral directors’ emergency team was deployed for the first time in October 2024 as part of the EU civil protection exercise Magnitude. There, they demonstrated that funeral directors were able to provide well-organized support for the exercise in terms of the recovery and care of the deceased. According to Podsendek, this also includes interacting with the bereaved. But the curriculum also covers knowledge of hygienic, low-infection care and an understanding of the responsibility to treat the deceased with respect.
Organizationally, the BDB emergency team is well-prepared. “A database contains all the necessary resources so that we can take targeted action in the event of an emergency,” explains Podsendek. Central coordination is handled by the Federal Association of German Undertakers in Düsseldorf. Each federal state has a unit that is alerted as needed.
EU Civil Protection Exercise Magnitude
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