19.04.2024 | Bericht
Ralf Kosse – THW
The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BKK) organized a photo competition under the motto “Your photo for all of us”. Anyone was allowed to submit a photo – on the condition that it was related to voluntary work in civil protection and disaster relief. Of the 134 photos submitted, the 20 best pictures were put to a community vote online. One of the photographers who made it through with their pictures is Ralf Kosse. He is a volunteer at the THW and his picture received over 4,000 votes. We met Ralf Kosse for a chat – to congratulate him on his success and to get some first-hand background information.
We meet Ralf online. He is currently on vacation and welcomes us for a chat from his rented apartment. He could really use a vacation at the moment, as he is in the middle of renovating his house back home. When asked about the progress of the building work, he replies with a laugh: “One of the advantages of being a THW member: You learn how to use a drill and the like. I’ll probably be chiseling up walls, laying screed and a few other things myself.”
From recovery equipment to camera
Ralf has been a volunteer with the THW for many years. He joined the THW Gronau youth group in 1991 at the age of 12. He completed his basic training in 1997 and later became a squad leader in the “second rescue group”. A few years later, he was squad leader in the “electrical supply specialist group”, and for a year he also acted as its group leader. Since 2017, he has been the public relations officer for the Gronau local association, which has around 85 members. He often accompanies exercises and operations of “his” THW with a camera. So he is well experienced in handling the camera.
WHow did the winning photo come about?
“I heard about the BBK photo competition when we received the press release from the BBK in our local association.” Ralf was immediately convinced to try his luck. An idea for the submission was quickly found: THW Gronau had organized a photo shoot a few months ago to celebrate Mother’s Day. At that time, a wide variety of photos were taken for the website and the Facebook page. Two helpers, who are already mothers, were photographed in different scenarios. This also resulted in the winning photo, of which Ralf was absolutely certain: “That’s just the thing for this competition!”
An honorary position for the whole family
The photo shows: THW member Melissa with her little daughter Rieke, who is trying on a THW T-shirt, helmet and boots – all still a little oversized for the toddler, which makes the scene even cuter. Melissa’s husband Torsten is also active in the THW. “And with Rieke, it’s probably only a matter of time,” says Ralf, “the three of them are the best example of families at THW. That’s not just the case here, but in many local associations.” Families are also not uncommon in many other volunteer organizations. They spend a lot of time there and often make new friends. For some, volunteering even becomes a second home.
Not a men’s club with heavy equipment
Ralf reports that the local association in Gronau has an above-average proportion of women, at twenty percent. Although this does not yet reflect the ratio in the rest of the population, Ralf is certain that the THW has the best prerequisites to further increase the numbers: “There is still room for improvement! The THW is not just a men’s organization with heavy equipment. For us, being a woman is not an issue at all; the 1950s are long gone. Of course, our female helpers also drive the really big trucks and stand at the winch.” Ralf is convinced that society still has work to do when it comes to gender parity. By submitting the photo, he wanted to set a good example, so to speak. “And I thought: photos with children are always good,” he adds with a grin.
A close race
The jury really didn’t have an easy time judging the photos. Especially in the top places, the points were extremely close. Ralf can therefore be all the more proud of the success of his photo – although it also had to win the community vote after being shortlisted by the jury. How did Ralf manage to motivate as many people as possible to vote? “I started by contacting my family and colleagues and writing to all the WhatsApp groups.” He intentionally didn’t use the website of his local THW association in Gronau as an advertising platform: “I thought that was unfair. After all, it was about me as a photographer and not about me as a THW member.”
Gronau goes viral
But there are two Facebook groups for the town of Gronau. He posted the photo there. Before the post, there were two to three hundred votes – not even an hour after the post, there were 1,200. Ralf is still happy about this success today: “People were voting for all they were worth. Everyone in Gronau stuck together and spurred each other on to get even more votes.” Has the success on the Internet already made itself felt in the analog world? “Torsten, Melissa’s husband, told me the other day that he had already been approached about it at work. Gosh, that’s your wife in the photo, isn’t it?”
Everyone can help
ZAt the end of the interview, we ask Ralf if he has a message for the readers. His prompt reply: “I’ve always found it very helpful to have people with different ways of thinking and backgrounds in the team. There are many more tasks in THW than just operating heavy machinery and cut-off saws. Volunteering can be a home for just about anyone. And anyone can help.”“