German Life Saving Association

The German Life Saving Association ( or DLRG) is a relief organization for life saving in Germany. The DLRG is the largest voluntary lifesaving organization in the world.
With around 560,000 members, organised in approximately 2,100 local groups, the DLRG is the largest voluntary water rescue organization in the world. More than one million regular donors support the work of the DLRG.
Tasks.
The most urgent goal of the DLRG is the creation and promotion of all activities used to fight drowning. Additional tasks are:
Qualifications.
The DLRG trains interested members as qualified technical personnel in the following ranges:
History.
On 28 July 1912, a pier in Binz on the island Rügen, Germany, collapsed under the load of 1,000 people waiting for the cruise steamer "Kronprinz Wilhelm". Sailors of the German navy were able to save most people, but 16 people died because they could not swim, including two children. This catastrophe led to the foundation of the "Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (DLRG)" ("German lifesaving organization") on 19 October 1913 in Leipzig.