Press release

dated 26.09.2025, No. 154

Psychosocial emergency care working group founded

The Psychosocial Emergency Care Working Group (ARGE PSNV) is committed to networking and prevention. It was recently founded to network (aid) organizations and institutions in the field of psychosocial emergency care and to provide preventative information about the consequences of psychosocial stress. In addition, the ARGE aims to strengthen psychosocial emergency care for emergency services as well as for those affected and to recommend psychosocial specialists for coordination in stressful events, disasters and major emergencies.

Josef Niedermaier, head of the district administration, welcomed representatives of the aid organizations of the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district and psychosocial specialists from the psychosocial emergency care of the schools and churches to the constituent founding meeting in the Bad Tölz district administration office. District Administrator Niedermaier thanked all organizations for their constant and tireless voluntary commitment to the population, especially when people need help. He expressed his special thanks to all those involved who contributed to the establishment of the working group. The ARGE PSNV was formally constituted with the unanimous adoption of the rules of procedure by the member organizations.

The member organizations are the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Office (SG 32 Fire and Disaster Protection), the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Fire Inspectorate, the Chief Emergency Doctors ZRF Oberland, the Bavarian Red Cross, the German Life Saving Association, the emergency pastoral care of the Catholic Church in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen deanery, the emergency pastoral care of the Protestant church in the deanery of Bad Tölz, the crisis pastoral care in schools of the Catholic church (KiS), the crisis pastoral care in schools of the Protestant church (NOSIS) and the crisis intervention and coping team of Bavarian school psychologists (KIBBS).

After a spiritual ecumenical impulse, the first ARGE meeting began with the election of the spokespersons and secretaries of ARGE PSNV. The member organizations elected Deacon Oskar Ehehalt (Catholic emergency pastoral care in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen deanery) as spokesperson and Roland Herzog (head of the BRK crisis intervention team) as deputy spokesperson. Karin Simon (crisis pastoral care in the Catholic Church school sector) was elected as secretary and Dr. Christoph Preuss (Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Fire Inspectorate) as deputy secretary.

Deacon Oskar Ehehalt invited people to the next meeting of the ARGE PSNV in spring 2026 and announced an ecumenical "blue light service" for fall 2026. "We will start our work immediately and network with the surrounding working groups in the neighboring districts," said Roland Herzog. All four elected members assured: "We are looking forward to our tasks and are happy to get involved in order to be well prepared for psychosocial emergency situations and stressful emergencies in the district."

Sabine Schmid
Press spokeswoman
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Office