Farewell to Dr. Helmut Haller
BRH honorary president died unexpectedly on October 9, 2020: 16 years in the service of missing and buried people
For 16 years, Helmut Haller, as BRH President, shaped and directed the fortunes of the world's largest and oldest rescue dog organization.
“Helmut Haller led us out of the district league and made us a global player,” says advisory board chairman and BRH board member Peter Göttert, describing Haller’s life’s work.
The beginning of a long presidency
In 1996 Helmut Haller decided to become a member of the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs. He joins a squadron not far from his home and begins classic rescue dog training; becomes a search party assistant and ultimately a rescue dog handler. In 2000 the association council elected him president.
On this day, Haller takes over an organization without the urgently needed professional structures. Despite three successful foreign missions in 1999 and excellent national work, the BRH also lacked financial resources at this time. “At that time we had to think about how we could send letters to our members so that it didn’t cost anything.” Sometimes one person took pity, sometimes the other member of the executive committee covered the costs.
Specialist presentations as a basis for successful rescue dog work: education and training create quality
With Helmut Haller, who originally took a management position at Nokia, a lot changed. He recognized that the federal association lacked a clear structure and set up departments, divided the various tasks and named those responsible. In doing so, he created the organizational structure of the association that is still valid today. The targeted public relations work created a broad network of supporters and improved the financial situation of the non-profit organization.
Under the leadership of Helmut Halle, the BRH transformed into an important association whose expertise is also valued by rescue dog handlers from other countries.
The BRH is the largest rescue dog association
Today, around 90 national teams and member organizations from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Taiwan and Nepal are active under the umbrella of the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs. To this day, the main task of the national BRH squadrons is the police-commissioned search for missing people. 1.900 emergency services, 720 tested dogs and 1.130 dogs in training are available to requesters around the clock. The missions are free of charge for those affected and their relatives.
BRH and I.S.A.R Germany: International operations as a UN and WHO certified organization
However, Helmut Haller not only professionalized the national structures, but also set the course for the professionalization of foreign missions at an early stage. Today it stands BRH together with the foreign organization ISAR Germany available for international missions and relief efforts. All teams trained to meet the high demands of foreign missions are and are certified at regular intervals according to UN/OCHA and WHO criteria. The focus here is on first-response operations shortly after a damaging event occurs. In addition, BRH and I.S.A.R Germany carry out national and international projects in the area of capacity building as part of medium to long-term aid measures.
“Good training is our product”
Despite all his commitment to the benefit of the association, Helmut Haller always had time for his own dogs, for which he demonstrated a very special knack. With several partners on four paws, he reached the highest level of testing and always achieved top marks - an achievement that man and dog achieved as a team. “For Helmut it was always about the well-being of his dogs,” says Göttert. A philosophy that he also carried into his nationwide association work.
Helmut Haller recognized early on that the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs had to invest in the professional training of its teams. “Good training is our product,” he used to say. In addition to creating the necessary structures for people and dogs, the founding and construction of the first global training center for rescue dogs was a central point.
Training centers and the world's largest free training system
With the acquisition of the Anita Thyssen Home in Hünxe (North Rhine-Westphalia), the first BRH training center and the BRH office were created. Just a few years later, Haller laid the foundation stone for the training center in Malchin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) and accompanied the founding of the current one TCRH Training Center Rescue and Help in Mosbach in the Neckar-Odenwald district (Baden-Württemberg). Thanks to these measures, BRH members now have access to the world's largest training system for training rescue dogs and emergency services in this field free of charge.
Award of the Federal Cross of Merit
His achievements around the association were and are not only honored by the members. Because on Friday, April 20, 2018, the Interior Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Roger Lewentz, presented Helmut Haller with the Federal Cross of Merit. A fact that made the man, who never thought much of honors, “incredibly” happy.
Honorary presidency and new tasks
After 16 successful years, Helmut Haller resigned from the BRH Executive Board at the Association Day 2016 at his own request for health reasons. Since then he has been honorary president. After his recovery, he agreed to take over the chairmanship of the board of the “Rescue and Help” foundation of the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs e.V. Unfortunately, he can no longer fulfill this task.
Our Helmut
Dr. Throughout his life, despite severe personal blows of fate, Helmut Haller pursued entrepreneurial visions, practiced professional rescue dog work with heart and mind, constantly accepted challenges together with his colleagues on the executive board and board, pushed forward innovations and still always remained “Our Helmut” for all BRH members .
The members, officials and full-time employees of the BRH and its training centers will honor his memory.
Rest in peace, Helmut.
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