Stefan Martini
June 12, 2025 | 17.45 – 19.15 | Auerbach Library, MESH
Digital volunteering has become an increasingly important part of crisis response worldwide. In my talk, I will introduce the concept of Virtual Operations Support Teams (VOST) and illustrate how this movement emerged in Germany through the VOST THW initiative. These teams of volunteers—often with strong digital skills—support official disaster management structures with real-time information gathering, verification, and coordination via social media and digital tools.
Beyond technical support, digital volunteers offer significant potential for more inclusive communication and collaboration in crises. Especially people with special needs are often disproportionately affected—both overlooked by systems and hesitant to seek help. Here, digital initiatives such as Gamers for Good or the Standby Task Force show how inclusive crisis support can work. I will discuss how digital volunteering might evolve further to address these challenges and help build more resilient, connected, and inclusive crisis response ecosystems.
Stefan Martini is a safety engineer and executive in civil protection. As Head of the Institute for Protection and Rescue of the Cologne Fire Brigade, he has been actively involved in shaping security research and innovation development in urban areas since 2020. In his role, he is responsible for national and international projects to increase resilience, analyse risks and provide operational support—such as the BMBF-funded MYRisk research project on disaster preparedness in Asian megacities and KIWIS, a municipal crisis warning system for the resilience of critical infrastructure.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he headed Department S7 ‘Operations Research, Modelling and Simulation’ at the Cologne Fire Brigade's Operations Centre and developed data-based decision-making models and other concepts with academic partners. He also brings academic excellence into practice in projects for operational and team optimisation in the fire service.
In addition to his full-time work, Stefan Martini has been a volunteer firefighter in the town of Frechen since 2007 and has been a guest lecturer at the Federal Academy for Civil Protection and Civil Defence (BABZ) since 2015, where he trains managers in headquarters work, crisis communication and situation management.