On January 1, 1993, Udo Schuff was hired as a locksmith at the municipal building depot. As he had already been active in the fire department for a long time at that time, he was also deployed to Fire Station 1, which was located directly next to the company premises, when required. From 1995 onwards, Schuff worked full-time for the fire department as a full-time equipment attendant and breathing apparatus attendant, and in 1997 he also moved to the public order office in the fire and civil protection department in this role. After initially working alone as a full-time equipment attendant, he was joined by other colleagues over time. They are responsible for the maintenance, repair and cleaning of the equipment of the entire Idar-Oberstein volunteer fire department. In addition, Udo Schuff was also head of the breathing apparatus training course, which is also housed in Fire Station 1, and has trained around 1,500 comrades in his 35 years as a district instructor.
Mayor Friedrich Marx thanked Udo Schuff both for his work as a full-time equipment attendant and for his voluntary commitment to the volunteer fire department. "Especially as head of the breathing apparatus workshop, Udo Schuff held a responsible position. After all, the lives of firefighters can depend on the proper functioning of the equipment and the correct use of it during an operation." Schuff has always fulfilled this task meticulously and reliably over the years and there have never been any accidents, according to the head of the fire department. He presented the soon-to-be retiree with a certificate and some gifts as a token of his thanks.
Chief Fire Officer Jörg Riemer paid tribute to his comrade's many years of service to the volunteer fire department. "His 'hobby' and profession have merged, he was always 112 percent reliable and extremely popular with his comrades." Due to his enormous expertise, Schuff was widely known as the 'breathing apparatus pope', and firefighters from all over Germany sought his advice on problems in this area. Christel Hahn, Head of the Public Order Office, also thanked Schuff for his work: "We always found solutions together that were beneficial to the fire department."
"I've always enjoyed being part of the fire department and will miss it," Udo Schuff admitted, "but it's now time to make room for younger people." However, he will continue to be active in the fire department's retirement and honorary department.