[akgerber]

The Germans seem to have an interesting middle ground with a government-funded/sponsored volunteer disaster relief organization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technisches_Hilfswerk

It seems like its size may have been supplemented by serving as an alternative to conscription, however.

[anarazel]

> It seems like its size may have been supplemented by serving as an alternative to conscription, however.

There's no conscription anymore though, and given the short serving time of 9 months at the end of "civil-service" (the alternative to conscription), that shouldn't play a role anymore.