Fire department in action

Day of the little heroes in Oberwart

The kids from the practical kindergarten at BAfEP Oberwart learned a lot.(Bild: OBI Alexander Flaschberger)

"Together.safely.fire.brigade" - this was the topic of the two passionate firefighters, Patrick Wimmer and Alexander Schmidt, in their diploma thesis at the Federal College for Elementary Education (BAfEP). A practical test in a kindergarten got the youngest children in particular excited about the fire department.

Patrick Wimmer from Weiden near Rechnitz and Alexander Schmidt from Bernstein are passionate firefighters and budding kindergarten teachers. It is therefore only natural that the two high school graduates are also passionate about the topic of "Together.safely.fire.brigade" in their diploma thesis at the Federal College for Elementary Education (BAfEP). A practical test recently followed in the practical kindergarten of the BAfEP Oberwart. The aim was to introduce the youngest children to the fire department in a playful way and to teach them about the tasks of the fire department and how to behave correctly in the event of a fire, but also to give the children an initial insight into developing their own understanding of dangerous situations.

Patrick Wimmer and Alexander Schmidt with exercise observers, including LFKDT Franz Kropf and BFKDT Wolfgang Kinelly as well as Director Herwig Wallner.(Bild: OBI Alexander Flaschberger)

Tomorrow's little heroes in their element
An evacuation exercise also took place with the support of the Oberwart town fire department. "Afterwards, the children continued in working groups and were allowed to lay a hose line, throw out a fictitious fire with balls, watch a breathing apparatus wearer get dressed and rescue a stuffed animal from a difficult situation," explained the two graduates.

Knowledge makes you smart. A grease fire must never be extinguished with water.(Bild: OBI Alexander Flaschberger)

Highlight: A fire was extinguished
The final highlight, however, was a mock grease fire outdoors, which demonstrated what happens if it is mistakenly extinguished with water. "The children were very enthusiastic and enjoyed taking part and some of them already had a lot of knowledge. A wonderful morning with lots of impressions came to an end with the presentation of small gifts," said Wimmer and Schmidt.