Busy days

Volunteer fire departments deserve the greatest thanks

Whether pumping out cellars, shoveling mud or giving encouragement: More than 4,000 Florianis have been in continuous operation in the Oberwart district since Sunday.

(Bild: BFKD Oberwart/Flaschberger)

They are on duty day and night and sacrifice their free time without a second thought: the severe storms and their consequences have once again shown that nothing would work without the volunteer fire departments.

4100 firefighters from 204 fire departments from all over the country have been deployed in the Oberwart district since Sunday. They continue to be supported by the Austrian Armed Forces and the employees of the road construction authorities. They all deserve the greatest respect these days. Alexander Flaschberger, press officer of the district fire brigade command, emphasizes on behalf of everyone that even though the thousands of emergency personnel have hardly seen their families for days, have hardly slept at all and are at the limits of their physical strength, giving up is not an option.

No talk of "normal operations" yet
The Florianis are often called upon in an emergency, be it fires or accidents, but even hardened firefighters have reached their physical and mental limits during the storm operations. "I've never experienced anything like it," says District Fire Brigade Commander Wolfgang Kinelly, looking back on the busy days. There will be no talk of "normal operations" for the next few days, as the clean-up work will continue.

Unparalleled cooperation
Despite all the suffering and extreme exertion, there are also special moments when the solidarity that has been shown emotionally overwhelms even the toughest firefighters. "This cooperation and the help we give each other is unparalleled," says Flaschberger, who would also like to thank the many employers for their understanding on behalf of all the firefighters.