Floriani frogmen

Accident tragedy calls for fire department diving service

The firefighters' diving training recently took place in Lake Lunz and the Erlauf near Purgstall.(Bild: NÖ Feuerwehrtauchdienst)

It is considered by firefighters to be the toughest training in the fire department - and yet year after year, many Florianis sign up for diving training. Tragedies like the one in Oberwaltersdorf highlight the importance of this special unit.

When they arrive, their hats are on fire. Even though the operations take place under water. Fire department divers are usually responsible for recovering vehicles or war relics.

"Unfortunately, of course, we also have to pull bodies out of the depths of the water," one of our comrades tells the Krone.

The Oberwaltersdorf tragedy
This only became sadly clear once again on Wednesday when the emergency services in Oberwaltersdorf had to rescue a canal worker who had been pushed into a pipe by a tidal wave. It is not for nothing that the diving service is considered the toughest and most demanding training. Training in the Mostviertel region is often carried out with the army pioneers from Melk. 

The Floriani frogmen also appeared at the Melk pioneers' open day.(Bild: NÖ Feuerwehrtauchdienst)

Tough test that pays off
It was only in June that new "frogmen" completed their training in Lunz am See - and, of course, in the lake. "After the theoretical exam, they then swam the current in the Erlauf near Purgstall," says Peter Kaufmann from Greinsfurth, Commander of the Diving Service West. Interested firefighters can register with his diving unit from mid-2025, and a new course will begin in 2026.