Courageous mission

How two young Florianis became lifesavers

Maximilian Maglock with the young rescuers Patrick and Ben from the Straß fire brigade.(Bild: NÖ Landesfeuerwehrverband)

A vacation afternoon turned into a nerve-wracking search operation for two young firefighters in Straß, which saved the life of a pensioner. They talk about their mission in the Brandaus podcast of the regional fire brigade association. 

The dramatic story is probably still fresh in the minds of "Krone" readers: on July 13, an 88-year-old man suffering from dementia in Straß in the Straßertal valley in the district of Krems did not return home from his walk. He had disappeared without a trace.

After a conversation with police officers...
A major search operation was launched, which was soon brought to an end by chance. The 13-year-old young Florians Ben and Patrick rode past the kindergarten on their bikes with a friend and saw police officers outside. After greeting them in a friendly manner, they learned that someone was wanted.

Of course we were afraid that something bad had happened to the man. Fortunately, he was fine.

Ben und Patrick

"We offered to help," Ben remembers. The trio set off immediately. Barely 20 minutes later, they were actually able to find the pensioner in a vineyard. "He was lying in a bush with only his feet sticking out. He didn't answer our questions, but at least he was moving his hands," says Patrick.

"We are incredibly proud"
The boys immediately called the police and set the rescue chain in motion. "We are incredibly proud of our young members," praises Deputy Commander Maximilian Maglock.

You can hearmore from the young rescuers in the Brandaus podcast from the regional fire service association on all popular streaming platforms or at brandaus.podigee.io.