Fire engine too high

30 centimeter problem causes a huge stir

Because of the new fire engine, a new depot is now also being built in Fraham. It is due to be officially opened in June.(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

There is a heated debate far beyond the borders of the Fraham municipality (Upper Austria) following the report in the "Krone" about the "Hoppala" with the purchase of the new fire engine. Because the 500,000 euro purchase is 30 centimetres too high for the armory, the municipality is now building a new depot for 1.7 million euros.

However, fire department commander Andreas Riedl does not want to hear about a "botched job": "We knew that the new vehicle would not fit into the old depot and have therefore been discussing lowering the garage for a long time. This plan had already been decided. However, the bankruptcy of the local supplier in the immediate vicinity opened up completely new possibilities for a long-needed new building."

The armory, which was built in the 1960s with the usual garage entrances of 3.1 meters (the fire engine is around 3.4 meters high), would have been bursting at the seams for a long time. Due to a lack of space, the construction of sanitary facilities and changing rooms for female firefighters had long since failed.

Dangerous situation
"Another problem is that our old depot is right next to the kindergarten. This has recently grown in size and now has 120 children. The potential danger is very high if there is an exit," says Riedl.

Idea for subsequent use 
He emphasizes that there is already a finished project for the subsequent use of the old depot. "A very small local grocery store is to be built in one garage, and a small café in the other garages as a central meeting point in the village."