The current pandemic forced the Lower Austria / Vienna mountain rescue service to hold the annual state assembly via an online conference – which was easily accomplished. As a special point, the new election of the state management was on the agenda this year, which according to the statutes has to take place every three years. Due to the exceptional situation, this year this had to be carried out by secret postal vote.
The country manager Matthias Cernusca and his deputy Johann Lehner were confirmed in office by the local branch managers who were entitled to vote with great approval. The previous Deputy Country Manager, Colonel Franz Lindenberg, handed over his role to Karl Weber. Lindenberg, who worked for decades in Lower Austria and in the Federal Association of Mountain Rescue in the highest management positions, received great recognition and thanks for his extraordinary work.
Realization of a mountain rescue center in focus
Matthias Cernusca, who holds a doctorate in law and is a full-time lawyer in Klosterneuburg, thanked the local branch managers for their trust and proudly looked back on the past three years of his work. Significant organizational improvements, which have a positive effect on each individual mountain rescuer, have been implemented in the past state management period.
In the coming years, Cernusca and his team would like to live up to the claim of creating the best possible framework conditions for the voluntary commitment of all 1,350 mountain rescuers. In addition to the promotion of cross-location exercises, the focus will also be on the implementation of a mountain rescue center. The fact that mountain rescue is needed more than ever as an essential pillar in the rescue chain is shown by the constantly increasing number of operations – not least because of the Covid-19 situation and the associated “run” on the local mountains.
Managing director of the Annaberger lifts in state management
Mag. Karl Weber was welcomed to the state management. He has already been part of the extended national management team in recent years. Professionally, he is the managing director of the Annaberger Lifte, in addition to his role as a mountain rescuer in the Mitterbach branch, he is also a volunteer as a paramedic at the Mariazellerland Red Cross.
Lukas Turk as country manager
Lukas Turk was also officially presented at the regional assembly as the regional manager of the mountain rescue service in Lower Austria / Vienna. Turk – himself a volunteer mountain rescuer at the Reichenau branch – took over the responsible management role in July 2020 and will be one of the few full-time mountain rescuers in Austria to manage the administration of the state management and support the state management in the implementation of the upcoming projects.
Important voluntary functions at state level were also filled. The mountain rescuers Barbara Undeutsch and Susanne Dittler will manage the state finances in the future.
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