timeline
Canceled events have an impact on the budget of the volunteer fire brigades. In fact, with this money they bear around a third of the costs for their equipment and facilities. That’s missing now – purchases can only be made late or not at all.
14.02.2022 06.30
Online since today, 6.30 a.m
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Last year, Salzburg’s fire brigades had more deployments with exactly 11,923 and almost 802,000 hours of deployment again – but since the corona pandemic there has been much less money for the volunteers. Around 100 million euros per year are now missing across Austria, said Albert Kern, President of the Federal Fire Brigade Association.
delays in purchases
Salzburg’s 119 volunteer fire brigades are also suffering massively from the loss of income. “In addition to the effects in our most important area – camaraderie and friendship – which have now been practically suspended for two years, there are also delays in the purchase of fire engines or the construction of fire stations due to the economic problems,” explained state fire brigade commander Günter Trinker.
In Schwarzach (Pongau), for example, local fire brigade commander Markus Buzanich had to postpone the purchase of the new fire engine until 2023. “No events means no income for the fire department. We won’t be able to order the urgently needed vehicle until next year.” In Hallein (Tennengau), the fire engine that was ordered is long overdue due to the corona pandemic. “We ordered the vehicle in March 2021 – but it seems you have to reckon with that at the moment – because of Corona,” said Hallein fire brigade commander Josef Tschematschar.
The corona crisis will continue to have an impact
The Federal Fire Brigade Association expects that the corona crisis will have a longer-lasting impact on the fire service and that events – once they are allowed again – will only take place very hesitantly.
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