Even as a child, she sat in a fire engine, beaming with joy, remembers 18-year-old high school graduate Nina Leutgeb. She has been with the Hellmonsödt volunteer fire brigade since she was ten years old. Her parents and older brother, with whom she lives in Sonnberg (Urfahr district), are also active in the fire brigade. However, her parents never asked her or her brother to join the fire department. “We just liked it, we thought it was cool,” says the high school graduate.
At the age of 16 she passed the test for the golden fire department youth performance badge, which she is particularly proud of. The badge also marked the transition from youth group to active status. During operations, she helps and assists where she can: “I always do my best.” The tasks in the fire brigade are always different and there is a lot to learn from the experienced colleagues. With regular exercises and courses such as respiratory protection exercises or radio exercises, which usually take place after school, she can try out a lot of new things, says Leutgeb.
When asked about the challenges that voluntary work entails, the high school graduate says: “It’s stressful, but it’s a pleasant stress.” For the 18-year-old, the fire brigade was always an ideal balance to everyday school life and also a distraction from it.
“We are on a good way”
The community at the fire brigade is something special, you support each other. This applies above all to tragic missions, which Leutgeb has already witnessed: “The most important thing is to talk to each other about it and not to eat it up.”
As a woman, she feels fully accepted in the fire service, says Leutgeb. There are also more and more women in the fire department: “We are on the right track.”
When there is a call, you can hardly miss it: a pager starts beeping, your cell phone rings and you are also alerted by apps.
“Otherwise it will be boring”
Due to her high school diploma, the young Upper Austrian can only take part in a few assignments. She is already looking forward to being able to work fully again after passing her oral exam. Nina Leutgeb wants to remain loyal to the fire brigade in the future, she is excited about the upcoming courses and definitely wants to continue learning. “Otherwise it gets boring,” says the high school graduate.
How would you inspire other people to volunteer? “It’s a wonderful thing when you can help others. You can also have fun in the community and you learn something useful in order to be able to help.” (miv)
Source: Nachrichten
