Fire department: Franz Baier (51) from Roßbach is the new Braunau district commander

The 51-year-old was elected as the new district fire brigade commander last Tuesday. The Roßbacher talks to the OÖN about the challenges the fire department faces and the most valuable thing that no money in the world can buy.

Franz Baier is in the management of the Maschinenring Innviertel, is married, has three grown children and has been a firefighter for more than half his life. He has been a member of the Fraham fire department with 55 active members for a good 35 years. Baier avoids the term “small” in connection with “his” fire department, because “there are no small fire departments, only powerful ones. We last saw that we need each one in December during the snow chaos,” says the new fire department chief. who has gone through all career stages: first deputy, then commander in Fraham for six years and for the past five years up until now he has been Mauerkirchen’s section fire brigade commander. His successor in this section will be elected on April 9th.

Strong youth at the start

He himself had an opposing candidate in the election for district fire chief, which is rare. Basically, in the fire department there is no opposition, only cooperation, even after the election. “There can be no division in the fire department because we have to be ready for operations together again the next day,” says Baier. There are more than enough deployments; in 2023, as reported, they will have increased by 50 percent. The range of applications is also continually expanding, not least due to photovoltaics, e-mobility and climate changes. A separate forest fire unit was installed for forest and field fires, because, according to Baier, there will be more of them in the future. The Braunau district is generally well positioned and has a “comprehensive range” of special bases: dangerous substances, high-altitude rescuers, drone bases, divers, experts in disaster operations and more.

Not only are the operations becoming more demanding, but also the population. Volunteer commitment is decreasing, but at the same time everyone expects the best help and quickly. There is reason to be happy among the young people: the youth in the Braunau district are enthusiastically involved in the fire department. A good third of all young soldiers are girls. The proportion of women is also higher than ever, although it is less than ten percent. “The ball is slowly starting to roll here. We will definitely need more women in the fire service in the future to strengthen the team, they are an important link,” says the Roßbacher.

Financing despite inflation

What the fire department also needs is more financial strength again, because the increase in prices is also noticeable in the public corporation. “In close cooperation with political representatives, we are in the process of finding solutions to sustainably secure the financing of the fire service despite rising prices and increasing challenges,” says the new commander confidently, and the most important thing is not for sale anyway: “The fire department is already there a special association. All classes are represented here, of all ages and all professions. This camaraderie, this diversity in the team, is priceless.”