It was August 13, 2023 when the fire department sirens in St. Veit im Mühlkreis began to wail at 2:40 p.m. A date that has literally been burned into the Rechberger family’s memory.
“It was a great day, Sunday, bathing weather,” says Martin Rechberger at today’s press conference on the topic of fire prevention by the state of Upper Austria, the fire prevention agency and the Chamber of Agriculture.
On that day, work was still being done on the local farm in the morning and the animals were being cared for professionally, as they had been for 30 years. At lunchtime the family was invited to eat with relatives when they received a call from their neighbor.
“He said that there was smoke coming out of the gable windows in the hayloft. I knew straight away what had happened because the wheel loader was still up there. We then drove back to the farm as quickly as possible,” says the farmer. But when the family arrived home, the smoke had already turned into a blazing fire.
Complex firefighting
The firefighters, some of whom live within sight of the farm, were quickly on the scene and tried everything they could to contain the fire.
“In the meantime the water ran out, that was really bad. There was already a crackling in the roof structure, everything was black,” says the farmer, describing the traumatic experiences. Water was brought in again from a nearby fire pond and firefighting continued. Twelve fire departments were deployed until the fire was finally extinguished. The blessing in disguise: “The cattle are healthy and endured the incident with stoic calm. We still have a roof over our heads and no one was injured. Nevertheless, just hearing the date gives me chills,” says Martin Rechberger.
Nobody would have expected that something like this could happen. “The fire issue wasn’t there. We always said there was a fire at a neighbor’s house or somewhere else, but not at our place,” a fallacy, as it became abundantly clear back in August. “We didn’t mess up. My son is an agricultural technician and maintained the machines.”
The charred wooden beams of the roof structure are still a reminder of last year’s disaster. The fire caused the hay storage to be contaminated and requires extensive renovation. Damage value: 230,000 euros. The process with the insurance company has been dragging on for months and is getting on the nerves of those affected.
Agricultural fires
Every fifth fire in Upper Austria breaks out in agriculture. According to Harald Leitner, head of the Fire Prevention Agency (BVS) Upper Austria, around a third is triggered by electrical energy – such as a cable fire. Ovens, stoves or fireplaces cause another 20 percent, around seven percent are caused by open fires (cigarettes, candles, welding work), and another six percent by lightning strikes. However, that tenth of the fires that can be traced back to arson are a case for the State Criminal Police Office, not for the fire prevention officers.
“Fires can be life-threatening, especially in agriculture,” says Agriculture and Fire Services Councilor Michaela Langer-Weninger (VP). “In addition to the high financial damage, it is also a psychological burden for the families because their entire life takes place on the farm, not just their work.” That’s why it’s important to focus on prevention. “In the event of a machine fire, a replacement must be organized, which entails high acquisition costs.” The risk of forest, field and meadow fires is also increasing, especially as heat and drought periods become longer. “This can result in large parts of the harvest being lost,” says Langer-Weninger.
Prepared in an emergency
For Martin Rechberger, an emergency plan would help in hindsight so that he doesn’t panic in such an exceptional situation. “In the rush, we couldn’t even find the fire extinguishers that we actually had. I had a real blockage in my head,” says the farmer. It’s best to save it on your cell phone and write down the most important points: How can the animals be protected, where is the fire extinguisher, etc. Fire extinguishers are now always at hand, as the BVS recommends.
According to the experts, a battery main switch that effectively interrupts the power supply to the machines when they are switched off could also be an important preventive measure against electrical fires. The Rechberger family’s tractors and harvesting machines now also have one installed. The only drawback: it still has to be operated by hand – which can be forgotten during an average 100-hour working week. “This should be installed as standard by the manufacturers. As soon as the ignition key is turned ‘off’, the power supply should be ‘dead’,” says the farmer.
Once the accident has happened, the right insurance coverage is important, says Rosemarie Ferstl, Vice President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture. “Even if many farmers don’t like doing the office work in addition to the many other jobs that take place on a farm, it is still important.” Policies should be checked carefully and every new machine reported to the insurance company.
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Source: Nachrichten
