At the Wels Fire Department’s annual press conference, in addition to the impressive deployment statistics for 2023, the focus was primarily on the career ambitions of Wels Fire Department Chief Roland Weber. Weber is applying for the position of deputy state fire brigade commander, which is currently held by Michael Hutterer. “I’m not running against Hutterites, but for the position because I believe we have to correct the direction a bit,” says the Marchtrenker. The fire department has gained its strength due to the federal structures, but is currently moving towards centralization. “We have to reflect the hard work and power of people across the board and not at the top,” says Weber. You need a dense network of small fire departments because “a network only lasts if it has many nodes.”
In some cases, fire departments are equipped with technology and vehicles, for which the appropriate training is required. “We have to find a middle ground, not just technology for technology’s sake, but technology that makes sense,” says Weber.
Full coverage mentality
He sees a big problem in the all-out mentality of some citizens and the development towards ego companies. Fewer and fewer are willing to volunteer for others free of charge.
The election will take place on May 29th and the section and district fire brigade commanders are eligible to vote. Even if he is elected deputy state fire brigade chief, he will remain at the top command in Wels, supported by his two deputies Markus Marehard and Jörg Stadler. Security officer Deputy Mayor Gerhard Kroiß (FP) emphasized yesterday that he was convinced “that Weber is the right man in the right place who can do a lot to ensure that the fire departments can go into the future fit.”
2868 missions in 2023
On average, the Wels fire department was deployed almost eight times a day last year; a total of 2,868 missions were carried out last year. The comrades had to respond to fires 184 times. More than half of them were discovered to be automatic fire detectors. 332 people were rescued after fires, traffic accidents and other emergencies.
The Wels fire department, which consists of full-time and volunteer employees, is constantly looking for new recruits. “Fortunately, the number of youth members has recovered after the Corona dip,” says Weber. 23 boys and girls are currently active in the fire department. So far, recruiting volunteers with a migrant background has had little success; it was only recently that the voluntary organizations Red Cross and Fire Brigade introduced themselves to migrant associations.
There is still room for improvement among the women; there are currently only five active members of the Wels fire department. Valerie Holter leads the youth work and ignites the fire among the girls and boys.
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Source: Nachrichten
