New district manager for the Freistadt Red Cross

Personnel changes marked this year’s district meeting of the Red Cross in the Salzhof. First and foremost, of course, was the resignation of Alois Hochedlinger from his position as district head. Since 2011, he had been the face of the Red Cross in the district. “Our number of employees has risen from 700 to over 1,200 since 2011. A lot has happened in both the emergency services and the social services,” said Hochedlinger in his farewell speech, looking back on 13 eventful years.

During this period, the visiting service was launched in several communities. Two Red Cross markets for food and a Red Cross market for clothing were established, so-called first responders are deployed in communities where the journeys for emergency vehicles are somewhat longer, the number of emergency paramedics has increased and the GP emergency service was introduced. In terms of construction work, new offices were built in Liebenau and Pregarten. In addition, the former ÖAMTC building in Freistadt was converted into a logistics and training center. “We can be proud of these developments. But they were only possible because 1,200 people with a lot of know-how and a high level of commitment contributed,” said Hochedlinger, who was bid farewell with minutes of standing applause at the end of his speech. Hochedlinger will remain with the Red Cross for the coming years as a volunteer in the GP emergency service.

District Administrator Andrea Wildberger has known for some time that she would be following in big footsteps as the new district office manager: “Not only because there is actually ten shoe sizes between us, but because Alois Hochedlinger has done a great job.” She has prepared meticulously for this, not only by visiting the local offices, but also by doing trial shifts to get a feel for the organization and the people working there. The enthusiasm for this was reflected in the election results. Wildberger was elected district office manager with 100 percent approval. Ilona Krammer and Thomas Rockenschaub will be at her side as deputies.

New Officer for Disaster Relief

The great commitment of Hannes Thürriedl was also recognized on this evening. He has been working for the Red Cross since 1972 and has been involved in the district’s management functions for decades. Among other things, he was a disaster relief officer for 39 years. Thürriedl has now handed this role over to Christian Kerschbaummayr. He will continue to contribute his experience and knowledge to the district rescue command.