FPÖ demands more recognition and better conditions for fire departments!

FPÖ demands more recognition and better conditions for fire departments!

The volunteer fire departments in Austria are at the center of a new initiative that aims to improve their framework conditions. Christian Hafenecker, General Secretary of the FPÖ, and volunteer spokesman Harald Thau criticize the federal government's lack of interest in the concerns of the 4,400 volunteer fire departments. On June 4, 2025, they started the petition “Angesaugt.at – Less bureaucracy. More emergency services” to draw attention to the needs of firefighters. This petition is online at www.angesaugt.at available to mobilize public support.

Hafenecker, who has been a member of the volunteer fire department in Kaumberg for over 30 years, emphasizes the need for improvements. A key concern is to reduce the bureaucratic hurdles when extracting water for exercises. The Water Rights Act, which has been in force since 1959, requires each extraction point to have its own, temporary permit, which severely limits the fire departments' ability to train and deploy.

demands on politics

The FPÖ is therefore calling for legal changes to water extraction as well as modern personal protective equipment for firefighters. Other key concerns include the reimbursement of VAT when purchasing protective equipment, better labor protection and legally regulated, paid vacation days for missions. The promotion of driving license extensions is also considered important in order to increase the operational capability of the fire departments.

Harald Thau also emphasizes the social recognition for voluntary work. A long-term goal is to expand the youth fire service through awareness-raising measures in schools, communities and among parents. Planned Austria-wide action days in the summer months are also intended to raise awareness of the work of the volunteers.

Improvement of operating times

Parallel to these efforts, there is another petition that specifically addresses improving the deployment times of volunteer fire departments in small communities. This is addressed to the Committee on Civil Rights and Petitions and calls for the introduction of a “green flashing light” for firefighters. In cities like Linz, Vienna and Salzburg there are professional fire departments that are on call around the clock, while members of voluntary fire departments in smaller communities often have to get to the fire station first. Delays can occur due to traffic jams or obstacles such as pedestrians, which can increase response times by 3-5 minutes.

The aim of this petition is to create a system that enables firefighters to get to their stations more quickly and thus arrive at the scene more quickly in order to be able to help more effectively in an emergency. The aim of the requirement for a “green flashing light” is to make the corner safer.

Numerous organizations across Austria are involved in volunteer projects. Information on promoting volunteer work is available oesterreich.gv.at to find. Those interested can also apply for the Austrian Volunteer Pass, which documents the work they have done and the skills they have acquired. Projects like “Team Austria”, which was launched by the Austrian Red Cross, organize neighborhood helpers in emergencies and coordinate operations with the official operations management.