Pre-church day in St. Margarethen: A celebration of community and joy!

Pre-church day in St. Margarethen: A celebration of community and joy!

The first pre-church day took place in St. Margarethen ob Töllerberg on July 11, 2025. The event, which attracted numerous guests, featured musical entertainment from the John Otti Band and DJ Nick W. until late into the night. Culinary offerings with various dishes and drinks rounded off the evening. The new event concept, which scheduled the event on a Friday, was very positively received and led to happy celebrations. The following Sunday there was a traditional morning pint with the band Salzburgsound.

The event was attended by numerous guests of honor, including Mayor Markus Lakounigg and Deputy Mayor Peter Wedenig. Numerous representatives from neighboring fire departments were also present. A special honor went to the youth fire brigade: Franz Wieser and Fabio Jandel were recognized for their successes at the national championships. The net proceeds from the events benefit the local fire department and go towards important equipment and training measures to ensure safety in the community.

Honors and review of the fire department's activities

The annual general meeting of the Eben nach See fire department, which took place on March 21, 2025 in the Windlegern inn, was also focused on youth. The event attracted numerous members and distinguished guests of honor. Looking back on an intensive year, a total of 72 operations, including 9 fire operations, were highlighted, with the fire department's challenges such as the urgent need to rebuild the armory due to structural defects being addressed.

The meeting not only recognized the fire department's achievements, but also its commitment to youth work. A total of 16 exercises and 6 training sessions were carried out, with over 1,000 hours invested in the training. The youth group has 28 members and was successful in the knowledge test and in the youth camp. Particularly noteworthy are the 3,300 hours spent on youth work, which underlines the importance of youth work.

The importance of youth work

Young talent plays an important role in the future of the volunteer fire department. As the German Fire Brigade Association highlights, the over 20,000 fire departments in Germany, around 96% of which are volunteers, are an important pillar of society. Over 110,000 volunteer youth leaders are involved in the volunteer fire department and train future generations in firefighting technology, human rescue and preventive fire protection.

In the context of demographic change and changing living conditions, working with young people is becoming increasingly important. The German Youth Fire Department continually emphasizes the importance of youth fire departments and children's groups in order to ensure the future performance of the fire department and initiate changes in society.

In summary, it can be said that both the pre-church day and the annual general meeting of the fire department represent a significant contribution to community building and recruiting young talent in the region. This underlines the central role that fire departments play in ensuring disaster control and youth support.