Mountain in Lower Austria: 1,400 volunteers in action - security for everyone!

Mountain in Lower Austria: 1,400 volunteers in action - security for everyone!

Niederösterreich, Österreich - On July 18, 2025, an important event took place, at which governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner thanked the 1,400 volunteers of the mountain rescue in Lower Austria for their commitment. These volunteers are indispensable for security in the mountains, especially at a time when the number of operations rise rapidly. In the first half of 2025 there were 513 missions, which represents an increase of 20 % compared to the previous year. This shows the increasing demand for emergency services in alpine regions that make an important contribution to tourism, as Mikl-Leitner emphasized. noe.gv.at reports that the new state management of the mountain rescue officer was elected from 30 local site.

As part of the meeting, the challenges that the mountain rescue in the future would expect was also discussed. Karl Weber, who has been the new state manager since May 2025, named five fields of competence that will be of central importance for the mountain rescue: prevention and information about risks, the creation of optimal framework for voluntary, responsible digitization in the mountains, faster rescue and information tactics as well as close cooperation with other security services.

In emergencies, the correct emergency number is crucial. The central emergency number for all over Europe, including Austria, is the 112, which is available around the clock for free calls in emergency situations. This number connects callers directly with the emergency services, fire brigade or police, which makes it an important resource for mountain sports enthusiasts. alpenverein.de indicates that there are additional, country-specific emergency numbers in certain countries that are in an emergency should be preferred.

In Austria, the alpine emergency number 140 is also available, which leads directly to mountain rescue. The situation varies in many European countries: While 112 is covered by the emergency call control center in Germany and most EU countries, countries such as Italy or Switzerland have special emergency numbers that are relevant for alpine missions. alpin.de informed about such country-specific special features and emphasizes the importance in their own cell phone to save.