Firefighters celebrate in Reideben at the hot church day!

Firefighters celebrate in Reideben at the hot church day!

Last Saturday in June, the 65th state championship of the Carinthian fire brigades took place in Villach. Over 1,100 firefighters took part, including around 500 young people between the ages of 10 and 15. In this context, Alexander Quendler, member of the Reideben youth group, won the individual competition. He had previously reached 1st place at the district competitions in Griffen and thus secured the national victory in 2025 in the Bronze B category in the national performance competitions of the fire brigade youth. After the award ceremony, Quendler was lifted up by a fan group who had traveled along, which underlined its excellent performance. These successes were also recognized at the Peter & Paul Kirchtag in Riegelsdorf.

The church day began with a service in the Redeben branch church, celebrated by Provisor Suresh Kumar Remalli. The festival fair was musically framed by the Reideben church choir as well as Iva Schell, Mechthildis Kaufmann and Christian Theuermann. Afterwards there was a ceremonial move around the Reideben Castle, which was cited by the fire brigades Reideben, St. Stefan and Eitweg.

solemn atmosphere and great participation

Despite the summer temperatures, the visit was high on the subsequent morning pint. Commandant Christian Hartl welcomed many fire brigades, representatives of local clubs and numerous guests of honor. The fire brigade's kitchen and served team mastered the rush of guests with flying colors. The band "The 4 of the Koralm" provided musical entertainment, and the guests were encouraged to dance.

At the shooting range, a few rounds were shot down, while the children enjoyed the offers such as a bouncy castle, ice cream and a lucky port. The main prize - a pedal tractor, sponsored by the warehouse in St. Andrä - won Monika Kienzer from Michaelsdorf. This combination of competitions and festivities once again showed the connection of the fire brigade with the community and the good cohesion in the region.

The rights to the tradition of the fire brigade competitions are firmly anchored in Carinthia. 63 competition groups already took part in the 62nd state championship of the Carinthian fire brigades, which took place on June 25, 2022 in St. Andrä in the Lavanttal. The atmosphere was also accompanied by a good atmosphere and cheering calls of the spectators. The local women's group "Poggersdorf 6" was able to win in the "Bronze A" category, which was proudly commented on by Commander Markus Schwagerle. Bernd Glanzig, head of the state competition from the Spittal district, emphasized the importance of nerve strength, team spirit, accuracy and speed for competitive success.