Vienna in the flood fight: Fire brigade receives new special vehicles

Vienna in the flood fight: Fire brigade receives new special vehicles

Wien, Österreich - On March 3, 2025, Mayor Michael Ludwig and fire director Mario Rauch proudly presented six new high -country fire engines from the Viennese fire brigade, which were specially designed for disaster protection. This Tatra T815-7 4 × 4 Force vehicles will ensure in the future that firefighters can help reliably even in extreme weather conditions and damaged roads. Mayor Ludwig emphasized the need for such investments, especially after the devastating flood events in September 2024, and said: "People in Vienna know that they can rely on the Viennese fire brigade in all situations." With these new vehicles, the growing number of disaster operations is also to be taken into account, since the fire brigade is increasingly confronted with storms, heavy rain and forest fires, such as press.wien.gv.at reported.

While Vienna is currently preparing for this exciting expansion, the flood will meet the city with full force. On Sunday morning the level of the Vienna River on the Kennedy Bridge fell to an alarming 2.26 meters, an increase of over 170 cm within 24 hours. The Viennese fire brigade reports on the first evacuations in Penzing, where houses were flooded. In early morning hours, some residents had to temporarily leave their residents. Gerald Schimpf, spokesman for the fire brigade, expressed that the return of the evacuated to their houses is initially unlikely. At the same time, there were numerous power failures in the urban area caused by damage to overhead lines and flooding of transformer stations, such as Kurier.at reported.