It is important to “turn on the brain” in the forest even more than usual, warns Stephan Pernkopf (ÖVP), the deputy governor in charge of fire departments, on Friday in view of the high risk of forest fires. Despite all prohibitions, bonfires are always being made, for example in the Hirschwang area (Neunkirchen district), reports the commander of the state fire brigade, Dietmar Fahrafellner, in the interview “Lower Austria Today”.
Four out of five forest fires are caused by carelessness, explains the fire chief, not just referring to bonfires. Discarded cigarettes are also a big risk, as are hot floor panels in vehicles.
“There will be more to do in the coming years”
In view of the hot and dry periods in Austria, Fahrafellner expects the number of forest fires to continue to increase in the future. “Here you can already see the trend that the Mediterranean area – Greece, Spain, Portugal – is moving more and more towards the Central Europe area. If the trend continues, we will have much more to do in the coming years”, says Fahrafellner.
Patrick Lechner More than 600 firefighters have been specially trained to fight forest fires
Exactly for this reason, it was invested in agreement with the fire department. We are now well positioned for such operations. “We think about the future and take meteorologists’ warnings seriously”, says the commander of the fire brigade.
specially trained firefighters
Fire brigades in Lower Austria have long created their own special service for fighting forest fires and have specially trained more than 600 firefighters. Special equipment and vehicles for fighting forest fires are also stationed across the country. Special equipment is also used, “because you can’t work in these temperatures in normal clothes”, explains Fahrafellner.
In Austria, Fahrafellner also considers extreme scenarios with huge smoke development to be conceivable, which photos from Canada have repeatedly shown. “We also had fires in the pine forests in the Wiener Neustadt and Neunkirchen area with a flame front 30 meters high, these are massive fires.” example.
Ordinance on forest fires in force throughout Lower Austria
As the risk of forest fires is currently particularly high, the forest fire ordinance has been in force throughout Lower Austria since Thursday – more about this in the country-wide forest fire ordinance (noe.ORF.at; 07/13/2023). This means that it is now forbidden to build fires in forests and near forest edges. This includes smoking, barbecuing and using pyrotechnics.
According to the Forest Fire Ordinance, it is also forbidden to throw away burning and smoking objects, such as matches and tobacco products, as well as glass bottles and broken glass. The latter can cause fires due to the magnifying glass effect. Violations are punishable by a fine of up to €7,270 or imprisonment for up to four weeks.