Together with the Allentsteig military training area, the Lower Austrian Fire and Safety Center completed a two-day fire drill on the grounds of the military training area. Experiences from the center’s forest fire training and operations as well as experiences of the training ground fire department during operations at the military training ground were exchanged. The knowledge gained was applied during various exercises.
“The fire department and the armed forces often work side by side to protect the population. By exchanging experiences and practising together, we are preparing our emergency services even better for future operations. The Armed Forces in Lower Austria will continue to be there whenever the protection of the population requires it,” said the military commander of Lower Austria, Brigadier Martin Jawurek. Provincial Fire Brigade Commander Dietmar Fahrafellner: “The number of forest fires is also increasing in Lower Austria from year to year, as predicted by climate experts. And the last foreign deployment in North Macedonia showed how right it was to massively step up forest fire training.” With around 8,000 hectares of forest and zones at risk of unexploded ordnance, the Allentsteig military training area is a challenge for emergency services. Numerous members of the armed forces are involved in fire protection both in the military and in the volunteer fire departments. In cooperation with the Lower Austrian Fire Brigade Association, some members of the fire protection platoon at the Allentsteig military training area have already undergone forest fire training.
This gave rise to the idea of carrying out this exercise in cooperation with the Lower Austrian Fire and Safety Center. Since this year, the Allentsteig military training area has had a fragmentation-protected fire engine at its disposal. This means that fires can also be extinguished in the zone at risk from unexploded ordnance. This vehicle was also used during the joint exercise.
