Community in the sights

Dispute over vehicle: FF team threatens to resign

The dispute revolves around this modern fire engine: according to the Dürnkrut command, there are "written and signed commitments."

(Bild: Rosenbauer)

The fact that the popular fire department festival has been canceled is a sign of how deep the rift is between the Dürnkrut fire department and the municipal leadership. The former speaks of "written and signed promises" for the purchase of a new emergency vehicle, while the mayor does not want to comment on this for the time being.

The Dürnkrut fire department has now put the rod in the window for Mayor Stefan Istvanek. The entire team would resign if the municipality did not keep its promise to contribute financially to a new fire engine.

However, there has since been a change of mayor - former mayor Herbert Bauch no longer wants to get involved in the matter. The new mayor, Stefan Istvanek, would not have been involved in the commitment with his predecessor, and speaks of 708,000 euros in costs for the fire engine. He says only this much: "I don't want to settle the dispute via the media."

We have been working intensively for several years on the purchase of a new emergency vehicle, which is urgently needed. This project, which only required a final order, was supported by long-term, written and signed commitments from the municipal leadership.

Das Feuerwehrkommando von Dürnkrut

Festival canceled: deep rift runs through the community 
It is now clear whether the recent cancellation of the popular annual fire department festival has anything to do with the matter: there is a definite commitment from the fire department command to make firm promises regarding the purchase, all that is missing is a clear decision from the municipal council, it is said. In any case, the dispute is a sign of hardened fronts and creates a great divide throughout the entire community.

We are particularly sorry for all those who have supported us over the years and looked forward to the festival. Your loyalty and commitment mean a great deal to us and it pains us to have to disappoint you in this way.

Das Kommando bedauert Festabsage

The disputes with the municipal leadership and the enormous amount of time that has gone into working out and clarifying this matter "have made it impossible for us to make the necessary preparations for our festival", added the fire department command.

District head of the Florianis mediates
What Gänserndorf's district fire chief Georg Schicker regrets is that he has now become involved in the matter and is trying to smooth things over: "A community matrix is drawn up for new purchases. However, this also includes the cadastral village of Waidendorf. It has also expressed a need for a new vehicle," explains the Floriani official.

Although the fire department in Lower Austria is well positioned thanks to precise regulations, "it has not become any easier in terms of financial resources. Not for the fire departments, but not for the municipalities either," emphasizes Schicker.

Fire department commander: "Working on a written statement " 
The head of Dürnkrut's fire department, Josef Baumgartner, who was contacted by the "Krone" by telephone, refers to a statement that was still in progress at the time of going to press. According to reports, there were preliminary talks between the Floriani and municipal management and other parties involved, but these apparently did not bear fruit: Because a clarifying meeting has been called for today, Wednesday. Schicker is hoping for a positive solution: "It's never good when institutions and associations are at loggerheads within the municipality, especially when the municipality itself is involved."

The mayor's job is to bring our concerns to the municipal council meetings. The members of the Dürnkrut fire brigade have not developed a luxury vehicle, but an updated version of the current emergency vehicle in order to maintain the current status quo.

Ausschnitt der ausführlichen „Online-Erklärung“ der FF Dürnkrut

Florianis make a "declaration" on the homepage
On Tuesday evening, the fire department posted a statement online explaining the matter in more detail from their point of view.