Special civil courage

Simon (13) reacted perfectly in an accident

His father Michael is also proud of Simon and the knowledge he has gained from the fire department youth lessons(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Wiener Neustadt)

The young firefighter from Lower Austria was able to put the first aid knowledge he had acquired into practice. He has now been put in front of the curtain for his civil courage.

"I'm really proud of Simon for reacting so well," says his mother Maria Michalitz. And she is far from alone in this. After all, what her son did this winter is anything but a matter of course for a 13-year-old. But it shows perfectly how the basic rules that boys and girls learn at a young age in the youth fire department become second nature.

Broken arm
During the winter sports week, a classmate had fallen on the ski slope and broken his arm. Simon noticed this and acted immediately. He knew that he had to secure the accident site first. "I learned that in the youth fire department. I learned how to do that on the ski slope from the Ebenfurth Nature Friends," says the 13-year-old.

First aid is also taught at the Florianis.(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Wiener Neustadt)

Because he didn't have a cell phone himself, he called out to a comrade to contact the instructor. Not even the lack of reception threw the 13-year-old off course. Instead, he asked his friend to go straight to the teacher and inform him of the accident and the severity of the injury. Simon stayed with the injured man for so long, talking to him and cooling his hand with snow.

"And above all, it shows that you learn something in the youth fire department that you can use your whole life to help yourself and others.

Feuerwehrkommandant Christian Pfeiffer

Simon has now been honored with a certificate as part of the graduation ceremony at Ebenfurther Middle School. "The fact that Ebenfurther secondary school honored this action with a certificate in front of the entire school as part of this school year's graduation ceremony is a special sign that civil courage and helpfulness are still valued in society," says fire department commander Christian Pfeiffer proudly.