Volunteer fire department

Florianis help comrades in Moldova

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

Numerous Vorarlberg firefighters set off on a trip to Moldova lasting several days. The aim was to support their local comrades.

It is not the first trip that local firefighters have made to Moldova - and it will probably not be the last. The Vorarlberg Florianis have been supporting their colleagues in Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, for years.

At the beginning of September, a convoy of twelve fire engines discarded in Vorarlberg set off on a journey from Rankweil via Romania to Moldova, which borders the Ukraine.

Once there, the vehicles were handed over to the Moldovan comrades. But that was not the end of the job, as the Vorarlberg Florianis also trained the "fire department neos" on the vehicles. It is only with support from abroad that the network of volunteer fire departments in Moldova can be further expanded and put on a reasonably solid footing. Although there is a professional fire department, by the time it actually reaches the scene of the incident on the poor roads, the damage has often already been done.

The relief supplies can help. The Bildstein fire department, for example, has now formed a completely new Floriani unit in Lalova, and the Bregenz-Fluh fire department has transferred one of its vehicles to Mateuti - thus enabling the first volunteer unit to be set up there too. The professional fire department is also supported - for example with equipment such as aerators.

Gratitude on site
The commitment from Vorarlberg is certainly well received locally, and the mayors of the municipalities concerned are delighted with the collegial help.