Dispute over insurance

1000 volunteers injured on missions every year

Marlies K. - pictured on the left during her basic training - is impaired after a firefighting operation.

(Bild: BFK Urfahr-Umgebung)

On the way to an operation, a young woman from Upper Austria fell down the stairs and was left with a heart attack. The AUVA does not want to see this incident as an accident at work and will not pay out. The helpers fear that such decisions could result in fewer volunteers coming forward.

She was there for others when they needed help. But now that Marlies needs support herself, she is being let down by AUVA. The fate of the now 21-year-old from Kirchschlag near Linz does not leave "Krone" readers cold

Fell down the stairs
Three years ago, the young firefighter was woken from her sleep by an alarm. She wanted to rush to the scene, fell down a staircase and was left with a heart attack. Even though all members of volunteer fire departments are covered by AUVA accident insurance during their training, exercises and operations, the insurance company does not want to treat the fall as an accident at work.

No direct connection
An AUVA expert was unable to establish a direct link between the alert and the near-fatal accident. "An ongoing court case should now clarify whether there was an accident caused by the deployment in the case in question. And this is precisely where the medical question arises: is the event of the fall down the stairs responsible for the cardiac arrest or not? AUVA does not deny benefits, but is bound by the law and must follow the medical assessment in this case," says the insurer.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case and can have far-reaching consequences with regard to voluntary work.

Robert Mayer, Landesfeuerwehrkommandant OÖ

Better protection required
The Austrian Federal Fire Service Association is hoping that the insurance cover for volunteer firefighters will be put on a more stable footing in future. "We are increasingly seeing the issue of pre-existing conditions that cannot be ruled out one hundred percent as a problem. I find it disconcerting that an expert makes a statement but provides no evidence. In a given case, assumptions are interpreted in favor of the AUVA," says Fire Brigade President Robert Mayer.

In recent years, an average of between 800 and 1050 fire department accidents have been reported to AUVA every year. On average, 15 percent were rejected as occupational accidents - meaning that one in seven did not receive any money.