700 more deployments

2024 was a tough year for Graz’s professional fire brigade

The Graz professional fire department in action

(Bild: Berufsfeuerwehr Graz)

The year 2024 was full of challenges for the Styrian fire departments - as the deployment figures show. Traditionally, the Graz professional fire department is the first to present a balance sheet: The number of deployments has risen significantly.

The Graz professional fire department had exactly 711 more operations to report in 2024 than in the previous year - this was the result of the Florianis' balance sheet, which was presented on 2 January. In 2023, they had to be called out 6207 times, but the number of call-outs has now risen to 6918. "The Graz professional fire department ensures the safety of the people of Graz every day. Their missions are diverse - from fires and accidents to storms and animal rescues," says City Councillor Manfred Eber (KPÖ), who is also politically responsible.

566 civilians rescued
2478 of these deployments were actually due to fires or fire alarms (an increase of 178 compared to the previous year). The majority of deployments (4400) were general assistance, the number of animal deployments amounted to 1350 and 697 deployments were necessary due to severe weather. A total of 566 civilians were rescued in all of these operations - significantly fewer than in the previous year. At 1.93 million euros, the amount of property rescued was also lower than in the previous year.

And the Graz professional fire department also has positive things to report: Three new fire engines and three new turntable ladder vehicles were added to the fleet in 2024, and 19 men completed their basic training. "Commitment, motivation and the mood within the team are top notch and a modern fleet of vehicles fuels this image," says Fire Director Klaus Baumgartner. And in November 2025, the new East Fire Station on Dietrichsteinplatz is due to be completed.