The Obersteinbach fire brigade looks back on 75 years of existence

Created: 06/18/2022, 11:00 am

A small but mighty fire department: The Obersteinbach fire department will be 75 years old this year.

There will be celebrations at the end of July at the garden party in the “Falter Garden”.

© Fire Department

The volunteer fire brigade in Obersteinbach is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and looks back on the beginnings of the local fire service.

Obersteinbach

– The voluntary fire brigades are an indispensable part of the rescue service – they are often quickly on site and well trained to help in emergencies.

The Obersteinbach Volunteer Fire Brigade celebrates its 75th anniversary in July – an occasion to look back on the beginnings.

The Second World War was not long over when the municipality of Bad Heilbrunn, together with the citizens of Obersteinbach and Untersteinbach, founded the Obersteinbach volunteer fire brigade in 1947, despite the most adverse post-war circumstances.

The first purchase was a Robi TS 8/8 portable fire pump from the Benediktbeuern monastery, taken from Wehrmacht stocks, and transported to Obersteinbach by oxen and cart.

It had already been in service for a good ten years when a crack in the engine block killed it in a major fire.

At the end of 1958, the municipality procured a new Magirus TS 8/8 portable pump together with a Metz trailer as a replacement - a noticeable improvement, because now the TS together with the hose material and resources could be moved by tractor, i.e. motorized.

From a monastery fire to a plane crash

The Florian disciples also got a good deal in 1966 with the purchase of a Willys Jeep, built in 1943, which the Kochel municipality sold for 100 marks.

The jeep was not ready to drive at that time, but under the expert guidance of commander Schorsch Adelwart and thanks to the technical skills of hard-working comrades, the old vehicle became an extremely off-road vehicle and, in comparison to the tractors, was fast.

Soon after, the fleet was supplemented with an additional transport trailer.

How important the continuous "armament" was was soon shown by the fire in a hay barn belonging to the "Falterbauer".

In addition to the fire incidents, the small Obersteinbach weir was called more and more often to traffic operations.

The terrible accident at the intersection of the B 11/B 472 in Untersteinbach, for example, in which the well-known Berlin actress Grete Weiser and three other vehicle occupants were killed in an accident in 1970 – their car collided head-on with a truck that had the right of way.

According to the current commander, Hubert Schwaiger, this section of the route is still the scene of serious, sometimes fatal accidents and a great challenge for the rescue workers who rush to get there.

In 1973 there were finally blue service uniforms

It was not until 1973 that the Steinbacher Floriansjünger appeared at festivities with the blue service uniforms - before that there was no money to buy them.

Another important renovation now had to be tackled: the planning of a new fire station, since the old one was bursting at the seams.

Commander Schorsch Adelwart was the leading force in this matter as well.

"With his great commitment and his competence, he was a leading figure valued by all," says Hubert Schwaiger about his former predecessor.

A fire-fighting operation that everyone involved at the time probably remembered was the major fire at Benediktbeuern Abbey in 1979.

The surrounding fire departments fought for two days to bring the fire under control.

Good things come to those who wait: In addition to the funds from the municipality and the Free State, a lot of personal work, countless hours of unpaid work and donations made it possible to build the new tool shed.

The inauguration on May 29, 1983 was a happy day for the Florian disciples.

Now there was finally space for equipment and vehicles, including an older Unimog that had recently been purchased and that had been converted into a portable fire pump vehicle.

In addition, there was now space for the team to change their clothes.

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Flood operations: 1999, 2005 and 2013

The demands on the emergency services grew at the same pace as technical progress, road traffic and people's leisure activities.

In 1989, for example, after a plane crash at the "Hoamatkreuz" with three dead occupants, the Obersteinbachers found themselves in an emergency situation "that the fire department had neither considered nor practiced in this way, but had to be dealt with," as Schwaiger describes.

In the period that followed, one was particularly challenged, not only with a few full fires and a serious traffic accident in the neighboring protected area of ​​​​the Bichler fire brigade, but also with the effects of increasingly frequent unpredictable weather.

During the floods of 1999, 2005 and 2013, the Obersteinbach Weir provided support in the municipal areas of Bad Heilbrunn, Benediktbeuern and Kochel.

The increasingly complicated and differentiated tasks were met with appropriate training and adapted equipment.

Faster progress was possible with the jeep, which was used from 1966.

© Obersteinbach fire brigade

Schwaiger and his team are therefore happy about their all-wheel-drive portable pump vehicle, which they bought in 2000 and has a fire-fighting water tank, rapid response hose, breathing apparatus, thermal imaging camera, foam equipment, power generator and overpressure fan on board.

In this case, too, citizens and companies helped with the financing with donations.

You can find more current news from the region around Bad Tölz at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.

The motto for the coming years is prudence and foresight.

"Our focus is currently preventive flood protection, the expansion and expansion of suction points and the improvement of traffic safety equipment," lists the commander.

The personal situation is causing him some concern.

Voluntary services are no longer as popular as they used to be.

"All citizens should take a moment and consider whether they could also support the voluntary rescue service - for the good of the community." Or, as the motto of the fire brigades is: "To the glory of God, to the neighbor in defense."

Socializing with the community has always been part of the life of the Obersteinbach fire brigade, which currently has 25 active members: putting up the maypole, bonfires, mountain fairs and their traditional garden festival have long been fixed items on the program.

The usual garden party in the "Falter" garden on the last Sunday in July will be expanded this year and converted into an anniversary celebration: together with the neighboring fire brigades and local associations, a service will be celebrated after the church procession at "Kapellenbichl".

After the pageant, it's time for the leisurely part of the day.

The bands from Bad Heilbrunn, Bichl and Benediktbeuern will accompany the small festival.

(Rosie Bauer)

By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Bad Tölz newsletter.