Status: 21.12.2023, 16:53 PM
By: Hanna von Prittwitz
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No longer salvageable: The crew transport vehicle of the Unering volunteer fire brigade burned down in August of this year. The reason was a technical defect. © Fire brigade
After a fire in August, the Unering volunteer fire brigade is looking for a new vehicle. The municipality grants a subsidy of up to 30,000 euros.
Unering – Unering's firefighters, who were sitting in the audience at the municipal council meeting in Seefeld on Tuesday evening, breathed a sigh of relief: The local councillors have decided to set aside up to 2024,30 euros in the 000 budget for the purchase of a new crew transport vehicle.
Flashback: On August 19, 2023, the crew transport vehicle of the Unering fire department, parked in a small garage next to the fire station, caught fire and burned out. The fire engine and the clothing of the comrades were in the adjacent fire building and were spared. The burning vehicle, a Dacia Duster built in 2010, was pushed directly outside by the firefighters, where it was extinguished. But it could no longer be saved, a total loss.
Since then, some of the comrades have been driving to missions in private vehicles, because only six people fit into the fire truck. However, the average number of emergency personnel per operation this year was 11.8 people. The situation is also problematic from an insurance point of view. At Tuesday's meeting, councillors were presented with a subsidy request for the purchase of a new vehicle.
To explain the motion, Commander Andreas Gamperl was given the right to speak. He reported that the fire brigade had received a very good offer from a local car dealership for a new Ford Tourneo. "The problem, however, is a long processing time of about eight months for the subsidy application and a long delivery time of twelve months for the car," said Gamperl. Therefore, the fire brigade considered buying an annual or demonstration car. Research had shown that these could be procured for up to 30,000 euros. Due to the low height of the small garage of 2.10 meters, only a VW Caddy or a Ford Tourneo are possible, a VW bus is already too high, especially since a blue light has to be put on it. The other equipment costs would amount to about 18,000 euros.
Mayor Klaus Kögel had previously reported that the whole thing had become an insurance claim. "But of course, only the current value of the vehicle is replaced," he explained. And this amounts to around 16,000 euros. The people of Unering have also launched an appeal for donations. There are no government subsidies, which are only available for new cars.
Ortwin Gentz (Greens/BI) regretted that the funding could not be tapped in this way. "Can't the time be bridged with rental cars?" he wanted to know. In fact, there are probably platforms for this. "We took a look at them, too," Gamperl said. However, nothing was found to match the size of the garage. Christian Wagner (BVS) also struggled with the loss of funding. And Stefan Kalski (CSU) wanted to know whether the fire brigade needs all-wheel drive for the new vehicle. Gamperl replied in the negative. "For us, it's just about having a car again."
In the end, the councillors unanimously decided to include the sum in the budget for the new year.