As of: March 25, 2024, 5:05 p.m
By: Eva Oestereich
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Excited listeners: After 1st Commander Richard Busl reported to the guests present about the positive things from the previous year, there were differences of opinion between him and Mayor Josef Niedermair.
© Austria
There was a huge crash at the annual meeting of the Hallbergmoos Volunteer Fire Department: 1st Commander Richard Busl complained about a lack of support.
The mayor strongly objected.
Hallbergmoos
- A brand new emergency vehicle, a huge influx in the ranks of active members and a celebration of the flag consecration with 1000 guests last year: all should be right with the world at the Hallbergmoos Volunteer Fire Department.
But she isn't.
Commander Richard Busl complained bitterly at the annual meeting about the lack of support from the mayor and local council.
He couldn't have meant the purchase of the 4000 tank fire engine to replace its 36-year-old predecessor and the celebration: the municipality spent a good half a million euros on the vehicle.
There was a grant of 10,000 euros for the 2023 celebration.
Nevertheless, the first commander sees reason to complain: “In my opinion, the fact that the comrades in Goldach are getting the new fire station is completely right and important.
Because they have just as little space as we do.” According to Busl, both weirs have reached their capacity limits.
“Now comes the big 'but': The team and I too have the impression that we are simply at a standstill when it comes to the fire station.” As Busl said, further planning was not being pushed forward with the necessary momentum .
“This makes us feel a bit let down by our mayor and many local councilors.”
Busl is asking the local boss and local councilors for support
Richard Busl: “We feel a bit let down.” © Oestereich
According to Busl, the equipment house dates back to 1985. At that time, the community had around 4,000 residents and the fire department carried out 40 to 50 missions.
Today there are almost 12,000 and, according to statistics, 191 operations, training courses and meetings with almost 6,000 working hours in 2023. What makes a significant difference between then and now, according to Busl: Back then, there was “no commercial area, no federal highway, no motorway, no rail traffic and no airport in the immediate vicinity, bio laboratories with unknown substances and soon the wave, where the dangers of chlorine cannot yet be estimated.” All of which are the fire brigade’s main areas of operation today.
The growth of the community also meant that the fire department's equipment and fleet increased: “But we clearly lack the necessary space.
The existing fire station does not meet any requirements for safety and protection for the emergency services,” complained Busl.
In addition, “you have to deal with the bureaucracy of our administration” and “sometimes feel like a supplicant” when it comes to the use of community premises such as the community hall.
“I ask mayors and local councilors to support us so that we can move forward.
The numbers make it clear that we do a tremendous amount for the community.”
Mayor “shocked” by Busl’s statements
Mayor Josef Niedermair (CSU) paid tribute to the firefighters for their work, but reacted angrily to Busl's words: “What shocks me a bit is the statement that I'm letting the fire department down.
“That is not justified at all,” said the town hall boss.
He recommended that the commander become more informed about council decisions.
With Thomas Henning, chairman of the fire brigade association and local councilor for the Free Voters, he has a good source of information at his side.
“But apparently you don’t make phone calls that often.” Niedermair continued: “New fire equipment, vehicles, new clothes, subsidies for the flag consecration – we do everything for the fire department.
No euro is worth it to us.” In the three years of his term in office, when it came to building new fire stations, they started from scratch, bought land, advertised it across Europe and now have plans for Goldach on the table.
Josef Niedermair: “We do everything for the fire department.
No euro is too good for us.” © Oestereich
(By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
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“I assume that the two fire departments are a unit and it doesn't mean: Those down there and us up there.” The municipality, Niedermair continued, is financially unable to build two fire stations at the same time.
Because it is currently more cramped in Goldach, we start there.
The new building in Goldach will begin in March 2025 and will cost a good ten million euros.
“We are also building a fire department in Hallbergmoos,” said the mayor, recalling the unanimous council decision.
Even if this will most likely not be during Niedermair's term of office, which normally ends in 2026.
“The development plan has already been initiated for the station in Hallbergmoos.
You can't go further than that at all." Finally, district fire inspector Helmut Schmid helped to calm things down a bit: The community is "exemplary" in the implementation of the mandatory tasks and the fire service needs plan: And further: "I'm pleased that the topic is being pushed forward."
You can find even more current news from the Freising district at Merkur.de/Freising.