The devastating floods that hit much of Austria may have been described as “unprecedented” and “once in a lifetime” but the reaction to them among Austrians was nothing new. 

The country has a longstanding culture of locals coming together and helping each other in crisis.

While that’s (fortunately) not uncommon in catastrophes worldwide, Austria is also a country of volunteers even when there’s no crisis.

More than 350,000 men and women are members of a voluntary firefighting department, and tens of thousands more join to be voluntary mountain rescuers, Red Cross members, and more.

They made all the difference as historical floods hit Eastern Austria, leaving thousands stranded and killing five people. 

“One of the hardest challenges was deciding who we could help and who we couldn’t,” voluntary firefighter Michael Strohmeier, who volunteers at the St.Pölten-St.Georgen fire department, told The Local.

READ ALSO: How Austria plans to prevent future catastrophic floods

His was one of the worst-hit areas in Lower Austria.

“My first call-out was on a Saturday around 10pm. My team had already been out for a while when we were sent to secure a horse farm with sandbags. From then on, we were constantly on duty,” he said. He added, “Eventually, we had to prioritise saving lives and building barriers.”

His station completed 65 storm operations, including pumping water, clearing storm damage and rescuing five people. 

‘Sense of community’

Michael, a 28-year-old Austrian citizen, has been a volunteer firefighter since he was 13. 

READ ALSO: How can I find volunteer work in Austria?

As volunteers, firefighters typically have a regular 9-to-5 job, families, and other activities. Michael mentions his parents and long-time girlfriend are very supportive of his role, and Austrians are proud of volunteering.

He said the culture of volunteering and the “sense of service” is “often passed down through families in Austria”.

Even if his parents weren’t part of a volunteer organisation, they were still “willing to help others,” he said, mentioning a “spirit of togetherness. “

Small villages, foreign integration and government support

The spirit of togetherness is not uncommon in small towns and villages—Austria has hundreds of them. Because of the Alpine nature of the land, many populations are left relatively isolated from a central government—even a regional one—and have developed their own institutions over the years.

The country still has that rural spirit of knowing your neighbours and helping out, especially since you might need help later. The organisations, including the local fire department, are also responsible for some large events, and so being a part of them is a way to socialise and become a valued member of the community. 

This is also valid if you are not an Austrian citizen, as most of these organisations accept foreign members. “Being an Austrian citizen is not a requirement”, Michael said. 

He added: “We have foreign colleagues in our ranks, and it’s a great way for them to integrate into the community. Working together builds strong bonds, and it helps people from different backgrounds connect and contribute to the same goal.”

Austria’s federal government also promotes and incentivises voluntary work. Voluntary workers in formal organisations are automatically insured against accidents, and special regulations allow them to miss (their formal) work in case of emergencies. 

Young people are also encouraged to volunteer. Boys can choose between the mandatory military service and civil service. Civilian service is performed in Austria, mostly with emergency services (such as driving ambulances), but also in social and disability care or care for the elderly. 

Community service workers also work in civil defence and disaster control, refugee care, hospitals, kindergartens, agricultural support, domestic memorials, prisons, youth work, and environmental protection.

There are now over 1,500 sponsoring organisations with many associated places of employment. The largest supporting organisations are the Austrian Red Cross, the Austrian Samaritan Federation, Johanniter, Lebenshilfe, Caritas, Diakonie and the fire brigade associations.

It’s also not uncommon for young people to take a Voluntary Social Year, or das Freiwillige Soziale Jahr (FSJ), an Austrian initiative that allows them to give something back to society by volunteering in various sectors. Many also use it to find out what direction to take after school.

READ ALSO: What is Austria’s Voluntary Social Year and how can you get involved?

All the government support helps encourage civic feelings or even allows it to be possible. The high quality of life in Austria also frees people up to give their time to such honourable causes, and hundreds of thousands of people in Austria take the opportunity to help out.

How can you participate?

Michael explains that people who are not part of the fire department can still support them in various ways, such as volunteering in non-operational roles, donating, or sponsoring. 

In some organisations, such as mountain rescuers, giving a donation can entitle you to mountain insurance. For others, such as the Red Cross, donating blood can help save lives – and you can get tested for certain diseases and know your blood type.

Michael highlighted that it is easy to contact local fire departments directly if people are interested in joining. “Most departments have regular recruitment days or open houses where people can learn more,” he said.

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