“We protect what counts: man and nature.” Under this motto, the Austrian Federal Fire Brigade Association (ÖBFV) organizes the fire brigade youth week 2025 together with the biodiversity and species protection initiative Beewild and the Jane Goodall Institute Austria (JGI).
The Austrian fire brigades not only stand for the protection of our communities from fire and other dangers, but are increasingly committed to the Maintenance of our nature And the environment, not least, to keep natural disasters. Bee pastures promote soil life, for example by increasing the number of earthworms by three to four times. This in turn improves water infiltration, so that healthy soils make an important contribution to disaster protection, especially in heavy rain events.
In Austria there are 4,448 voluntary fire departments with around 38,000 fire brigade youth and children’s fire brigade members. This strong community is the heart of the Fire Brigade Youth Week 2025. As part of this Project week in the Easter holidays (April 14-20, 2025) should the youngsters be won over in the weirs for species protection:
-
Each fire brigade member receives a species protection seeds parcel for sowing 2m² bee pasture (in total for over 70,000 m² bee pastures)
-
In addition, each fire brigade youth group can choose from 5 species protection activities and implement them independently in their own community/region
-
Construction of sensible nesting aids from natural materials
-
Felsenburg for insects
-
Construction of a bee potion
-
Dead wood as a shelter
-
Visit to a beekeeper in town
-
Scientifically accompanied by experts from the partner Beewild and the Jane Goodall Institute Austria, an action manual and an explanatory video were developed for these activities in order to prepare the youth workers and the fire brigade youth and, above all, to ensure the correct procedure for implementation. An online quiz for the introduction to the topic was also created.
You can find these documents under https://www.beewild.com/blogs/ff-jugend.
Manfred Hohensinner, Beewild initiator: “With the fire brigade youth week 2025, we set a strong sign for the protection of our nature and the preservation of biodiversity. Every square meter bee pasture, every built -in nesting aid and every conscious action help to create valuable habitats and to stabilize the ecological balance. A healthy soil is the basis for the production of valuable food and a more resistant environment – earthworms loosen it, improve water storage and thus actively contribute to weakening natural disasters such as floods or extreme drought. If we act together today, we not only protect our nature, but also the future of coming generations.
“
Winning projects get prize money
The fire brigade youth groups are invited to create videos of their activities and publish on social media and to mark the hashtags #Beewild #seidabei #feuerwehr youth #naturschutzistcool. Among all published creative projects, national winners and then three federal winners (1st to the 3rd place) are elected by a jury of experts who are rewarded with prize money for the fire brigade youth-Kassa.
Weiz 2025 – double award ceremony
The strongest fire brigade youth competition groups in Austria compete on August 23, 2025 in the Styrian Weiz on the obstacle course and relay race to choose the best of the best. As part of the award ceremony of this competition, the winning groups of the fire brigade youth week will also be announced. Thus there is a double award ceremony in Weiz.
„We are very pleased that this campaign will end up in Styria. Above all, in the 2025 fire brigade youth week, we see a great opportunity to raise awareness of young people and their environment to protect our environment. The task is attractive, the youth can act in nature in terms of craftsmanship and develop an awareness of beewild activities. This will affect us sustainably and can help to weaken future natural cats
“Mario Leitner, Styrian State special officer for the fire brigade youth, and Johann Maier couple, area fire brigade commander of Weiz, agree.
First square meter already sown
At the start of the project, where the fire brigade youth week will officially end in August 2025, an area of 250 m² bee pasture was already sown in Weiz (in addition to the planned 7 hectares). Five young people from the Weiz volunteer fire brigade were supported by Beewild biologist Kathrin Grobbauer, the Weiz Mayor Ingo Reisinger, as well as the fire brigade by Mario Leitner and Johann Maier couple and the commander of the Weiz fire department Christian Lechner.
Ingo Reisinger, Mayor of the City of Weiz: “I am very pleased that we were able to sow the first square meters of bee pasture for the fire brigade youth week of Austria in the city of Weiz. This park will show our population and our guests in mind that biodiversity is very important in Styria.
“
„We are excited to see how this area will develop. We will be able to look at the result in around four months as part of the award ceremony
“, Said fire brigade commander Christian Lechner.