2nd CSLA Firefighterday for disabled people

A successful event with satisfied guests

in Großweikersdorf, 25^th July 2015

	A report by Martha Fichtl, Secretary General of the CSLA
	Pictures by Michaela Matzka, Deputy Secretary General CSLA
	Translated into English by Mjr CSLI Matthew Douglas

For the second year running, the CSLA Fire Station Day for Disabled Children took place. Those in charge of the Auxiliary Fire Brigade of Großweikersdorf made their fire station available to us, were very cooperative and liaised extensively with our vice-president Werner Winkelhofer who organized everything in advance. Some auxiliary fire brigade members helped, too.

Residents of the Houses of St. Martin from Klosterneuburg and Caritas in Hollabrunn and their caregivers were invited. We were delighted that this year some parents also attended. It was especially an honour to have our Union President Senator h.c. Wolfgang Steinhardt present at the event.

Everyone arrived at 9 clock on time. It was already pretty hot in the morning and our guests were thirsty upon arrival. Some kids still remembered the layout of the fire station and dashed off to the canteen straightaway asking: “Is there anything to eat and drink?” No worries, we were well prepared (with lots of home-baked goods). So the biggest thirst was quenched and every hungry stomach full.

Kutzendörfer and Dworak GmbH from Vienna provided a cap to each of the guests which led to quite a rush but made everyone extremely happy.

We also all received loom band bracelets from the disabled children that one of the children had made herself.

Our president of the CSLA, Dr. Oswin Hochstöger, greeted our guests with a few words of welcome and then the fire trucks were rolled out of the garage. The cheers were loud and everyone immediately wanted to hop onto the huge fire trucks.

In a convoy we drove to the church yard where a fire hose and bucket had been set up to be knocked down with water. The young ladies of the auxiliary fire brigade, Melanie and Lisa, happily and diligently replaced the bucket again and again.

Another attraction was “Ferdl”, a sand-filled doll, which is normally used for training purposes. Poor “Ferdl” was trapped under a car wreck. The children had to fill the lifting bags with compressed air to prop up the wreck slightly. Although the doll had the weight of a grown man, the children were determined to pull “Ferdl” out from under the car. The children were overjoyed when they accomplished this feat. It is really amazing how much strength a person can muster to save someone, even when it’s just a doll. The children completed this task this mostly under their own power, which confirms that there is a desire within us all to help others.

After rolling up the high-pressure fire hoses it was time to take our seats and drive back to the fire station, where sausages were ready for the new arrivals. Coffee and cake for dessert had also been prepared and the buffet was soon empty.

In order to entertain our guests who had finished eating, the stirrup pump made a reappearance this year. The children happily took to the pump and they pumped and injected with great enthusiasm. Refilling had to happen fast, so the caregivers used the water hose this year instead of a water bucket.

One activity is obviously not enough for so many curious young people. For this reason a fire truck crane was set up, too. Our guests were allowed to climb into the basket and get a look at the area high above the church steeple. The wine region has a special charm at this time of year, where many fields already been harvested, but the forests are still green. This made the views particularly spectacular.

A special attraction were llamas thanks to Daniela Schretzmeier (DANImals) from Großweikersdorf. Our guests approached the animals without any hesitation, hugged them and were allowed to walk them on a leash around the church square. One child, who was nonverbal, took the hand of a caregiver and put it on the back of a llama. This meant that the caregiver should pet the soft fur of the animal.

By 1 pm everyone got back onto the trucks and drove to Altenwörth on the Danube for “ship ahoy”. The fire boat of the Auxiliary Fire Brigade of Altenwörth docked and the first guests boarded wearing life jackets. It was a bit cloudy compared to the morning and the weather had cooled which made the boat trip very enjoyable.

Afterwards, we had some refreshments to change things up again. We had just unpacked when a duck family with pups waddled by and was also joined by some swans and their younglings! They all received some cake. The only question that remained was: How are we ever going to get away from them? But the birds went back into the water when they realized all the food was gone.

Finally, the guests started to return home, but not without thanking all the helpers for the lovely day.

It was a successful day. Thanks to everyone who helped!

We’d like to express our sincere thanks to the auxiliary fire brigades and the following companies who have supported us with their donations (and anonymous donors, too):

The Auxiliary Fire Brigade of Großweikersdorf; under the commander HBI Mihle and employees HBI Schragner, SB Püringer, PFM Mihle Melanie and Lisa Mihle who made this day even possible.

The Volunteer Fire Brigade of Altenwörth-Gigging that provided the boat and skipper.

Kutzendörfer and Dworak GmbH for sponsoring the drinks on this hot summer day.

DANImals – professional activities with the help of animals – Owner Daniela Schretzmeier from Großweikersdorf.

The sausages wouldn’t have been the same without the buns. Thank you so much Bakery Burger from Großweikersdorf.