Carinthia, Austria's southernmost state (pop. 570,167 on January 1, 2026), had 427 fire brigades in 2025, most of them volunteer brigades. It also has company brigades and one of Austria's six professional brigades, in Klagenfurt. More than 20,000 members answered about 17,000 call-outs in 2025. The brigades belong to the Carinthian Fire Brigade Association in Klagenfurt and are organized in ten fire districts, one for each political district and statutory city. The state alarm and warning center in Klagenfurt alerts the brigades. In an emergency, dial 122 (fire) or 112.
Carinthian Fire Brigade Association office (non-emergency)
+43 463 36477- Kärntner Landesfeuerwehrverband, Rosenegger Straße 20, 9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
- Office hours: Not published
- feuerwehr-ktn.at (state association)
- State alarm and warning center (LAWZ, non-emergency): +43 463 36043 · State fire school: +43 463 36655
- Klagenfurt professional brigade (office): +43 463 5322-0 · Hans-Sachs-Straße 2, 9020 Klagenfurt · berufsfeuerwehr.at
- Emergency: fire 122 · ambulance 144 · EU emergency number 112
How Fire Protection Is Organized in Carinthia
Most of Carinthia relies on Freiwillige Feuerwehren (FF, volunteer fire brigades), and many of the 132 municipalities have several. Company brigades (Betriebsfeuerwehren) protect industrial plants and rail lines. The Berufsfeuerwehr Klagenfurt (professional fire brigade), founded in 1945, has about 80 staff and calls itself the smallest of Austria's six professional brigades. Ten volunteer brigades also serve the capital. Villach has no professional brigade; its Hauptfeuerwache (main fire station) is a volunteer brigade.
All brigades belong to the Kärntner Landesfeuerwehrverband (KLFV, state fire brigade association). It has ten fire districts, each led by a Bezirksfeuerwehrkommando (district fire command): eight political districts plus the statutory cities of Klagenfurt am Wörthersee and Villach. Most districts have two to four sections. Calls to 122 are handled by the Landesalarm- und Warnzentrale (LAWZ, state alarm and warning center) in Klagenfurt. Since the "LAWZ 3.0" upgrade it works as a network with backup control rooms at the Klagenfurt professional brigade and the Villach main fire station, while eight district alarm and warning centers support command on site. The association's Landesfeuerwehrschule (state fire school) in Klagenfurt runs more than 200 courses a year and is the federal association's competence center for live-fire training.
Fire Brigades by District
| District | District fire command | Brigades | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klagenfurt am Wörthersee (city) | Klagenfurt-Stadt | 11 (10 volunteer + professional) | feuerwehr-klagenfurt.at |
| Villach (city) | Villach-Stadt | 22 (incl. 1 company) | bfkdo-villachstadt.at |
| Feldkirchen | Feldkirchen | Not published | feuerwehr-ktn.at |
| Hermagor | Hermagor | 44 (incl. 1 company) | bfkdo-hermagor.at |
| Klagenfurt-Land | Klagenfurt-Land | 50 (incl. 1 company) | bfkdo-klagenfurtland.at |
| St. Veit an der Glan | St. Veit an der Glan | 47 (incl. 4 company) | bfk08.at |
| Spittal an der Drau | Spittal/Drau | Not published | bfkdo-spittal.org |
| Villach-Land | Villach-Land | 64 (incl. 7 company) | bfkdo-villachland.at |
| Völkermarkt | Völkermarkt | 47 (incl. 2 company) | bfk-voelkermarkt.at |
| Wolfsberg | Wolfsberg | 36 (incl. 2 company) | bfkdo-wolfsberg.at |
| Carinthia | State association | 427 (2025) | feuerwehr-ktn.at |
Counts follow the district commands' brigade lists (2026). The eight listed districts total 321, leaving 106 of the statewide 427 for Spittal an der Drau and Feldkirchen, whose lists were not available. Klagenfurt-Land excludes one sub-unit of a brigade.
Special Units & Capabilities
- Klagenfurt professional brigade: specialist teams for diving, height rescue, radiation protection, drones (UAS) and helicopter flight helpers (Flughelfer), plus its own control room.
- Live-fire training: the state fire school trains instructors for Austria's fire schools and for professional and company brigades.
- Company brigades: 18 are listed in seven districts, for example at Infineon in Villach and at ÖBB rail infrastructure in Wolfsberg District.
- Diving
- Height rescue
- Radiation protection
- Drones
- Flight helpers
- Live-fire training
Estimated Response Time
Statewide, 427 brigades share 9,536.8 km², so the average distance to the nearest station is r ≈ √(9,536.8 ÷ (427 × π)) ≈ 2.7 km (1.7 mi). This is optimistic: company brigades guard only their own sites, and valleys lengthen the roads. With about 60 residents per km², most of Carinthia is rural and volunteers must first reach the station, so we use the rural column of our baseline table. In Klagenfurt, career crews on duty at the station can leave at once, so we use the urban column.
| Radius | Klagenfurt (career) | Rest of Carinthia (volunteer) |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 2.4 km | 4–6 min | 8–12 min |
| 2.4–4.8 km | 6–8 min | 10–14 min |
| 4.8–9.7 km | 8–11 min | 12–18 min |
| > 9.7 km | 11+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 4–8 minutes in central Klagenfurt, 8–12 minutes in other towns and villages, and 10–14+ minutes for remote farms and side valleys.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Grass patch, dumpster, small vehicle | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, car fully involved | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, farm building, commercial unit | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial or mountain forest fire | 2–12+ hours |
Steep, forested terrain is Carinthia's typical major-fire risk: in September 2026 Hermagor District brigades fought a forest fire on the Sausengalm. Such fires need long hose lines, helicopters and relief crews, so expect the upper end of each range.
Call-outs & Statistics
- 2025: about 17,000 call-outs, 1,093 lives saved and more than 1.6 million volunteer hours by more than 20,000 members (state report on fire services 2025, presented in June 2026).
- 2025: 427 brigades (federal fire brigade association).
- Fires, technical call-outs, false alarms and vehicles for Carinthia: Not published. Austria-wide in 2025: 4,752 brigades, 357,187 members and 254,598 call-outs, including 64,991 fires and 164,518 technical call-outs.
Outdoor burning and forest fires: The federal Clean Air Act (Bundesluftreinhaltegesetz) generally bans burning garden and farm waste in the open. Carinthia's exemption ordinance (Verbrennungsverbot-Ausnahmenverordnung) allows narrow exceptions: Easter fires only in the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday, and customary fires must be reported to the municipality at least four working days in advance. Under the state fire-safety act (K-GFPO), burning in built-up areas needs the mayor's permission, and burning outside them is banned when conditions favor the spread of fire. Forest-fire ordinances (Waldbrandverordnung) come from each district authority. Ask your Gemeinde before burning anything.
Neighboring States & Countries
- Tyrol
- Salzburg
- Styria
- Italy
- Slovenia
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Carinthia?
The Carinthian Fire Brigade Association office in Klagenfurt: +43 463 36477. In Klagenfurt, the professional brigade's office is +43 463 5322-0. In an emergency, dial 122 or 112.
How many fire brigades are in Carinthia?
427 in 2025, in ten fire districts. They are mostly volunteer brigades, plus company brigades and one professional brigade.
Does Carinthia have a professional fire brigade?
Yes, one: the Berufsfeuerwehr Klagenfurt, founded in 1945, with about 80 staff. Villach and the rest of the state are protected by volunteers.
How fast does the fire brigade respond in Carinthia?
About 4–8 minutes in central Klagenfurt and about 8–12 minutes in towns and villages elsewhere, including volunteer turnout. Remote valleys can take longer.
Can I burn garden waste in Carinthia?
Generally no. Federal law bans open burning of plant material, with narrow exceptions such as Easter fires on the night before Easter Sunday. Ask your municipality first.
Last verified:
- Kärntner Landesfeuerwehrverband: contact, districts, state fire school brochure
- Berufsfeuerwehr Klagenfurt: contact, history, organization
- District fire command websites (brigade lists, 2026), linked in the table
- Land Kärnten: LAWZ 3.0 and state fire school, dispatch network with Klagenfurt and Villach
- Österreichischer Bundesfeuerwehrverband — Statistics 2025
- Statistik Austria — Population Jan 1, 2026 (preliminary)
- Land Kärnten — Easter and customary fires; K-GFPO (RIS)
- 5min.at — Fire service report 2025 (June 2026)
- Wikipedia — Kärnten (area, Jan 1, 2024; neighbors)