This page covers the whole state of Salzburg (pop. 573,526 on January 1, 2026), not just its capital city. In 2025 the state had 124 fire brigades: 119 volunteer brigades, 4 company brigades and one professional brigade in the city of Salzburg, one of only six in Austria. About 17,000 members belong to the Salzburg Fire Brigade Association, organized in six fire districts that match the political districts. In 2024 the brigades answered a record 16,625 call-outs. The state alarm and warning centre dispatches the rural brigades. In an emergency, dial 122 (fire) or 112.
Salzburg Fire Brigade Association office (non-emergency)
+43 662 828122-0- Landesfeuerwehrverband Salzburg, Karolingerstraße 30, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Office hours: Not published
- lfv-sbg.at (state association)
- Professional fire brigade, city of Salzburg (office): +43 662 831122-0 · Jägermüllerstraße 3, 5020 Salzburg · stadt-salzburg.at
- Emergency: fire 122 · police 133 · ambulance 144 · EU emergency number 112
How Fire Protection Is Organized in Salzburg
Salzburg combines one professional brigade with volunteers. The Berufsfeuerwehr Salzburg (professional fire brigade) protects the state capital with about 140 firefighters (early 2025) at two stations, Maxglan and Schallmoos, with 32 on duty in each 24-hour shift. The city's Freiwillige Feuerwehr (FF, volunteer fire brigade) backs it up with four Löschzüge (sub-units) and almost 200 active members. The rest of the state relies on 118 volunteer brigades with 64 more Löschzüge. Four company brigades (Betriebsfeuerwehren) protect Salzburg Airport, Kaindl in Wals-Siezenheim, AustroCel in Hallein and Verbund in Kaprun.
All brigades belong to the Landesfeuerwehrverband Salzburg (LFV, state fire brigade association), whose office is the state fire command in Salzburg. There are six fire districts, one per political district, each led by a district fire commander (Bezirksfeuerwehrkommandant). Under the Salzburg Fire Brigade Act 2018 the five rural districts are split into 16 sections; the city forms a section of its own. Calls to 122 from the districts go to the Landesalarm- und Warnzentrale (LAWZ, state alarm and warning centre) on Karolingerstraße in Maxglan: nine dispatchers, two always on duty, more than 14,000 calls a year. The association also runs the Landesfeuerwehrschule (state fire school); course and participant numbers: Not published.
Fire Brigades by District
| District | District fire command | Brigades | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salzburg (city) | City section (professional + volunteer brigade) | 3 (1 professional, 1 volunteer, 1 company); 4 Löschzüge | LFV list |
| Hallein (Tennengau) | Tennengau (3 sections) | 14 (incl. 1 company); 6 Löschzüge | LFV list |
| Salzburg-Umgebung (Flachgau) | Flachgau (4 sections) | 38 (incl. 1 company); 36 Löschzüge | LFV list |
| St. Johann im Pongau (Pongau) | Pongau (3 sections) | 25; 3 Löschzüge | LFV list |
| Tamsweg (Lungau) | Lungau (2 sections) | 15; 6 Löschzüge | LFV list |
| Zell am See (Pinzgau) | Pinzgau (4 sections) | 29 (incl. 1 company); 13 Löschzüge | LFV list |
| Salzburg (state) | State association | 124 (incl. 4 company); 68 Löschzüge | lfv-sbg.at |
Counts follow the association's district brigade lists, which add up to the statewide 124 reported by the association (2024) and the federal association (2025). Löschzüge are sub-units of a municipal brigade with their own fire station. We found no separate district-command websites.
Special Units & Capabilities
- Hazmat and technical rescue: the professional brigade handles hazardous materials, storm and flood call-outs, rescue and recovery, and disaster protection in the city.
- Disaster relief (Katastrophenhilfsdienst, KHD): the state fire command can send disaster-relief platoons outside Salzburg; three went to Lower Austria during the September 2024 floods.
- Public warning: the LAWZ alerts the public through 516 sirens in 119 municipalities, 22 storm-warning lights and the AT-Alert push system. Its hardware and software are being replaced for €18.5 million (2025 report).
- Airport fire brigade: Salzburg Airport has its own company brigade.
- Hazmat
- Flood & storm
- Disaster relief (KHD)
- Siren warning
- Airport fire brigade
Estimated Response Time
Statewide, 120 public brigades share 7,154.48 km², so r ≈ √(7,154.48 ÷ (120 × π)) ≈ 4.4 km (2.7 mi). City and countryside differ sharply, so we use two columns of our baseline table. The city of Salzburg (65.65 km², about 2,400 residents per km²) has two career stations: r ≈ √(65.65 ÷ (2 × π)) ≈ 3.2 km (2.0 mi), urban column. The rest of the state (about 59 residents per km²) has 118 volunteer brigades: r ≈ 4.4 km (2.7 mi), or about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) counting the Löschzüge. Volunteers must first reach the station, so we use the rural column. Remote alpine valleys, passes and high ski resorts can take longer.
| Radius | Salzburg city (career) | Rest of state (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 6–8 minutes in the city of Salzburg, about 10–14 minutes in towns and villages elsewhere, and 18 minutes or more for remote farms, huts 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, forest or mountain fire | 2–12+ hours |
In 2024 Salzburg's brigades fought 42 major, 109 medium and 576 small fires; 87 fires were already out when crews arrived, and 2,823 alarms from fire-detection systems were false or deceptive. Fires on steep slopes or far up alpine valleys need water relays and neighboring brigades, so expect times toward the upper end of each range there.
Call-outs & Statistics
- 2024: a record 16,625 call-outs statewide (about 45 a day): 11,374 technical, 4,158 fire and 1,093 fire-safety watches. In 2023: 8,695 technical and 3,393 fire call-outs.
- 2024: members logged 1,464,799 hours (up 13%); 11,347 active members, 4,407 inactive, 166 honorary and 1,434 youth in 94 youth groups.
- Professional brigade: 3,317 call-outs in 2025 (1,273 fire, 2,044 technical), down from 3,506 in 2024.
- 2025: 124 brigades (federal fire brigade association). Austria-wide in 2025: 4,752 brigades (4,438 volunteer, 308 company, 6 professional), 357,187 members and 254,598 call-outs.
Outdoor burning and forest fires: The federal Clean Air Act (Bundesluftreinhaltegesetz) generally bans burning garden and farm waste in the open. The State of Salzburg allows narrow exceptions by ordinance, such as customary Easter fires, and can suspend them, as it did in 2020. When forest-fire danger is high, the district authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft) can issue a forest-fire ordinance (Waldbrandverordnung) banning fire and smoking in and near forests. Ask your Gemeinde before burning anything.
Neighboring States & Countries
- Upper Austria
- Styria
- Carinthia
- Tyrol
- Germany (Bavaria)
- Italy (South Tyrol)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Salzburg?
The Salzburg Fire Brigade Association office: +43 662 828122-0. In the city, the professional fire brigade office: +43 662 831122-0. In an emergency, dial 122 or 112.
How many fire brigades are in the state of Salzburg?
124 in 2025: 119 volunteer, 4 company and 1 professional brigade in six fire districts, plus 68 sub-units (Löschzüge). Flachgau has the most (38).
Does Salzburg have a professional fire brigade?
Yes, one: the Berufsfeuerwehr in the city of Salzburg, with about 140 firefighters at two stations (early 2025). The rest of the state is protected by volunteers.
How fast does the fire brigade respond in Salzburg?
About 6–8 minutes in the city of Salzburg and about 10–14 minutes in towns and villages elsewhere, including volunteer turnout; remote alpine valleys can take longer.
Can I burn garden waste in Salzburg?
Generally no. Federal law bans open burning of plant material, with narrow exceptions such as customary Easter fires. Ask your municipality first.
Last verified:
- Landesfeuerwehrverband Salzburg: contact, emergency numbers, association, fire school
- Landesfeuerwehrverband Salzburg — brigade lists by district, linked in the table (overview)
- City of Salzburg — Professional and volunteer fire brigade; annual report 2025 (PDF)
- Österreichischer Bundesfeuerwehrverband — Statistics 2025
- Salzburg Fire Brigade Act 2018, § 30 (sections) (FORUM Verlag text)
- Wikipedia (German), citing Statistik Austria — Land Salzburg (population Jan 1, 2026, area, neighbors), Salzburg city (population, area)
- SALZBURG24 — State association figures 2024 (March 2025)
- SALZBURG24 — Professional brigade: 2025 figures, staff and stations, 2024
- SALZBURG24 — State alarm and warning centre (LAWZ), 2025
- SALZBURG24 — Disaster-relief platoons to Lower Austria, September 2024
- SALZBURG24 — Customary-fires ordinance, Easter fires 2020