Styria (Steiermark), Austria's second-largest state (pop. 1,271,764 on January 1, 2026), had 767 fire brigades in 2025: 689 volunteer, 75 company and two university brigades, plus the Graz professional brigade, one of six in Austria. More than 52,600 members answered 44,229 alarms in 2025. The brigades form 17 area fire associations, one for each political district as it existed in 2011, under the Styrian Fire Brigade Association in Lebring. In an emergency, dial 122 (fire) or 112.
Styrian Fire Brigade Association office (non-emergency)
+43 3182 7000- Landesfeuerwehrverband Steiermark, Florianistraße 22, 8403 Lebring, Austria
- lfv.steiermark.at (state association)
- Graz professional brigade (office): +43 316 872-5858 · Lendplatz 15, 8020 Graz
- State warning center: 130 · Paulustorgasse 4, 8010 Graz
- Emergency: fire 122 · ambulance 144 · EU emergency number 112
How Fire Protection Is Organized in Styria
689 Freiwillige Feuerwehren (volunteer brigades) cover most areas; 75 Betriebsfeuerwehren (company brigades) guard plants and hospitals. The Berufsfeuerwehr Graz (professional brigade, founded 1853) staffs three stations (central, south, east) with 2 officers and 56 firefighters on duty daily. Graz also has a volunteer brigade (since 2008). Only Styria has university brigades (Universitätsfeuerwehren), both in Graz.
All brigades belong to the Landesfeuerwehrverband Steiermark (LFV) in Lebring. By law they form one Bereichsfeuerwehrverband (BFV, area fire association) per political district as it existed in 2011, so today's 13 districts hold 17 associations. A 122 call outside Graz reaches the Landesleitzentrale "Florian Steiermark" (state control center) in Lebring, staffed around the clock. In Graz, the professional brigade alerts city units. The Landeswarnzentrale (state warning center, 130) coordinates disasters. The LFV has run the Feuerwehr- und Zivilschutzschule (fire and civil protection school, Lebring, opened 1973) since 2009.
Fire Brigades by District
| Political district | Area fire association(s) (BFV) | Brigades | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graz (city) | Graz | Not published | bfvg |
| Bruck-Mürzzuschlag | Bruck an der Mur · Mürzzuschlag | Not published | bfvbm |
| Deutschlandsberg | Deutschlandsberg | 69 | bfvdl |
| Graz-Umgebung | Graz-Umgebung | 71 (incl. 12 company) | bfvgu |
| Hartberg-Fürstenfeld | Hartberg · Fürstenfeld | 46 + 29 (incl. 2 company) | bfvhb · bfvff |
| Leibnitz | Leibnitz | 58 | bfvlb |
| Leoben | Leoben | 32 (incl. 6 company) | bfvle |
| Liezen | Liezen | 95 | bfvli |
| Murau | Murau | Not published | bfvmu |
| Murtal | Judenburg · Knittelfeld | 26 + Not published | bfvju · bfvkf |
| Südoststeiermark | Feldbach · Radkersburg | 73 + Not published | bfvra |
| Voitsberg | Voitsberg | 29 | Not published |
| Weiz | Weiz | Not published | bfvwz |
| Styria | State association (17 BFVs + 2 university brigades) | 767 (689 volunteer, 75 company, 2 university, 1 professional) | lfv.steiermark.at |
Counts are the latest published (2020–2026). The ten known areas total 528, leaving about 237 for the other seven (767 minus 2 university brigades).
Special Units & Capabilities
- Graz professional brigade: high-angle rescue, water service with divers and boats, animal rescue, hazmat and the fire-alarm center.
- Statewide forest-fire, aerial and disaster-relief units: Not published.
- Hazmat
- Water rescue
- Diving
- High-angle rescue
Estimated Response Time
With all 767 brigades, r ≈ √(16,399.6 ÷ (767 × π)) ≈ 2.6 km (1.6 mi). Company brigades guard only their sites, so we split: Graz (127.6 km², ~2,400 residents/km², urban) has three career stations: r ≈ √(127.6 ÷ (3 × π)) ≈ 3.7 km (2.3 mi). The rest of Styria (~16,272 km², ~59/km², rural) has 688 public volunteer brigades: r ≈ √(16,272 ÷ (688 × π)) ≈ 2.7 km (1.7 mi), plus turnout. See our baseline table.
| Radius | Graz (career) | Rest of Styria (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 Graz, 10–14 minutes in most towns and villages, longer in remote alpine 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, commercial unit | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial or mountain forest fire | 2–12+ hours |
Expect the upper end of each range in steep alpine forests.
Call-outs & Statistics
- 2025: 44,229 alarms: 12,707 fire (incl. fire safety watches) and 31,522 technical, about 10,000 fewer than in 2024; 2,421 people and 1,664 animals rescued.
- 2025 members: 52,600+ (about 40,400 active, 6,200 youth, 6,000 seniors).
- 2023: 766 brigades, 51,699 alarms (12,480 fire, 39,219 technical).
- Austria 2025: 4,752 brigades (4,438 volunteer, 308 company, 6 professional), 357,187 members, 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, with narrow state exceptions. Forest-fire ordinances (Waldbrandverordnung) come from each district authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft) or, in Graz, the city. Ask your Gemeinde before burning anything.
Neighboring States & Countries
- Lower Austria
- Upper Austria
- Salzburg
- Carinthia
- Burgenland
- Slovenia
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Styria?
State association office, Lebring: +43 3182 7000; Graz professional brigade: +43 316 872-5858. Emergency: 122 or 112.
How many fire brigades are in Styria?
767 in 2025 (689 volunteer, 75 company, 2 university, 1 professional) in 17 area fire associations.
Does Styria have a professional fire brigade?
Yes, in Graz (three stations). Elsewhere, volunteer brigades respond.
How fast does the fire brigade respond in Styria?
About 6–8 minutes in Graz and 10–14 minutes in most towns and villages; longer in remote valleys.
Can I burn garden waste in Styria?
Generally no. Federal law bans open burning of plant material. Ask your municipality first.
Last verified:
- Landesfeuerwehrverband Steiermark: home, state control center Florian Steiermark
- Land Steiermark: fire service, state warning center, fire school
- Stadt Graz fire service: contact, stations, staffing
- ÖBFV — Statistics 2025
- feuerwehren.at (ÖBFV) — BFV Liezen 2026
- Land Steiermark — Fire brigade figures 2023
- Stadtfeuerwehr Weiz — alerting; BFV Fürstenfeld — brigades
- Styrian Fire Brigade Act, § 14
- MeinBezirk — Styrian fire brigade figures 2025 (January 20, 2026)
- MeinBezirk — area counts: Graz-Umgebung, Deutschlandsberg, Feldbach, Leibnitz, Hartberg, Judenburg, Voitsberg
- Wikipedia (DE): Steiermark (population, area), Berufsfeuerwehr Graz, Leoben list