Tyrol (German: Tirol), in Austria's western Alps (pop. 779,174 on January 1, 2026, preliminary), is protected by 356 fire brigades: 336 volunteer brigades, 19 company brigades and one professional brigade, the Berufsfeuerwehr Innsbruck. More than 33,000 members serve in nine district fire associations under the Tyrol Fire Brigade Association in Telfs, which also runs the state fire school. The Leitstelle Tirol in Innsbruck alerted fire brigades about 14,000 times in 2025. Only 12.9% of the state is permanently settled, and almost every village has a brigade of its own. In an emergency, dial 122 (fire) or 112.
Tyrol Fire Brigade Association office (non-emergency)
+43 5262 6912- Landes-Feuerwehrverband Tirol, Florianistraße 1, 6410 Telfs, Austria
- Office: Mon–Thu 7:30–17:15, Fri 7:30–11:30 (CET)
- feuerwehr.tirol (state association)
- Dispatch: Leitstelle Tirol, Hunoldstraße 17a, 6020 Innsbruck · leitstelle.tirol
- Berufsfeuerwehr Innsbruck: Hunoldstraße 17, 6020 Innsbruck · feuerwehr-innsbruck.at
- Emergency: fire 122 · ambulance 144 · mountain rescue 140 · EU emergency number 112
How Fire Protection Is Organized in Tyrol
Tyrol is a combination state. The city of Innsbruck has the state's only professional fire brigade (Berufsfeuerwehr Innsbruck), with 115 staff in fire and administrative service, backed by ten volunteer brigades in the city's districts. Everywhere else, fire protection rests on Freiwillige Feuerwehren (FF, volunteer fire brigades). Company brigades (Betriebsfeuerwehren) protect sites such as Innsbruck Airport, Swarovski in Wattens, two hydropower plants in the Zillertal and the Donau Chemie plant in Landeck District.
All brigades belong to the Landes-Feuerwehrverband Tirol (LFV, state fire brigade association) in Telfs. It has nine Bezirks-Feuerwehrverbände (district fire associations), one per political district, each divided into sections (Abschnitte). Calls to 122 go to the Leitstelle Tirol, the integrated control center in Innsbruck, which also takes ambulance (144) and mountain-rescue (140) calls and alerts the brigades. The association's Landes-Feuerwehrschule (state fire school) in Telfs offers more than 130 different courses, including hazmat and leadership.
Fire Brigades by District
| District | District fire association | Brigades | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innsbruck (city) | Innsbruck-Stadt | 13 (1 professional, 10 volunteer, 2 company) | feuerwehr-innsbruck.at |
| Imst | Imst (5 sections) | 38 | bfv-imst.at |
| Innsbruck-Land | Innsbruck-Land (9 sections) | 74 (incl. 5 company) | bfv-ibk-land.at |
| Kitzbühel | Kitzbühel (4 sections) | 25 | bezirksfeuerwehrverband-kitzbuehel.at |
| Kufstein | Kufstein (6 sections) | 45 | bfv-kufstein.at |
| Landeck | Landeck (5 sections) | 36 (incl. 1 company) | bfv-landeck.at |
| Lienz (East Tyrol) | Lienz (4 sections) | 40 (incl. 2 company) | bfv-lienz.at |
| Reutte | Reutte | Not published | bfv-reutte.at |
| Schwaz | Schwaz (6 sections) | 44 (incl. 5 company) | bfv-schwaz.at |
| Tyrol | State association | 356 (336 volunteer, 19 company, 1 professional) | feuerwehr.tirol |
Counts follow the district associations' brigade lists. The eight published lists add up to 315, leaving 41 of the statewide 356 for Reutte and any brigades the lists omit (Kitzbühel lists no company brigades).
Special Units & Capabilities
- Forest fires and flight service: each district has eight to twelve fully trained Flughelfer (flight helpers) who work with helicopter crews on mountain forest fires, with standardized nets and water-bucket equipment at every base.
- Professional crew: the Berufsfeuerwehr Innsbruck runs tankers, a turntable ladder (DLK 37) and a crane truck (KF 45).
- Tunnels: Tyrol has many road and rail tunnels; the association's tunnel unit agrees firefighting and equipment concepts with tunnel operators.
- Hazmat, radiation protection, water service and disaster relief (Katastrophenhilfsdienst, KHD) are organized statewide.
- Flight helpers
- Forest fires
- Hazmat
- Radiation protection
- Tunnels
- Water service
- Disaster relief (KHD)
Estimated Response Time
Most of Tyrol is mountain, forest, rock or glacier, so we use the permanently settled area (Dauersiedlungsraum, 1,630.8 km², 12.9% of the state) instead of the full 12,648.5 km². With 337 public brigades (336 volunteer plus the professional brigade), the average distance to the nearest station is r ≈ √(1,630.8 ÷ (337 × π)) ≈ 1.2 km (0.8 mi); over the whole state it would be about 3.5 km (2.1 mi). Innsbruck's career crew uses the career column of our baseline table; elsewhere volunteers must first reach the station.
| Radius | Innsbruck (career) | Rest of Tyrol (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 most of Innsbruck, about 8–12 minutes in towns and villages, and 12 minutes or more for side valleys, alpine pastures and ski areas, where helicopters may be needed.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Grass patch, waste container, small vehicle | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, car fully involved | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, farm building, hotel wing | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial, tunnel or mountain forest fire | 2–12+ hours |
Forest fires on steep slopes are Tyrol's typical major-fire risk: in July 2026 East Tyrol's brigades fought forest fires in Virgen and Matrei in Osttirol. They depend on helicopters and long water relays, so expect times toward the upper end of each range.
Call-outs & Statistics
- 2025: about 14,000 fire-brigade alarms dispatched by the Leitstelle Tirol, fewer than in 2024 (15,700) and 2023 (15,600). The busiest day was July 19, 2025, with 358 alarms during storms in the Oberland and around Schwaz.
- 2026: more than 4,600 call-outs and about 59,000 hours of service by early May (State of Tyrol).
- 2025: €22.4 million in public funding for the brigades (€16.4 million from the state fire fund).
- Fires, technical call-outs and false alarms for Tyrol: Not published. The federal association counted 356 Tyrolean brigades in 2025; Austria-wide: 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) bans burning plant material outside approved installations. Tyrol's exemption ordinance (LGBl. Nr. 12/2011) allows narrow exceptions, such as avalanche debris on remote alpine pastures and frost-protection fires in orchards. Traditional fires (Brauchtumsfeuer) must be reported to the municipality at least two weeks ahead. Forest-fire ordinances (Waldbrandverordnung) come from the district authorities. Ask your Gemeinde before burning anything.
Neighboring States & Countries
- Vorarlberg
- Salzburg
- Carinthia
- Germany (Bavaria)
- Italy (South Tyrol)
- Switzerland (Graubünden)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Tyrol?
The Tyrol Fire Brigade Association office in Telfs: +43 5262 6912 (Mon–Thu 7:30–17:15, Fri 7:30–11:30). In an emergency, dial 122 or 112.
How many fire brigades are in Tyrol?
356: 336 volunteer, 19 company and 1 professional brigade in nine district fire associations, with more than 33,000 members.
Does Tyrol have a professional fire brigade?
Yes, one: the Berufsfeuerwehr Innsbruck, with 115 staff. All other public brigades are volunteer.
How fast does the fire brigade respond in Tyrol?
About 4–8 minutes in most of Innsbruck and about 8–12 minutes in towns and villages, including volunteer turnout; remote valleys and alpine areas take longer.
Can I burn garden waste in Tyrol?
Generally no. Federal law bans open burning of plant material, with narrow exceptions such as reported traditional fires. Ask your municipality first.
Last verified:
- Landes-Feuerwehrverband Tirol: contact, districts, fire school, flight service, tunnels
- Land Tirol — Press release, May 2, 2026 (brigades by type, members, funding 2025)
- District association brigade lists: Innsbruck-Land, Imst (section pages), Kitzbühel, Kufstein, Landeck, Lienz (2026 incidents: home page), Schwaz
- Feuerwehr Innsbruck: Berufsfeuerwehr (staff, vehicles, address), city brigades
- Leitstelle Tirol: official directory entry (address), Annual review 2025 (fire-brigade alarms 2023–2025)
- Österreichischer Bundesfeuerwehrverband — Statistics 2025
- Statistik Austria — Population Jan 1, 2026 (preliminary)
- Land Tirol — Tirol in Zahlen 2025 (area, permanent settlement area, 2025 boundaries)
- Land Tirol — Reporting outdoor fires (LGBl. Nr. 12/2011)