Upper Austria, Austria's third most populous state (pop. 1,537,669 on January 1, 2026), is protected by 905 fire brigades (2025): volunteer and company brigades plus the professional fire brigade of Linz. Their 95,141 members (2025) are organized in 18 fire districts under the Upper Austrian Fire Brigade Association in Linz. In 2025 they answered 46,711 call-outs, about a third fewer than in storm-heavy 2024. The state warning center in Linz alerts the brigades. In an emergency, dial 122 (fire) or 112.
Upper Austrian Fire Brigade Association office (non-emergency)
+43 732 770122-0- Oö. Landes-Feuerwehrverband, Petzoldstraße 43, 4021 Linz, Austria
- Office: Mon–Fri 7:30–13:00 (CET)
- ooelfv.at (state association)
- State fire school: +43 732 770122-400 · lfs@ooelfv.at
- Wels fire brigade: +43 7242 42230-0 · Hamerlingstraße 3–5, 4600 Wels
- Emergency: fire 122 · ambulance 144 · EU emergency number 112
How Fire Protection Is Organized in Upper Austria
Upper Austria's 438 municipalities rely on 873 Freiwillige Feuerwehren (volunteer brigades), 32 Betriebsfeuerwehren (company brigades) and one Berufsfeuerwehr (professional brigade) in Linz (association, 2025). Of 95,141 members, 62,093 were active. Wels and Steyr have volunteer brigades. The Linz professional brigade has two stations, 11 officers and 198 firefighters, 47 on duty around the clock, and 76 vehicles (2024).
All brigades belong to the Oö. Landes-Feuerwehrverband (LFV). Each of the 18 districts has a Bezirks-Feuerwehrkommando (district fire command), with 50 sections in total. Calls to 122 reach the Landeswarnzentrale (state warning center) in Linz, staffed 24/7 by at least two dispatchers and linked with the Linz and Wels control rooms. The Oö. Landes-Feuerwehrschule (state fire school) in Linz trains the volunteers.
Fire Brigades by District
| District | District fire command | Brigades | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linz (city) | Linz-Stadt | 12 (1 professional, 4 volunteer, 7 company; 2024) | l.ooelfv.at |
| Steyr (city) | Steyr-Stadt | Not published | sr.ooelfv.at |
| Wels (city) | Wels-Stadt | Not published | we.ooelfv.at |
| Braunau am Inn | Braunau | Not published | br.ooelfv.at |
| Eferding | Eferding | Not published | ef.ooelfv.at |
| Freistadt | Freistadt | Not published | fr.ooelfv.at |
| Gmunden | Gmunden | Not published | gm.ooelfv.at |
| Grieskirchen | Grieskirchen | Not published | gr.ooelfv.at |
| Kirchdorf an der Krems | Kirchdorf | Not published | ki.ooelfv.at |
| Linz-Land | Linz-Land | Not published | ll.ooelfv.at |
| Perg | Perg | Not published | pe.ooelfv.at |
| Ried im Innkreis | Ried im Innkreis | Not published | ri.ooelfv.at |
| Rohrbach | Rohrbach | Not published | ro.ooelfv.at |
| Schärding | Schärding | Not published | sd.ooelfv.at |
| Steyr-Land | Steyr-Land | Not published | se.ooelfv.at |
| Urfahr-Umgebung | Urfahr-Umgebung | Not published | uu.ooelfv.at |
| Vöcklabruck | Vöcklabruck | Not published | vb.ooelfv.at |
| Wels-Land | Wels-Land | 41 (2025) | wl.ooelfv.at |
| Upper Austria | State association | 905 (2025, incl. 32 company) | ooelfv.at |
Federal statistics: 905 brigades (2025). The association reports 909 (873 + 32 + 1, which sums to 906). Other district counts are not published yet.
Special Units & Capabilities
- Support bases: 215 brigades hold about 518 special tasks (2025): boats, hazmat, cranes, tunnels.
- Hazmat: 72 hazardous-materials call-outs in Linz (2024).
- Diving: 28 active divers in Linz (2024); 36 at the Wels-Land base (2025).
- Vegetation fires: first vehicles with vegetation-fire modules, one per quarter of the state planned.
- Hazmat
- Diving
- Water rescue
- Heavy cranes
- Tunnel rescue
- Vegetation fire
- Disaster relief
Estimated Response Time
Statewide, 874 public brigades share 11,983 km², so r ≈ √(11,983 ÷ (874 × π)) ≈ 2.1 km (1.3 mi). With about 128 residents per km² and volunteer turnout, the rest of the state uses the volunteer column. Linz (96 km², two career stations, r ≈ 3.9 km / 2.4 mi) has crews on duty, so the career column applies (baseline table).
| Radius | Linz (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 4–8 minutes in Linz, 8–12 minutes in towns and villages elsewhere.
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, tunnel or forest fire | 2–12+ hours |
Brigades faced five major incidents in 2025. For industrial, tunnel and forest fires, expect the upper end of each range.
Call-outs & Statistics
- 2025: 46,711 call-outs (15,397 fires, 31,314 technical), down from 63,117 in 2024; 3,646 people rescued; 7.3 million volunteer hours.
- 13,900 alerts by the state warning center (2025); 4,468 Linz professional brigade call-outs (2024).
- Austria in 2025: 4,752 brigades, 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. Upper Austria's customary-fire ordinance (Oö. BV) allows traditional bonfires within two weeks of the custom date: dry plant material only, reported to the municipality two working days ahead, never in strong wind or drought. Barbecues and campfires are allowed. Forest-fire ordinances (Waldbrandverordnung) come from the district authority or city. Ask your Gemeinde before burning anything.
Neighboring States & Countries
- Lower Austria
- Styria
- Salzburg
- Germany (Bavaria)
- Czech Republic
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Upper Austria?
The state fire brigade association office: +43 732 770122-0 (Mon–Fri 7:30–13:00). Emergencies: 122 or 112.
How many fire brigades are in Upper Austria?
905 in 2025 (federal statistics), in 18 fire districts; almost all are volunteer.
Does Upper Austria have a professional fire brigade?
Yes, one: the Berufsfeuerwehr Linz, with two stations and 47 firefighters on duty around the clock (2024).
How fast does the fire brigade respond in Upper Austria?
About 4–8 minutes in Linz and 8–12 minutes in towns and villages elsewhere; longer in remote areas.
Can I burn garden waste in Upper Austria?
Generally no. Federal law bans open burning of plant material, with narrow exceptions. Ask your municipality.
Last verified:
- Oö. LFV: contacts, warning center, organization
- Oö. LFV — Annual review 2025
- Berufsfeuerwehr Linz — Annual report 2024
- BFKDO Wels-Land — Annual report 2025; district sites in the table
- Feuerwehr der Stadt Wels
- ÖBFV — Statistics 2025
- Statistik Austria — Population Jan 1, 2026
- Land OÖ — Upper Austria in figures
- Land OÖ — Open burning; Oö. BV (JUSLINE)
- Tips — Fire brigade figures 2025