Cross-border fire safety in the Sopron Mountains area

The main aim of the project is to develop a cross-border firefighting action plan to coordinate rescue operations in the Sopron Mountains; the knowledge required for its effective implementation has been provided through theoretical and practical training.

Although the project will run until the end of February 2027, its results to date were presented to both the professional audience and the general public at a closing event on 17 October: the Joint Forest Fire Intervention and Alert Plan, the equipment procured as part of the project, and the experiences gained from the joint exercises.

During the morning’s professional conference, participants were able to familiarise themselves with the details of the joint firefighting action plan. They learnt how the provisions set out in the plan contribute to the coordination of efforts by the various organisations and teams, and to the implementation of more efficient and rapid firefighting operations.
On the afternoon of the closing event, as part of a family day, the associations showcased their fire engines, as well as the equipment required to implement the joint firefighting action plan developed as part of the project. Those interested were able to view the fire-fighting quad, drone, thermal cameras, protective clothing and other fire-fighting equipment procured as part of the project.

Nothing demonstrates the timeliness and necessity of the project better than the fact that the equipment acquired through the project and the knowledge gained during the exercises had to be put to use in the Sopronkőhida area at the end of July, when agricultural land and a strip of pine forest on the Austrian side of the border caught fire in the heatwave. Austrian and Hungarian firefighters joined forces to bring the fire under control.

A short film presenting the project can be viewed at the following link: https://youtu.be/uhcP_WE6kds

Photos: Önkéntes Tűzoltó Egyesület Harka, Riba Szabolcs