"Everyone
ran, saved, escaped." -
"The
night is lit like daylight."
-
Schiller
"Charity
is the power of fire, when it controls the people and guards",
yet, "alas, when it lets go" it spreads itself, then "the elements
hate the structure of the human hand."
Yet
since the times of our grandfathers, the bells rang high in the tower
frequently, because of the rage of the fire.
On the occasion of the national census in 1857 there were 30 homes in our
community laying in rubble and ashes. Fire
damage by the opening of the chimney and the thatched roof was almost a daily
occurrence. As roof tiled homes
replaced thatched roofs, the number of burned up homes decreased.
image -
Volunteer Firemen's Association
in 1928
with
commandant teacher Jakob Dietrich.
At
the alarm call of the bells everyone who has legs rushes to the fire still
today, everyone is prepared to jump in to lend a hand. After the invention of the fire hose it could be seen that so
much more was achieved than with so many pails. These large hoses needed a strong shouldered team to operate
them.
After
the largest fire- which stands in our memory- at which the Schladt's steam mill
fell victim up to its foundation in 1900, some men decided to establish the
Volunteer Firemen's Association. The
association numbered 32 men. The
founding members included Michael Gutwein as "Zugskommandant", later
he was also 2nd Kommandant; Martin Göttel and Peter Burger were
non-commissioned officers. The
largest fire which the association took part in extinguishing was the large
"Tristen" fire on the "Salasch" (field) of Georg
Bittlingmayer, where all of his wheat and that of Ludwig Häuser, as well as the
threshing appliances went up in flames. This
association also took part in the large fire "Brunste" in B. Topola
where 10 to 15 homes fell victim the year before the war.
At the competition in St. Kanjiza in 1914 the association won first
prize: a mug. At another
opportunity they won a beautiful smoking service.
Both objects still exist. The
association existed up until the year 1922 and was under the leadership of
former pharmacists and postmasters.
An
enormous mill fire was the impetus for the association to be newly established
again. In 1925 the Savossi Mill
,which stood on the east side of the main street not far from the marketplace,
burned down completely. - The newly
founded Firemen's Association existed in 1926 under the competent leadership of
Commandant Jakob Dietrich who was a teacher.
Today the association has 20 men and 6 officers, of which the "Zugs"commandants
are Philipp Hauser and Joh. Körper. The
association has two fire hoses which already existed 35 years ago, of which one
is already more of a museum piece. The
competent team won first prize at a competition in 1935 in Topola: a mug. Besides that they had won a touring prize twice.
It
is necessary for this association to measure its importance, the necessary
attention and support should be devoted to it.
