The (Tyrolean Mountain Guards) is a public corporation, and is based in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

. The legal basis is the (Tyrolean Mountain Guards Act) of 3 July 2002. The Tyrolean Mountain Guards is thus one of nine mountain and nature conservation organisations in Austria.

History

The first Tyrolean Mountain Guards Act came into force on 31 October 1927. The tasks of the mountain guards under this law were ''"The protection of persons and property in field, alp and forest property, alpine shelters, their equipment and accessories and the maintenance of contamination or disfigurement of the area by tossing and dropping objects, especially so far the danger, injury or pollution is related to a sporting activity or excursion traffic "''. In 1938, the mountain guards were made subordinate to the

gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

as an

auxiliary Auxiliary may refer to: * A backup site or system In language * Auxiliary language (disambiguation) * Auxiliary verb In military and law enforcement * Auxiliary police * Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of ...

police force. The duties remained the same as before the merge. While Austria was annexed by the Nazis the nature reserves in Tyrol were greatly expanded, with the mountain guards continuing in their role of enforcing conservation laws. In 1978 the new Tyrolean Mountain Guard Act 1977 came into force. The mountain guards were merged into a body of public law enforcement, providing more powers to guards to great regulatory oversight. The exercise of mountain rescue services was regulated, but continued not to be a core focus. In 2002 an amended version of the Tyrolean Mountain Guard Act 1977 was passed. It was the first time mountain rescue services were outlined in the Mountain Guard Act. In 2007, the Tyrolean mountain rescue service stations were also equipped with digital radio systems, which has allowed statewide communication.

Task Area

The members of the Tiroler Bergwacht are sworn in officers of public supervision and supervise as auxiliary officers of the district administrative authorities in the designated area of activity according to mountain guard law §1: *Tyrolean nature

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

law with associated regulations *Tyrolean

National Park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

Law Hohe Tauern *Tyrolean Waste Management Act * Noise protection, protection against endangering and harassment by animals *Tyrolean field protection law *Tyrolean

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

law In section 10 of the , the mountain guard is also to be used as a rescue service in the case of natural disasters and other rescue operations.

Uniform

The precisely regulates the appearance of the mountain guard. The uniforms are sourced from the clothing management fund of the B.M.I. In the long term, this enables the most economical efficient procurement of service clothing. For all weather conditions, there are various outer clothing and jacket options (multipurpose jackets, fleeces, and fleece jackets). Furthermore, mountain guards are provided short- and long-sleeved shirts, a rock-grey alpine trousers, and a baseball cap and

beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret remains ...

headgear. The position of a mountain guard is recognisable by the rank slides worn.

Powers

The supervisory organisations of the Tiroler Bergwacht gave the Bergwacht special powers to enforce the law of the Tyrol Landtag. Mountain guards are allowed to enforce these state laws: *Stop people and vehicles and ask for proof of identity. *Issue warnings or report violations to the district administrative board (at the discretion of the incoming supervisory board). *In special cases, arrest people and present them to the district administration. *Confiscate objects that being in possession of such constitute an offense. *Specially trained mountain guards may collect fines.

Ranks

References

External links

Tyrolean Mountain Guards official websiteCurrent Rank InsigniaFormer Rank Insignia
{{Law enforcement in Austria 1927 establishments in Austria Organizations established in 1927 Nature conservation in Austria Environment and heritage law enforcement agencies Law enforcement in Austria Law enforcement agencies of Austria Mountain rescue Organisations based in Innsbruck