Tirol emergency calls rise sharply over summer

Tirol’s emergency coordination centre recorded significantly more calls between May 1 and September 15, 2026, than during the same period last year, ORF reported. The strongest increase was recorded by the 1450 health advice service, while fire and Alpine operations also rose.

The 144 rescue number received about 53,500 calls, an increase of 6.5 percent compared with the previous year.

The 122 fire emergency number recorded almost 11,250 calls, around 18 percent more than in 2025. The Tirol emergency coordination centre attributed the increase partly to forest fires and individual mudslide and severe weather events in the Pitztal and Ötztal valleys. More than 7,000 fire alarms were triggered, compared with about 6,500 during the same period in 2025.

About 11,500 calls were received through the 140 Alpine emergency number. The centre said the high number of recreational activities in the mountains during the summer months contributed to the large number of operations.

About 2,000 Alpine operations were dispatched or alerted through the centre between May 1 and September 15. The summer report also recorded a significant increase in operations by mine rescue teams.

The 1450 health advice service recorded about 12,600 calls, 56 percent more than during the same period in 2025. In total, around 11,750 health consultations were conducted, compared with about 7,750 the previous year.

The summer report showed a clear overall increase in both emergency operations and requests, the centre said.