Zivildienst

My Time as a "Zivildiener"

I fulfilled my alternative military service ("Zivildienst") between February 1, 2000, and January 31, 2001, at the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Floridsdorf-Donaustadt (ASB 921).

In the beginning, my colleagues and I (34 "Zivildiener" in total) attended a basic training for three weeks (which was then compulsory for all "Zivildiener"), where we were taught subjects like political education, civil defense, emergency aid, and of course first aid. Subsequently, our first-aid education continued during a two-week course before we had to pass the exams, which consisted of a theoretical and a practical part, on March 4 and March 5, 2000. This exam is the pre-requisite for further work in the ambulance service.

After passing the test, I was trained as an ambulance man by some colleagues which had been working at the ASB for several month then. In the beginning of April 2000, there was another training directly on an ambulance car at the ASB-Bundesorganisation (1150 Vienna, Hollergasse 2-6), after which I was finally classified in a "four days service / two days off"-shift.

In the course of my "Zivildienst" I got acquainted with nearly all possible duties which are done by the Samariter-Bund Floridsdorf: I worked as ambulance man in the ambulance service, provided first aid to some injured people on the Danube Island and at the ice-skating rink, was on duty in a settlement for senior citizens, took care of a paraplegic, and worked as an aid-man at sporting events (for instance at the Apprentice Sports Day at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion and at the Rowing-Worldcup), at festivities (e.g. at the "Mistfest") and other events (for example at the "Fest der Pferde" in the Viennese City Hall).
In total, I achieved more than 2000 working hours – that is equivalent to about 8½ hours per day – which means that I had a rather "quiet" year (compared to some of my colleagues). However, the daily working hours varied throughout the year as (due to the medical attendance on Danube Island) we had a lot more work during the summer. In October, it was quite stressful, too, as all the work which is usually done by 90 "Zivildiener" had to be done by 30 (due to the "change of shifts" of the "Zivildiener").

Even though the "Zivildienst" was partly very exhausting indeed (both physically as well as psychically), I have on the whole rather pleasant memories of my "Zivildienst" at the Samariter-Bund – aside from the enormous financial setback because of the amending law concerning the "Zivildienst" in 2000 (more details about this and about the concerning protest can be found at the page "'Zivildienst' in Austria"). Still, as I have experienced the work at the ASB to be quite interesting, I decided to become a first-aid volunteer after the end of my "Zivildienst".

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