DRF Luftrettung averages 100 missions per day
In the first half of 2016, German air-rescue organisation DRF Luftrettung was called to 19,248 rescue missions.
DRF Luftrettung has reported that between January and June 2016, it was called to rescue missions 19,248 times – averaging 100 missions per day.
The German air-rescue organisation operates helicopters for emergency rescue and transporting intensive care patients. It spans 31 HEMS bases in Germany and Austria, eight of which operate 24/7.
According to DRF Luftrettung, during the first half of 2016, its emergency physicians and paramedics regularly took care of patients with acute coronary syndromes and strokes, and one in three emergency patients had to be flown to a specialised hospital. Additionally, it has said that they were called to many traffic and leisure accidents.
The organisation has stated that it is the most experienced in 24-hour flight operation in Germany. In 2015, it was the launch customer of the H145, which DRF Luftrettung believes to be excellently suited to round-the-clock air rescue missions. It currently operates five of these helicopters, with plans to acquire more.