German air rescue service celebrates anniversary
On 1 January 2022, German air rescue service ADAC Air Rescue has been operating the 24-hour station in Münster / Greven for 20 years
The anniversary year also marks the 35th anniversary of the station, which went into operation on 28 June 1987. The intensive care transport helicopter ‘Christoph Westfalen’ is stationed in the AirportPark near Münster Osnabrück Airport and is in use around the clock. In line with the anniversary, a five-blade rotor of the type H145 from Airbus Helicopters will be put into service.
"My great appreciation goes to the station management and the team in Greven for their work over the past two decades", said Managing Director of ADAC Luftrettung gGmbH Frédéric Bruder on the occasion of the anniversary. “Your 24-hour availability and the tireless commitment to people in medical emergencies are proof of the excellent rescue work of our crews on site. For this I would like to thank you, our partners in the sponsoring community and the core sponsor of the Steinfurt district, and I look forward to a continued successful time in Greven.”
Pilots and crew trained for night rescues
With the takeover of the station in 2002, ADAC Luftrettung put the then ultra-modern rescue helicopter BK117 into service. On 9 December 2011, after just five months of construction, the helicopter and crew got a new home in the AirportPark near Münster Osnabrück Airport. In August 2020, ADAC Luftrettung expanded its range of operations to include primary operations, including at night.
All pilots are specially trained for particularly demanding rescue flights in the twilight or in the dark and wear night vision goggles that belong to the helicopter night vision imaging system. ‘Christoph Westfalen’ is alerted to emergencies within a radius of approx. 150 kilometers and further via the Steinfurt district control center in Rheine. The area of operation extends from Lower Saxony's East Frisia to Siegerland in North Rhine-Westphalia.