Air rescue in Germany

The air rescue in Germany is land thing and is therefore governed by national rescue service laws. To carry out air rescue , the countries fall back on different organizations. Germany has an almost nationwide air rescue system, which was created in the 1970s to supplement the ground-based rescue and emergency medical services . It has been shown to be extremely effective. The high status is undisputed today.

Abseiling process during a mountain rescue in the Alps by an MBB / Kawasaki BK 117

Helicopter Christoph 43 of the DRF-Luftrettung type EC 135 , location Karlsruhe

Rescue helicopter of the type Bell 212 of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI Luftrettung)

Helicopter of the DRF-Luftrettung type MBB / Kawasaki BK 117 Christoph Europa 5 , location Niebüll

Intensive care transport helicopter from ADAC Luftrettung Christoph Brandenburg

Rescuers abseil as landing is not possible.

history

The establishment of air rescue in what was then federal territory resulted from the increasing number of road traffic accidents with fatalities in the 1960s. The road safety measures were still weak and in many cases the fire brigades and the structurally weak rescue service were not able to reach the accident sites within a medically acceptable period of time. Additional difficulties resulted from weaknesses in the organization of preclinical emergency medicine at the time . The rescue services primarily had a transport function, while hardly any medical measures were taken on site. The result was considerable patient mortality .

Based on these facts, model tests using helicopters for emergency rescue after road accidents were carried out for the first time at the end of the 1960s. Internal indications such as heart attack or apoplectic insult ( stroke ) have not yet been considered as areas of application for emergency helicopter rescue. Due to the sometimes considerable success of the model tests, the Munich doctor Hans Burghart organized an airborne emergency doctor service on weekends and during the holidays, initially together with the German armed forces, which provided a helicopter from Oberschleißheim airfield . When the Bundeswehr had to withdraw for economic reasons, the ADAC stepped into the breach with the support of the State of Bavaria, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Allianz insurance. The first continuous operation of a rescue helicopter in Germany at the Munich-Harlaching Municipal Hospital began as Christoph 1 on November 1, 1970. Christoph 1 was a disaster control station for almost ten years before the ADAC operated its own helicopter again.

In November 1971 a so-called (test) rescue center for the Bundeswehr was set up in Ulm . The Air Force made in cooperation with the Military Hospital Ulm an emergency medical equipped helicopters of the type Bell UH-1 D and civilian rescue service. From the end of 1971 the Federal Ministry of the Interior procured helicopters from funds from the extended disaster control, initially as part of a project. The federal activities were completed on the basis of the earlier planning of a comprehensive system with a total of 18 stations (1–18). The helicopters were equipped for civil protection and rescue services and made available to the federal states as equipment potential at 22 stations until 1996. The federal states used these helicopters in air rescue. This was followed by a reduction of six stations and another four in 2005/2006, so that today there are twelve locations. The abandoned air rescue centers were seamlessly continued by ADAC Air Rescue and DRF Air Rescue. The Federal Police is responsible for the flight operations of the helicopters of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. She also hires the pilots. It was not until 1981 that the ADAC started setting up additional stations in Bayreuth with Christoph 20.

On March 19, 1973, the Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht e. V. in Stuttgart an Alouette III rescue helicopter . This is the first private air rescue center in Germany. The DRF is significantly involved in the development of air rescue in Germany.

In 1975 Hans Burghart, one of the many founders of German air rescue, presented German air rescue at a congress in the USA and was astonished - there was no such solution in the state. However, the idea caught on very quickly.

After the reunification, air rescue in the new federal states was restructured.

In 1997 the ADAC put the first combined rescue and intensive-care transport helicopter into service. This flies under the radio call sign Christoph 77 ( EC 145 ) and is stationed at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Clinic .

Another innovation in air rescue took place in Koblenz in 1999 : the first civil-military joint project was started at the Bundeswehr Central Hospital there. In this case, the ADAC provides the aircraft ( Christoph 23 , EC 135 ) and the flight personnel, the medical personnel is provided by the emergency medicine department of the BwZK. This cooperation is now also taking place in Ulm. The SAR 71 (UH-1D of the Air Force) at the rescue center of the Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg was replaced on January 19, 2006 by a Bell 212 helicopter belonging to the Federal Ministry of the Interior (civil defense). An EC135 is flying there today. In Neustrelitz, the Luftwaffe was replaced by ADAC Air Rescue on July 1st, 2006. This means that the Air Force no longer operates a helicopter at an air rescue center.

These four institutions are still active in air rescue today. Other providers have been added over the years and the network of locations has been steadily expanded. After German reunification, an air rescue network based on the West German model was also set up in the new federal states within just a few years.

So far, the rescue helicopters of the public air rescue were always intended as a supplement to the ground-based emergency doctor system. Recently, it has become apparent that in some areas, due to structural problems in preclinical emergency medicine, helicopters have almost become part of the standard emergency medical care. In addition, the call for more stations in 24-hour operation for primary rescue is louder.

Mission profile

Interior view of the cockpit of Christoph 26 from Sanderbusch

Primary use

Bringing the emergency doctor and paramedic to the emergency site to carry out life-saving measures and to make them fit for transport is referred to as a primary mission.

The transfer of emergency patients from the location of the incident to the nearest suitable and ready-to-receive hospital while maintaining their ability to be transported and avoiding further damage also falls under the concept of primary deployment.

In the case of primary use, a distinction must be made as to whether the patient can be picked up in the course of an outlanding, whether the helpers have to be roped down to care for the patient on site before he is  picked up in hover - possibly stabilized with an anti-rotation line - on the rope or the winch. This is especially the case in rough terrain like the Alps , where the air rescue operators are regularly supported by the mountain rescue service. Sometimes it is also necessary to transport the rescued person to a suitable outside landing area on a rope, where the rescued person can either be invited or handed over to a ground-based rescue vehicle ( ambulance ).

The rescue control center dispatches a rescue helicopter whenever a quick emergency doctor call is necessary and no ground-based emergency doctor is available or when the special advantages of a rescue helicopter are required. The severity of the injury and other medical criteria will also decide whether the RTH should be used. In most cases, the patients are then not transported with the RTH, but with an ambulance.

advantages

• Can be used in hard-to-reach areas (e.g. mountainous landscapes).
• Independence from traffic jams and road conditions (e.g. slippery ice).
• fast and gentle transport with medical care and comprehensive monitoring options even to hospitals further away.

disadvantage

• Dependence on weather and visibility conditions .
• Night operations only with special helicopters, for example in Bavaria .
• The air transportability of patients depends on their condition; unstable patients cannot be adequately cared for during the flight.

Secondary use

Intensive care transport helicopter Christoph Gießen in new paint at the air rescue center in Gießen

→ Main article : Intensive care transport helicopter

The characteristic of the secondary deployment is that the deployment location is a hospital . Secondary use involves the transfer of a medically cared-for intensive care emergency patient from one hospital (with fewer care options) to another, more specialized hospital with extended intervention options (e.g. cardiac catheterization , special operations, etc.).

Tertiary employment

Blood , medication , transplants or amputates are rarely flown. This type of deployment is sometimes also referred to as tertiary deployment.

Dual use

Occasionally, the machines are also used for rescue operations as well as intensive relocation flights (as RTH / ITH , dual use system ). All RTH in Baden-Württemberg are used as dual-use helicopters due to state regulations. Although z. B. the helicopters Christoph Regensburg , Christoph Murnau or Christoph Hansa (Hamburg) are often used primarily, they are pure ITH according to the regulations of the federal states. Christoph 77 in Mainz is the first official dual-use helicopter.

Night flights

Christoph Munich : Night landing on a sports field, in the foreground an ambulance

Although rescue helicopters can in principle also be deployed at night, the risk of landings in unknown terrain is so high that the service time is usually limited to the time between sunrise and sunset. Accordingly, night missions are rare.

Since mid-2009 run at European manufacturers initiatives, the use of so far mainly used by the military night vision goggles allow (ger .: NVG = Night Vision Goggles) for civil helicopter operations, in particular the air rescue.

The night flight with night vision goggles is tied to certain requirements:

• The helicopters must have a specially designed cockpit (NVG compatible) and specially designed exterior lighting (NVG friendly). The correspondingly equipped helicopters receive individual approvals from the European aviation authority EASA .
• The helicopters also have a satellite navigation system with a digital map.
• Correspondingly powerful night vision goggles in accordance with modern standards (Class B) must be used.
• The crew must be specially trained and know the area of ​​operation in daylight.
• For the night flight, two pilots are deployed who fly in compliance with special flight path profiles .

Before a mission, the advantages and disadvantages of carrying out a flight must be weighed against each other. In cases of doubt, the pilot makes the decision as he is responsible for the safety of his helicopter and the crew. However, the helicopter is mainly used as a means of transport during night operations and less often as a quick emergency doctor delivery, as landing on unlit areas is very risky and the local fire brigade or technical relief organization must be regularly alerted to illuminate the landing site.

The DRF started using night vision goggles at the ITH Christoph Munich from July 2009 . In 2011, Christoph Regensburg followed . Eight DRF helicopters are currently operational around the clock.

A total of 21 helicopters are also available at night in Germany, including one RTH, four dual-use helicopters and nine ITH. The six SAR helicopters of the German armed forces are ready for action every 24 hours, as is the large-capacity rescue helicopter "GRH Laupheim".

Alerting

The local rescue control centers dispatch the appropriate rescue equipment after receiving the emergency call. Whether the transport takes place in an ambulance or in a helicopter depends on several factors. The time factor as well as the patient's condition play a significant role in the decision-making process. The helicopter is often the fastest deliverer to the emergency doctor.

Patient transport

Whether the transport takes place in an ambulance or in a helicopter depends on several factors. The time factor as well as the patient's condition play a significant role in the decision-making process. The helicopter itself is a largely vibration-free, but very cramped, intensive care unit that only allows limited access to the patient. Therefore, an attempt is made to take all necessary measures to care for the patient before the start of the flight.

outlook

In the past, rescue helicopters were often used to supplement the existing ground-based rescue service. In the past few years, the importance of air rescue, especially in rural areas, has increased, so that a trend towards a substitute function can be seen.

In Germany, for example, both DRF Luftrettung and ADAC have seen an increase in the number of operations. All air rescue stations together recorded an increase from 95,377 to 99,983 missions from 2010 to 2011. One reason for the increased number of air rescuers are the structural changes in the German healthcare system. In structurally weak areas, there is an increasing shortage of local medical care. This means that air rescue is becoming increasingly important for seamless emergency care for the population. Due to the introduction of modern therapy methods and the changed hospital landscape, emergency patients are brought to special clinics over longer distances after initial treatment. For example, some clinics specialize in certain clinical pictures such as heart attacks, strokes, burns and surgical child emergencies.

There are therefore considerations in rural areas to abandon ground-based systems in favor of air rescue or to combine the coordination of the deployment of medical emergency services and emergency rescue. The PrimAIR research project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is investigating whether air rescue can be used as an alternative to ground-based rescue services in regions with low population density .

Resources

helicopter

The following terms are defined for helicopter use in DIN:

• Rescue helicopter (RTH): A helicopter equipped and equipped to carry out primary missions in the rescue service for emergency medical tasks. He also carries out secondary missions in the regional area. EC 135 or BK117 are mainly used as RTH.
• Intensive care transport helicopter (ITH): A helicopter equipped and equipped for the transport of intensive care patients and patients requiring intensive care. In exceptional cases, it can also be used by the control center to carry out primary missions. In Germany, Bell 412, Eurocopter BK117, Eurocopter EC145 and Dauphin are used for this purpose.

Other forms of medically equipped helicopters are:

• Large-capacity rescue helicopter (GRH): primarily intended for military use, but can also be used in civil disasters and major accidents
• Emergency doctor helicopter (NEH), a smaller type of helicopter that carries less equipment, is only used to bring an emergency doctor quickly, comparable to an emergency doctor's vehicle . There is currently only one NEH used throughout Germany.
• As a rule, helicopters are referred to as ambulance helicopters (AHS), which are usually used for commercial aviation service providers and can receive medical equipment continuously or when required. Due to the necessary changeover times and non-standardized characteristics, AHS are generally used to move non-emergency patients in an air-bound manner. Since this is not part of the emergency air rescue as part of the rescue service, the AHS are often not counted as part of the air rescue. They are also not part of Germany's public air rescue service. Medical committees (e.g. air rescue consensus group of the “Rescue Services” committee ) do not see any medical necessity for AHS deployments and therefore reject them.

Planes

→ Main article : ambulance aircraft

A rescue aircraft (also called medical aircraft or ambulance aircraft ) is a specially equipped aircraft with which the injured or sick, e.g. B. can be flown back to your home country from abroad. These are mainly operated by traffic guards such as ADAC Luftrettung , DRF Luftrettung (DRF), FAI rent-a-jet (FAI) or the German Red Cross (DRK) . In addition, the Bundeswehr and the air force also have appropriate aircraft.

financing

The financing is regulated in contracts with the federal state and the cost carriers (health insurance companies). Investment costs for infrastructure and the costs of flight operations, medical crew and operations are largely borne by the cost bearers (usually health insurance companies). Patients do not incur any costs for using the rescue equipment (exception: self-payers).

SAR helicopter of the German Bundeswehr

The ADAC is one of the largest air rescue companies. Here RTH Christoph 32

RTH Christoph 3 of the Federal Ministry of the Interior

Paging names

The BOS nicknames of the intensive care transport helicopters have meanwhile been standardized. Therefore, for example, the ITH Munich changed its name from SAMA 78/1 via ITH Munich to the now official Christoph Munich .

The helicopters of the public air rescue in Germany generally have a nickname of Christoph , after the patron saint of travelers, Christophorus . In contrast to the rescue helicopters, the intensive care transport helicopters are not numbered, but instead bear the name of the federal state in which they are stationed after the call sign Christoph . If there is more than one ITH in the state, the name of the stationing location or the region is used instead (e.g. Christoph Westfalen, Christoph Nürnberg, Christoph Hessen). According to state regulations, all air rescue helicopters in Baden-Württemberg are so-called dual-use helicopters. Therefore they wear “Christoph” plus number. The names Christoph Halle , Christoph Sachsen-Anhalt , Christoph Leipzig do not fit into this system as a special feature. The naming is due in particular to the history of its origins. Since the beginning of July 2012, the Christoph Leipzig helicopter has had the BOS radio call name Christoph 63 , as it is not an ITH according to state regulations.

operator

There are currently 89 rescue helicopter stations in Germany. Most of them are involved in primary air rescue. This means that they are mainly used both as a fast emergency doctor shuttle and as a replacement for an emergency doctor's vehicle, but can also carry out patient transports if, for example, a specialist clinic further away has to be flown to or if an ambulance is not available. The intensive transport helicopters and other helicopters, such as those of the SAR service of the German Armed Forces , do not have primary air rescue as an official priority, but can usually also be used for this purpose if necessary.

Air rescue stations

number	Locations	operator
35	33	ADAC Luftrettung gGmbH
12	12	Federal Ministry of the Interior (with helicopters procured for disaster control)
30th	28	DRF air rescue ; including three stations of the former HSD Luftrettung and five stations of the former HDM Luftrettung non-profit GmbH
05	05	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V. - Johanniter air rescue
02	02	SAR service of the German Armed Forces / Navy . Search and Rescue .
04th	03	SAR service of the German Armed Forces / Army . Search and Rescue .
88	83
↑ As of October 2018

Since the establishment of air rescue by the ADAC, more than a million missions were flown in Germany until 2005, including almost 310,000 missions by the non-profit ADAC Luftrettung GmbH. ADAC Luftrettung operates 37 rescue helicopter stations at 35 locations, one in Austria and one in the Netherlands; The ADAC Luftrettung fleet comprises 51 helicopters (as of December 2011). DRF Luftrettung, formerly (Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht e.V.), operates 32 rescue helicopter stations at 30 locations, two of which are in Austria, and has a fleet of over 50 helicopters that are used in Germany, Denmark and Austria. It has carried out over 350,000 rescue missions since it was founded in 1972. In 2006, the DRF Luftretter team achieved a record: In total, they started 36,499 missions. Christoph 3 (BMI) in Cologne has flown more than 47,500 missions between its commissioning in December 1971 and its 40th anniversary (December 2011).

bases

The locations Christophorus Europa 3 in Suben and Lifeliner Europa 4 in Groningen, whose flight operations are carried out by the Medical Air Assistance of the Dutch automobile club ANWB for ADAC air rescue, are not included.

Nickname	city	country	operator	Mission profile	Internet	comment
Christoph 1	Munich	BY	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 1	with rescue hoist
Christoph 2	Friedrichsdorf (Interim)	HE	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 2	On Feb. 29, 2008 change from helicopter type BO 105 to EC 135.
Christoph 3	Cologne	NW	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	data sheet	Joint location with Christoph Rheinland at Cologne / Bonn Airport
Christoph 4	Hanover	NI	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 4	in cooperation with Johanniter Unfallhilfe
Christoph 5	Ludwigshafen am Rhein	RP	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet Internet presence of Christoph 5
Christoph 6	Bremen	HB	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet Internet presence of Christoph 6
Christoph 7	kassel	HE	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	data sheet Internet presence of Christoph 7
Christoph 8	Luenen	NW	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet Internet presence of Christoph 8
Christoph 9	Duisburg	NW	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	data sheet Internet presence of the friends and sponsors of the rescue helicopter “Christoph 9” e. V.	also flies cross-border missions to the Netherlands
Christoph 10	Wittlich	RP	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	also flies cross-border missions in Luxembourg (cooperation with Air Rescue Luxembourg)
Christoph 11	Villingen-Schwenningen	BW	DRK rescue service Schwarzwald-Baar gGmbH	Primary use	data sheet	The only helicopter operated by the DRK. The partner is DRF Luftrettung, which is responsible for flight operations. In 24-hour operation since October 1, 2017, the machine is in the hangar at night
Christoph 12	Siblin / Ahrensbök in Ostholstein	SH	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph 13	Bielefeld	NW	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 13
Christoph 14	Traunstein	BY	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 14	with rescue hoist, also flies cross-border missions.
Christoph 15	Straubing	BY	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet Internet presence of Christoph 15
Christoph 16	Saarbrücken	SL	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet Internet presence of Christoph 16	also flies cross-border missions in France
Christoph 17	Durach	BY	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	data sheet	also flies missions in Austria (especially in winter with skiing accidents) with a rescue winch
Christoph 18	Ochsenfurt	BY	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph 19	Uelzen	NI	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	early phoenix 14
Christoph 20	Bayreuth	BY	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph Europe 1	Würselen near Aachen	NW	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	Christoph 21 is the previous, accounting-related internal number that was not introduced as a BOS radio call name for the RTH. The predecessor was SAR 72
Christoph 22	Ulm	BW	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	formerly SAR 75
Christoph 23	Koblenz	RP	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	formerly SAR 73
Christoph Europe 2	Rheine	NW	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	Christoph 24 was the first internal accounting name, with the change from the Air Force to the ADAC, the BOS radio call name. The predecessor was SAR  76
Christoph 25	Wins	NW	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 25
Christoph 26	Sande near Wilhelmshaven	NI	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	formerly Christopher Friesland , operational around the clock, with rescue hoist and weather radar
Christoph 27	Nuremberg	BY	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	formerly SAR 74, shared location with Christoph Nürnberg, with rescue hoist
Christoph 28	Fulda	HE	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph 29	Hamburg	HH	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	data sheet	formerly SAR 71
Christoph 30	Wolfenbüttel	NI	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 30	early phoenix 14
Christoph 31	Berlin	BE	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 31	highest frequency of use in Germany
Christopher 32	Ingolstadt	BY	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christopher 33	Senftenberg	BB	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 33	shared location with Christoph Brandenburg
Christopher 34	Guestrow	MV	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	data sheet
Christopher 35	Brandenburg (Havel)	BB	Federal Ministry of the Interior	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 35
Christoph 36	Magdeburg	ST	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christopher 37	Nordhausen	TH	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph 38	Dresden	SN	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christopher 39	Pearl Mountain	BB	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 39	Commissioning on June 3, 2008
Christopher 40	augsburg	BY	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	Commissioning on November 29, 2013, the highest air rescue station in Germany - on the roof of the Augsburg Clinic at a height of 58 meters
Christopher 41	Leonberg	BW	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	formerly Rotkreuz Baden-Württemberg 7
Christoph 42	Rendsburg	SH	DRF air rescue	Dual use	data sheet	ready for use around the clock
Christoph 43	Baden-Baden Airport	BW	DRF air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 43	formerly Rotkreuz Baden-Württemberg 6
Christoph 44	Goettingen	NI	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph 45	Friedrichshafen	BW	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christopher 46	Zwickau	SN	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christopher 47	Greifswald	MV	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph 48	Neustrelitz	MV	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 48	formerly SAR 93
Christopher 49	Bad Saarow	BB	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph Hansa	Hamburg	HH	ADAC air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	Former ADAC internal account number Christoph 50, officially ITH, 85% primary operations
Christopher 51	Stuttgart	BW	DRF air rescue	Dual use	data sheet
Christoph Europe 5	Niebüll	SH	DRF air rescue	Dual use	data sheet	formerly Christoph 52 in Itzehoe , before that in Hartenholm for over 20 years and also on night flights, also flies cross-border missions to Denmark
Christoph 53	Mannheim	BW	DRF air rescue	Dual use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 53	formerly Flugwacht Mannheim 71
Christopher 54	Freiburg in Breisgau	BW	DRF air rescue	Dual use	data sheet	formerly Flugwacht Freiburg 71
Christoph Weser	Bremen	HB	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 55 , formerly various BOS radio call names, not under public law
Christoph 56 to 59						Call names (as of June 2020) unused.
Christoph 60	Suhl	TH	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christopher 61	Schkeuditz , OT Dölzig	SN	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	shared location with Christoph 63
Christoph 62	Bautzen	SN	DRF air rescue	Dual use	Datasheet information about Christoph 62	ready for use around the clock, with mountain rope
Christoph 63	Schkeuditz , OT Dölzig	SN	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	formerly Christoph Leipzig, shared location with Christoph 61
Christoph 64	Angermünde	BB	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	Commissioning on August 1, 2015
Christoph 65	Dinkelsbühl- Sinbronn	BY	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	data sheet	Commissioning in mid-2015
Christoph 66	Eßweiler	RP	ADAC air rescue	Dual use	data sheet	Since September 2, 2019 in test operation, whether there will be a permanent helicopter in the West Palatinate. Replaces the Air Rescue Palatinate of Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V. / Heli-Flight. The area of ​​application of the machine includes primary operations in the city and district of Kaiserslautern as well as in the districts of Kusel and Birkenfeld and in the Donnersberg district. He is available for secondary assignments for Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. The machine will be used from sunrise to sunset (from 7:00 a.m. at the earliest), and night flights are also technically possible.
Christopher 70	Jena	TH	ADAC air rescue	Primary use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 70	formerly SAR 77
Christoph Brandenburg	Senftenberg	BB	ADAC air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	formerly Christoph 71 , shared location with Christoph 33, ready for use around the clock
Christoph 72 to 73						Call names (as of June 2020) unused.
Christoph Murnau	Murnau	BY	ADAC air rescue	Dual use	data sheet	Former ADAC internal account number Christoph 74, ITH, approx. 60% primary use, equipped with winch
Christoph Rhineland	Cologne	NW	ADAC air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	Former ADAC internal account number Christoph 75, shared location with Christoph 3
Christoph Westphalia	Greven	NW	ADAC air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	ADAC internal accounting name Christoph 76, ready for use around the clock
Christopher 77	Mainz	RP	ADAC air rescue	Dual use	Datasheet Internet presence of Christoph 77
Christoph 78 to 79						Call names (as of June 2020) unused.
Christoph 80	Willows in the Upper Palatinate	BY	DRF air rescue	Primary use	data sheet
Christoph Thuringia	Bad Berka	TH	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 81 , ready for use around the clock
Christoph Berlin	Berlin	BE	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 82 , formerly ITH Berlin, ready for use around the clock
Christoph Dortmund	Dortmund - Wickede	NW	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 83 , formerly Florian Unna 0-84-1, not under public law
Christoph Saxony-Anhalt	Halle (Saale)	ST	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 84 , ready for use around the clock
Christoph Halle	Halle (Saale)	ST	DRF air rescue	Dual use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 85 , second replacement for Christoph Sachsen-Anhalt (only during the day)
Christoph Lower Saxony	Hanover	NI	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 86, ready for use around the clock
Christoph Munich	Munich- Großhadern	BY	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 87, formerly ITH Munich, originally Sama Munich 78-1, ready for use around the clock
Christoph Nuremberg	Nuremberg	BY	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 88, shared location with Christoph 27, ready for use around the clock
Christoph Regensburg	regensburg	BY	DRF air rescue	Dual use	data sheet	unofficially Christoph 89, ready for use around the clock
Christoph Giessen	to water	HE	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V. / Heli-Flight	Dual use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 90, until 2006 Christoph Reichelsheim, until February 28, 2014 Christoph Hessen, ready for action around the clock, primarily ITH, but also primary assignments, in connection with Christoph Mittelhessen
Christoph Mittelhessen	Reichelsheim	HE	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V. / Heli-Flight	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 91, formerly Christoph Hessen, primarily ITH, but also primary assignments in connection with Christoph Gießen
Christoph Rostock	Rostock	MV	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V. / Heli-Flight	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 92, until October 30, 2014 Akkon Rostock 15-84-01, medical staff mostly with anesthesiologists, if necessary also neonatologists and / or pediatric intensive care staff in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Akkon Bochum 89-1	Marl-Loemühle	NW	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V. / Heli-Flight	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficial Christoph 93, commissioning on April 1, 2016 at the professional association University Clinic Bergmannsheil , operation has been inactive since June 15, 2020
Air Rescue Nürburgring	Nürburgring	RP	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V. / Heli-Flight	Secondary use	data sheet	unofficially Christoph 94, The ITH is available nationwide for interhospital transports on May 1, 2016, but can also be requested from the local rescue control center for primary operations if required.
Christopher 111	Rheinmünster	BW	DRF air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	Paging name initially "Civil Air Ambulance"; mainly responsible for transporting COVID-19 patients with EpiShuttle in Germany and abroad
Christopher 112	Ludwigshafen am Rhein	RP	ADAC air rescue	Secondary use	data sheet	Since April 7, 2020, the first nationwide rescue helicopter of ADAC Luftrettung has been available in Ludwigshafen to transport Covid-19 patients.

Former bases

Nickname	city	country	operator	Mission profile	Internet	comment
Air Rescue Pfalz a. D.	Sembach	RP	Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V. / Heli-Flight	Secondary use	data sheet	Stationed in Sembach from October 22, 2018 to September 2, 2019. Mainly used to transport patients between the locations of the West Palatinate Clinic . Was replaced by the Christoph 66 at the beginning of September 2019 .

SAR service of the German armed forces

Nickname	city	country	operator	Internet	comment
SAR 10	Heligoland	SH	marine	data sheet
SAR 24	Warnemünde	MV	marine	data sheet
SAR 41	Norvenich	NW	army	data sheet
SAR 63	Niederstetten	BW	army	data sheet
SAR 64	Niederstetten	BW	army	data sheet
SAR 87	Schönewalde ( Holzdorf Air Base )	BB small part ST	army	data sheet

Map of air rescue locations in Germany (as of 10/2018) ADAC Luftrettung DRF Luftrettung Federal Ministry of the Interior Johanniter Luftrettung Bundeswehr / Navy Bundeswehr / Army Joint location ADAC and BMI

Ambulance helicopter (AHS)

Nickname	city	country	operator	Internet	comment
AHS Damme	Dams	NI	FJS helicopter air transport	data sheet
AHS Pinnow	Schwerin	MV	FJS helicopter air transport	data sheet
GRH Laupheim	Laupheim	BW	Bundeswehr / Air Force	data sheet
Northern Rescue 01	Sankt Peter-Ording	SH	Northern HeliCopter	data sheet
Northern Rescue 02	Güttin (on Rügen )	MV	Northern HeliCopter	data sheet	On January 1, 2018, Northern HeliCopter took over the station from DRF Luftrettung.
Rescue Wittmund 79-99-1	Emden	NI	Northern HeliCopter	data sheet
Wiking Rescue One	Mariensiel	NI	Wiking helicopter service	data sheet

Emergency doctor helicopter (NEH)

Nickname	city	country	operator	Internet	comment
KUNO-SH 01	Bad Segeberg	SH	KBA ambulance, handicapped and elderly aid e. V.		From July 15 to October 15, 2011 stationed at Hartenholm Airfield not under public law ; A lawsuit for continued operation is pending before the Federal Social Court .
Rescue 029-01-82-01	Dummerstorf (district Kessin )	MV	Ambulance Millich / Heli-Flight	data sheet	Emergency doctor helicopter (NEH), equipped like a land-based NEF , in service since 1995

Cross-border projects

Rescue helicopter Christoph Europa 2

→ Main article : Christoph Europe

Rescue helicopter Christoph Liechtenstein

LIONS 1, helicopter of the "AAA Alphine Air Ambulance", a subsidiary of the Lions Air Group, stationed in Birrfeld. Primarily responsible for the Swiss canton of Aargau, he also flies missions in the Rhine Valley.

There are projects in which organizations from several countries are involved. Particularly noteworthy in this context are:

Nickname	city	comment
Christoph Europe 1	Aachen -Merzbrück	Assignments in Germany , Belgium and the Netherlands .
Christoph Europe 2	Rheine	Assignments in Germany and the Netherlands.
Christophorus Europa 3	Suben	First emergency helicopter in Europe in cross-border operation since 2002: an ADAC helicopter flies in the winter half of the year, and the ÖAMTC in the summer half of the year. The area of ​​application is Bavaria and Upper Austria .
Christoph Europe 5	Niebüll	Assignments in Germany and Denmark (especially South Jutland )
Christoph 9	Duisburg	Assignments in Germany and the Netherlands.
Christoph 16	Saarbrücken	Assignments in Germany and France.
Lifeliner 3	Nijmegen	Assignments in the Netherlands and Germany.
Lifeliner Europe 4	Groningen	Assignments in the Netherlands and Germany. Joint operation by ADAC and ANWB . In the Netherlands, the location is listed without the addition of Europe .
Air Rescue 3	Findel Airport	Assignments in Luxembourg , Belgium, Germany (Rhineland-Palatinate for the Trier region and Saarland) and France.
Rega	Switzerland (various)	The REGA helicopters from Switzerland stationed near the border also fly regularly in Germany. More than half of Rega 2's locations (Basel) are in southern Baden ; Rega 2 also flies missions in Alsace, France. Rega 1 ( Dübendorf ) and Rega 7 ( St. Gallen ) are also close to Germany. In 2012 Rega flew 11 percent of its missions in Germany. This high proportion is explained by the fact that the Rega helicopters and their crews are approved for night operations.
Christoph Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	Also flies primary missions, relocation flights in Germany
LIONS 1	Switzerland	Rescue helicopter of the canton Aargau operated by the Lions Air Group in Birrfeld. Also flies primary missions, relocation flights in Germany, especially in the area north of the Rhine around Waldshut.

See also

• Air rescue
• SAR service for aircraft in Germany
• Air ambulance in Austria
• Air rescue in Switzerland
• Air rescue in Italy
• Air rescue in the Netherlands
• Air rescue in the Czech Republic
• Air ambulance in Slovakia
• Air rescue in Luxembourg

literature

• FliegerRevue , No. 4/1991, pp. 138-139
• Hans-Ulrich Suckert, Marco Quinzio: Air rescue in Germany. Medicine, technology and humanity - at work for life . Edited by Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht eV, German Air Rescue, German Center for Air Rescue (Filderstadt). W. Wolfsfellner MedizinVerlag, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-9802271-5-4 .
• ADAC station atlas "Christoph - please come!" , Edition 2011/12, published by ADAC-Luftrettung GmbH, Verlag / Realization W. Wolfsfellner MedizinVerlag, Munich 2011, 176 pp., ISBN 978-3-933266-71-2 , with Explanatory foreword / accompanying text by the editors Friedrich Rehkopf, Susanne Matzke-Ahl, on VLB-buchhandel.de [1]

Web links

Commons : Air rescue in Germany  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Air rescue bases in Germany (PDF)
• ADAC air rescue
• DRF air rescue
• Johanniter air rescue
• German information site on rescue transport helicopters
• Overview map Germany - locations of the rescue helicopters

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ch. Biesing: Air rescue in the Federal Republic of Germany - the stage of the model tests is over. Deutsches Ärzteblatt 33, 2311, 1975. In: Martin Frey: Possibilities and limits of air rescue for emergency patients. University of Mainz, Faculty of Medicine, Dissertation, Mainz 1976, p. 45.
2. ↑ Jörn Fries: April 11, 1968: Start free for "Florian Frankfurt Helicopter 1". In: rth.info - the fascination of air rescue. Harald Rieger, April 11, 2018, accessed September 30, 2018 . 
3. ^ Hans Burghart: Medical Aspects of Rescue Operations by Helicopters . Lecture in Los Angeles on January 20, 1975. Quoted in: Martin Frey: Possibilities and limits of air rescue for emergency patients. University of Mainz, Faculty of Medicine, Dissertation, Mainz 1976, p. 45.
4. ↑ Speed ​​increases the chances of survival after an accident . In: Ärzte Zeitung , January 10, 2008, p. 10
5. ^ Helicopter EC145, naval helicopter: Configuration and options - Eurocopter, an EADS company. (No longer available online.) Eurocopter.com, formerly in the original ; Retrieved June 12, 2010 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
6. ↑ AeroBrief 23/2010 | Aerospace | Eurocopter: EC135 rescue helicopter for the Federal Ministry of the Interior. (No longer available online.) Entity38.de, February 22, 2007, formerly in the original ; Retrieved June 12, 2010 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
7. ↑ About us. drf-luftrettung.de, accessed on June 1, 2015 . 
8. ↑ Air rescue location information center. rth.info, accessed June 1, 2015 . 
9. ↑ Numbers and facts. In: organization.drf-luftrettung.de. Retrieved February 28, 2014 . 
10. ↑ Deployment of the ADAC rescue helicopter. (PDF) Mission development 1970–2012. In: adac.de. January 2013, p. 1 , accessed February 28, 2014 . 
11. ↑ Mission statistics Dt. Air rescue for the year 2011. (PDF) (No longer available online.) In: adac.de. May 3, 2012, p. 2 , archived from the original on February 3, 2014 ; accessed on February 28, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
12. ↑ PrimAIR: Air rescue should become the standard. (No longer available online.) In: rettungsdienst.de. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014 ; accessed on February 28, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
13. ↑ PrimAIR project. Welcome to the pages of the PrimAIR research project. In: projekt-primair.de. Retrieved February 28, 2014 . 
14. ↑ locations . In: Johanniter [live] . June 9, 2016 ( johanniter.de [accessed February 5, 2018]).
15. ↑ Team www.rth.info: rth.info | Operator. Retrieved February 5, 2018 . 
16. ^ DRK Villingen-Schwenningen
17. ↑ Katja Auer, Stefan Mayr: Germany's highest air rescue station . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , December 2, 2013. Accessed April 1, 2014.
18. ^ ^{A b} Jörn Fries: Reallocation in Saxony: Change of operator at RTH stations in Bautzen and Zwickau (added). In: rth.info. August 17, 2018, accessed September 16, 2018 . 
19. ↑ SWR Aktuell, SWR Aktuell: "Christoph 66" stationed in Eßweiler. Retrieved September 2, 2019 . 
20. ↑ Christoph Rostock. In: rth.info. Retrieved February 5, 2018 . 
21. ↑ locations. Retrieved February 5, 2018 . 
22. ↑ Article about the cessation of operations of AK BO 89-1 due to difficulties with payers. In: SK Verlag. Retrieved June 15, 2020 . 
23. ^ Air Rescue Nürburgring. In: rth.info. Retrieved February 5, 2018 . 
24. ↑ locations. Retrieved February 5, 2018 . 
25. ↑ Team www.rth.info: rth.info | Christoph 111.Retrieved May 3, 2020 . 
26. ^ "Christoph 112": helicopter for Covid-19 transports nationwide in Ludwigshafen. Retrieved April 7, 2020 . 
27. ↑ Sembach: Rescue helicopter stationed (with photo gallery). In: rheinpfalz.de. Retrieved October 22, 2018 . 
28. ↑ Güttin offshore rescue helicopter: Northern HeliCopter takes over. In: rth.info. December 18, 2017, accessed September 28, 2018 . 
29. ^ Güttin: Change of operator for offshore completed. In: rth.info. January 9, 2018, accessed September 28, 2018 . 
30. ↑ aerztezeitung.de
31. ↑ Rega flies 1,133 missions in Germany. In: Switzerland at the weekend. September 7, 2013, accessed September 11, 2020 .