[electronic translation] 100 days at the station Bautzen – the DRF Luftrettung takes stock. In the first quarter of 2019, the “Christoph 62”, a state-of-the-art H 145 aircraft, had already been alerted 268 times, with around 20 percent of deployments flying at night. Thanks to the great experience of the DRF Luftrettung and the good preparation, the change to January 1 of this year went smoothly.

“We had a very good start here in Bautzen,” emphasizes Sebastian Schröder, pilot and station manager. “Working with our local and regional partners – clinics, ambulance services, control centers, fire departments or even the police, to name a few – was easy from the start. We would like to thank you for that. ”
About three times a day, the powerful, intensive care unit-equipped H 145 was alerted in the first three months of the year. The air rescuers were alerted 52 times to nocturnal operations, while the pilots used night vision goggles, which provide additional security during operations in darkness.

And even the helicopter with a fixed 90-meter rope length, which was installed at the end of March for the first time with the mountain rescue team, has already been used five times for “real” use. Sebastian Schröder summarizes the exercise: “The training went very well. Here it pays off that the DRF Luftrettung already has over 20 years of experience in winch rescue. But with the DRK Bergwacht Sachsen we also have an excellent and reliable partner at our side for this area. This way we can quickly rescue hand-in-hand severely ill and injured people, even in topographically challenging areas such as Saxon Switzerland or the Erzgebirge. ”
Information about the station Bautzen
The station, founded on September 1, 1998, is located at the airfield Bautzen. “Christoph 62” is available 24 hours a day in emergencies as a quick emergency doctor feeder and for the gentle transport of patients between clinics. The crew is requested via the Integrated Regional Command Ostsachsen in Hoyerswerda or via the coordination office for relocation flights of the Free State of Saxony in Dresden.
In addition to experienced pilots and emergency medical staff of the DRF Luftrettung, emergency physicians from the Dresden Municipal Clinic are deployed at the Bautzen station. The Luftrettungsorganisation was awarded the contract by the Landesdirektion Sachsen in a tendering procedure. The contract runs for eight years.
Throughout Germany, DRF Luftrettung is deploying helicopters at 29 air rescue stations in Germany and at two stations in Austria for rapid emergency rescue and for urgent transport of intensive care patients between clinics. Ten stations are ready for use around the clock. No other air rescue organization in Germany operates so many 24-hour stations. Throughout Europe, DRF air rescue is among the civil operators of the night-flight expert, with most flying hours in the dark. It has state-of-the-art helicopters that are particularly suitable for night flight and employs highly qualified personnel. Each year, it makes about 39,000 missions.