The nighttime air rescue network for the people of Schleswig-Holstein is getting denser. With Christoph Europa 5 from DRF Air Rescue, a second air rescue vehicle will be switching to 24-hour operation from next Saturday at midnight. In addition to the Christoph 42 helicopter of DRF Air Rescue, which has previously been stationed in Rendsburg, a second rescue helicopter of DRF Air Rescue will be ready for use around the clock for the people in the north.

The final preparations are underway, and on Saturday night the time has come: for the first time, the crew reports that Christoph Europa 5 is ready for use during the night. Jürgen Voiss, pilot and station manager in Niebüll, is pleased about the expansion of operational readiness: “Emergency situations don’t look at the clock and care should be just as good at night as it is during the day. We are therefore very happy that we will be able to provide people in the region with rapid assistance around the clock in the future.”

Until now, the DRF Air Rescue’s Christoph 42 rescue helicopter (Rendsburg station) was the only rescue vehicle used for night-time emergency medical care from the air in Schleswig-Holstein. By expanding the Niebüll station, DRF Air Rescue is further expanding emergency care during the night hours for the residents of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

During the day, one pilot is part of the crew; in the dark, two pilots sit in the cockpit, as night flights are more demanding for the entire crew. In addition, state-of-the-art night vision devices, so-called Night Vision Goggles (NVG), are used.

Procurement procedure Schleswig-Holstein
The expansion of the Niebüll station to 24-hour operational readiness is the result of the tendering process for air rescue by the state of Schleswig-Holstein. When DRF Air Rescue won the tender at the beginning of the year, it was also determined that the Niebüll station (Christoph Europa 5) and the Rendsburg station (Christoph 42) will continue to be operated by DRF Air Rescue for the next 20 years. This means that people throughout the state can continue to rely on the fast and professional emergency medical help of the red and white air rescuers.

The Niebüll station
The Niebüll station was founded on April 1, 2005, and since March 2023 a state-of-the-art H145 helicopter with a five-blade rotor has been taking off as Christoph Europa 5. The station is a very important part of emergency care, especially for the rural population in northern Schleswig-Holstein, the residents of the North Frisian Islands and the west coast area of ​​the Danish administrative district of Syddanmark. The emergency doctors deployed on Christoph Europa 5 have many years of experience in emergency rescue. In order to cover the longer daily operational readiness, the emergency medical team on Christoph Europa 5 is now supported by the emergency physicians from the Helios Klinikum Schleswig.