Happy Birthday: Wiener Berufsrettung Celebrates Its Birthday

The Vienna Professional Rescue Service lives up to the emergency number under which it can be reached: For 144 years now, it has been in operation in the federal capital. The decisive event was the fire at the Ringtheater on December 8, 1881, in which more than 300 people lost their lives. A day later, Jaromir Freiherr von Mundy founded the "Vienna Volunteer Rescue Society". According to its own statements, this was the birth of the Vienna Professional Rescue Service, which thus celebrates its birthday on Tuesday.

100,000th Deployment in 1901

Then things moved quickly: On April 16, 1882, the first flying ambulance was provided at a horse race, and about a week later, the first patient transport took place. In 1883, the first rescue station was opened at Fleischmarkt, and in June 1897, the one on Landstraßer Radetzkystraße was opened, which still exists today. In 1901, the Vienna Volunteer Rescue Society counted its 100,000th deployment. Due to the rapidly increasing number of operations, a rescue station was opened in Mariahilf in 1905, and the first motorized rescue vehicle was put into service.

During the war and under Nazi rule - in 1940 - the "Vienna Municipal Rescue and Patient Transport Service" was founded, which over the years was subordinated to various municipal departments. In 1991, the Professional Rescue Service became independent as Municipal Department 70 (MA 70). This year also saw the first rescue flights, and the Rope Technique Task Force (STEG) was established. In 1999, the first female paramedic started service, and on April 1, 2001, the Vienna rescue helicopter Christophorus 9 flew for the first time. With the enactment of the Sanitary Law (SanG), the Professional Rescue Service's own rescue academy also began its service.

Disaster Train Retired

Since 2010, Rainer Gottwald has been the head of the Vienna Professional Rescue Service. He introduced several innovations: In 2017, the transition from a 24-hour shift system to a 12.5-hour system was completed. This is more family-friendly and health-preserving, and it also brought an increase in personnel. An additional 180 paramedics were hired. In 2019, the city approved another 82 positions, and in 2020, 75 more were added to meet the challenges of the pandemic.

In addition to numerous renovations - in 2020, for example, the first four Vienna rescue stations received photovoltaic systems - the professional rescue service primarily modernized its fleet repeatedly. In 2021, it renewed the vehicles of the Special Operations Group (SEG) and thus retired the so-called disaster train. An electric emergency doctor vehicle is also currently in the test phase. Equipment now includes a video laryngoscope for intubations, a mobile ultrasound device for more precise diagnosis, and a blood gas analysis device in use.

Over 14 Years with Vienna Professional Rescue

Exactly ten percent of the history of the professional rescue service has been witnessed by the 34-year-old emergency paramedic Stefan Schrammel, who has been on board for 14.4 years. In 2010, he applied as a civil servant and was assigned to MA 70. "That sparked my interest in the profession, and I applied. In the following years, I completed the training to become an operations manager as well as all modules of the paramedic training."

Stefan Schrammel was on duty for ten years as a responsible paramedic or as an operations manager on the ambulance. After six years, he was also deployed as a driver of emergency doctor vehicles (NEF). "I was then part of a team with a female or male emergency doctor, and we were alerted to high-priority missions," Schrammel recounted. These missions are always critical: "When an NEF is involved, the patients need special medications or are fighting for their lives." Sometimes "the whole thing" can also be understood positively: "I was present at three births, two of them in the ambulance and one in the apartment. That is something special."

Since 2022, Schrammel has also been a lecturer at the Vienna Rescue Academy, conducting further training for colleagues at the rescue stations or first aid training within the magistrate. "Practice, practice, practice, self-study, and stay interested. Not every mission requires full medical expertise, but you gain experience and people skills. This combination makes good paramedics," he advises the newcomers to the professional rescue service.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.