An emergency call comes in. Shortly afterwards, a rescue helicopter lifts off from the Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin accident hospital in Marzahn (ukb). On board are the pilot, an emergency doctor and an emergency paramedic – a well-rehearsed team for missions where routine, precision and time can all be critical.
The destination is the small town of Lübben in Brandenburg. There, a patient with severe burns is waiting. He needs to be taken quickly to the ukb’s specialist burns centre. For the crew, this is a familiar routine.
"When an emergency call comes in, every second counts," says emergency doctor Jan Martin. "Especially for heart attack or stroke patients, with every minute that passes without treatment, tissue is lost." That is why, at the start of a shift, everything has to be prepared so that the crew can take off immediately. From the alarm being raised to lift-off usually takes no more than two minutes.
Where air rescue becomes particularly important
Air rescue does not replace the ground-based ambulance service; it complements it. It becomes particularly important where distances are long, hospitals are further apart or specialised treatments are only possible at a few locations. In such cases, the time gained by using a helicopter can be crucial – both for initial emergency care and for transfers.
