On Aug. 19, 2021, DRF Luftrettung and its subsidiaries conducted their millionth air rescue mission. Every one of these missions aims to provide medical care to people in need as quickly as possible. The historic figure, which was reached at the Munich base on behalf of all mission crews, is not the only important feat for the air rescue teams – their main focus is on the people and stories behind the missions. Using the hashtag #TeamEineMillionPlus, staff, partners and patients are recounting their personal experiences from the million missions and bringing the world of air rescue to life.
When the alarm sounded at the Munich base just before 5 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2021, the mission crew took off as usual within a few minutes and headed for the deployment destination. A 27-year-old woman needed to be transported to a specialist hospital for further medical care as quickly as possible as she was experiencing premature labor. The three-person crew collected the patient from the ground-based emergency services and flew her straight to the Grosshadern hospital. This call-out marked the millionth mission for DRF Luftrettung and its subsidiaries. “We are very proud and thankful that we have been able to assist people in medical emergencies more than a million times. So, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has made this possible through their dedication to our patients and their faith in our work,” said Dr. Krystian Pracz, CEO of DRF Luftrettung.
It all began with a single helicopter, which first took off to provide rapid medical assistance to a person in need on Mar. 19, 1973. Together with its subsidiaries, DRF Luftrettung now flies around 40,000 missions a year – an average of about 110 missions per day. “It is particularly important to us that we highlight that behind each and every number is a person and an individual fate. That is why we are putting the personal stories as experienced and told from many perspectives center stage,” added Pracz. “There are umpteen millions of impressions and experiences – from our crews and patients, but also from our partners in the emergency services and our members and fans. Because air rescue requires a team effort, when everyone works hand in hand to save lives.”
#TeamEineMillionPlus brings the world of air rescue to life
DRF Luftrettung has always gone the extra mile to develop air rescue further for the benefit of its patients. “We conduct training, get involved in committees, share our knowledge, develop new practices, expand excellent expertise and use state-of-the-art technology – all with the aim of providing even better assistance, hopefully to more people, in future,” Pracz explained. Air rescue team members, partners and patients have spoken about this abundance of passion, dedication and teamwork with moving and emotional accounts, as well as funny and everyday stories about the million air rescue missions. In the coming weeks and months, DRF Luftrettung will open up the world of air rescuers to people using the hashtag #TeamEineMillionPlus to raise awareness of how important this work is. The air rescue community is being invited to learn about the many and varied stories and actively share their own personal experiences on Facebook and Instagram.
This press release was prepared and distributed by DRF Luftrettung.
