DRF Luftrettung

The DRF Luftrettung (formerly Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht e.V.) is part of the German emergency medical services as a branch of the air medical services. The DRF Luftrettung and its subsidiaries operate in Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein. The organization's headquarters are in Filderstadt.

DRF Luftrettung
Founded6 September 1972 (6 September 1972)
HeadquartersFilderstadt
ServicesAir medical services
Dr. Peter Huber [1]

Dr. Krystian Pracz [1]

Dr. h.c. Rudolf Böhmler [1]
SubsidiariesNorthern Helicopter GmbH

ARA Flugrettung gGmbH

AP3 Luftrettung GmbH
Revenue
€147 million (2019)[2]
Staff
799 (2019)[2]
WebsiteDRF Luftrettung
Formerly called
Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht e.V.

History

After many talks given in police stations in the operational area around Mainz, Ina von Koenig started the first pilot test with a fully-equipped emergency rescue helicopter of the Alouette III type over a period of 6 months. The pilot project was done in collaboration with the German Red Cross and under the medical supervision of Prof. Rudolf Frey from the University of Mainz. The "Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht German Air-Rescue e. V." (abbr. DRF) was founded on the initiative and recommendation of Ina von Koenig after another attempt in Stuttgart in August 1971.[3]

On 23 January 2018 a DRF helicopter was involved in an accident after having taken off from Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport for a practice flight. The helicopter collided with a small plane mid-air near Oberhausen-Rheinhausen. The reasons for the accident are unknown. Four people died in the crash with two people in each aircraft. The plane had taken off from Basel and was on its way to Speyer.[4]

The DRF Luftrettung is Germany's second largest non-commercial air medical organization after the ADAC Luftrettung.

In 2020 the DRF Luftrettung was deployed a total of 39,971 times.[5]

Mission

The organization's mission since its foundation on 6 September 1972 is to provide rapid assistance to emergency patients. In its early days, the DRF Luftrettung only operated emergency rescue helicopters in Germany. Since the 1980s, the organization has also operated several intensive care helicopters in cities like Munich, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Halle, Hannover, Berlin, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Freiburg, Dortmund, Bremen, Bad Berka, with some of them being authorized to fly at night. Helicopters of the organization operate in a total of 35 locations in Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein. The organization also conducts repatriation flights with fixed-wing air ambulances.[6]

Fleet

The fleet consists of 60 helicopters, recognizable by their red and white colours, flying in Germany and abroad. The helicopters deployed for rescue operations are MBB/Kawasaki BK 117, Eurocopter EC145/H145, and Eurocopter EC135/H135. Helicopters of the type Bell 412 were retired at the end of 2015. The DRF Luftrettung was the first operator of the Airbus Helicopters 145 worldwide starting in 2014; it first went into operation on its base in Munich. The transition of the fleet from BK117 to H145 helicopters is now almost completed.

Two Learjet 35A aircraft are deployed for worldwide repatriations of ill or injured patients. The jets were specially adapted for this purpose and upgraded with intensive care equipment. The two jets are stationed at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport, which is also where the operation centre is located. The operation centre coordinates the ambulance flights and monitors the complete helicopter fleet.

Locations
Locations of the 35 sites from which the DRF, ARA, and AP Luftrettung operate

Websites

References
  1. "Organisation". drf-luftrettung.de. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  2. "Konzernabschluss zum Geschäftsjahr vom 01.01.2019 bis zum 31.12.2019". Bundesanzeiger.de. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  3. Fries, Jörn (31 July 2020). ""Der Erfolg der zivilen Luftrettung hat viele Väter, aber nur eine Mutter" – Die Gründerin der DRF im Gespräch mit rth.info". rth.info. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  4. "Flugunglück mit vier Toten: Ermittlungen am Absturzort abgeschlossen". Augsburger Allgemeine. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  5. "Annual Mission Statistics 2020 of the DRF Group: Challenges and successes in the coronavirus pandemic". drf-luftrettung.de. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  6. "Ambulanzflugbetrieb". drf-luftrettung.de. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
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