ADAC Luftrettung trains in Munich and the Alps

ADAC Luftrettung will be training special maneuvers with the rescue hoist in the Bavarian Alps, the Olympia Park and at Langwieder See. The winch training sessions carried out by the “Christoph 1” stations at the Munich Harlaching Clinic and “Christoph Murnau” at the BG Klinikum Murnau take place exclusively during the week. Complex rescue scenarios are practiced with the rescue hoist in (high) alpine environments, high-altitude and water rescues. Both stations remain fully operational during this time.

From Monday, September 16 to Thursday, September 19, the fast airborne helpers from Munich will carry out complex winch operations in the area of the Waller Alm on Vogelsang together with the Bavarian Mountain Rescue Service. The focus is on the joint care of patients in rough terrain, all important safety measures as well as abseiling up and down (technical term: winching up and down). Teams of four emergency doctors, four emergency paramedics (TC HEMS) and eight members of the Bavarian Mountain Rescue Service will practise working together. The ADAC rescue helicopter is scheduled to fly from 9 am to 12 noon and from 2.30 pm to around 5 pm. Those responsible will meet one day before the start of the training and may carry out test flights on site.

On Friday, September 20, the crew of “Christoph 1” will be training height rescues together with the height rescuers from the Munich Fire Department in the morning at Olympia Park. In the afternoon, water rescue training is planned at Langwieder See with the participation of divers from the Munich Fire Brigade. ADAC Luftrettung pays great attention to minimizing the impact on local residents and day-trippers during its wind training sessions, which are coordinated with the authorities and landowners.

In the following week, the Flying Yellow Angels from Murnau will be training mountain rescues at the Wetterstein Alm together with the Bavarian Mountain Rescue Service and water rescues at Lake Walchensee with the Bavarian Water Rescue Service. The instructors from ADAC Luftrettung and Bergwacht Bayern will already be preparing the mountain rescue scenarios on Monday, September 23. From Tuesday to Thursday, several pilots, emergency doctors and paramedics will be training every day with four mountain rescuers for demanding mountain missions: Rescuers are winched down to the accident site, where they have to install fall protection devices such as rock hooks, secure the casualties to the rescue winch and rescue them into the helicopter. On Friday, the program includes water rescue scenarios with the winch, in which eight water rescuers are involved. The ADAC rescue helicopter flies mime victims who are in danger of drowning over water and winches the trained emergency paramedics off. After securing them with a rescue winch, it brings the rescuers and casualties to the shore.

To ensure the highest quality of care for patients and the safety of everyone on board during the demanding winch missions, ADAC Luftrettung gGmbH conducts winch training twice a year. In this way, the leading German air rescue organization ensures that the interaction between crews and partner organizations functions effectively, that the aeronautical specifications are adhered to and that emergency medical care is provided in a routine manner. All procedures are described in an operations manual approved by the German Federal Aviation Office (LBA), which ADAC Luftrettung has developed to achieve the highest level of operational competence at all times.

ADAC Luftrettung maintains six winch stations, located in Munich, Murnau and Straubing as well as Sande (Lower Saxony), West Palatinate (Rhineland-Palatinate) and Hamburg. In 2023, these locations took on a total of 546 winch operations, an increase of 45% compared to the previous year. Among other things, this is due to the extended deployment options with the rescue hoist for emergencies in the city and hard-to-reach locations in rural and alpine regions. “Christoph 1” has already carried out over 70 winch missions this year. The “Christoph Murnau” station has already flown more than 150 missions with the rescue hoist, in which more than 180 people have been rescued, often from life-threatening situations and challenging terrain.