On April 1st 2011, DRF Luftrettung has inaugurated the newly founded HEMS base of Weiden in der Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) in Bavaria. According to a European tender, DRF Luftrettung had been selected as operator for the new rescue helicopter with the call sign “Christoph 80”. The start of the operation was accompanied by a ceremony with about 70 representatives from politics and rescue services.

The start of the new HEMS base goes back to an initiative of the federal state of Bavaria, to improve emergency medical care. Since rescue services in Germany are organised on a federal basis, in 2009, the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior had assigned a survey to evaluate the coverage of its HEMS bases and rescue services. As a result, the survey recommended to establish two new HEMS bases in Bavaria, one of them in the city of Weiden in der Oberpfalz.

The Bavarian survey also reflects a nationwide trend in Germany: it confirms the fact, that the German health system has been undergoing structural changes for several years, e.g. a specialisation of clinics. In this context, the use of helicopters as fast means of transportation has a crucial advantage in order to provide an optimal patient treatment in suitable hospitals, especially in rural areas.

The newly founded helicopter of type EC 135 P2+ is on duty from 7 a.m to sunset (+30 minutes) to provide patients in the region with fast medical care. The integrated dispatching center of Nordoberpfalz alerts the helicopter for missions mainly in the areas of Upper Palatinate (districts Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab and Tirschrenreuth, as well as the city of Weiden in the Upper Palatinate) as well as Amberg (districts of Amberg-Sulzbach and Schwandorf as well as the city of Amberg). In addition, the helicopter can be alerted for intensive care transports between clinics.