[electronic translation] The new rescue helicopter of the non-profit ADAC Luftrettung at the Bundeswehr Hospital Ulm was officially handed over to its purpose on Monday (28.5.). The machine starts as her predecessor model under the name “Christoph 22” from the hangar on the grounds of the Federal Armed Forces Hospital Ulm. Areas of application are mainly the region Ulm / Neu-Ulm, the Swabian Alb as well as parts of Upper Swabia and Bavarian Swabia. With the helicopter change in Ulm, the latest fleet change of the ADAC Luftrettung is completed. 17 older helicopters were replaced by state-of-the-art H135 and H145.

General physician Ralf Hoffmann, head physician and commander of the Federal Armed Forces Hospital Ulm, and Frédéric Bruder, managing director of the ADAC Luftrettung, also looked back on the 15-year civil-military cooperation at the presentation of the H145. “The ADAC Luftrettung is happy to have a strong and reliable partner in Ulm like the Bundeswehr at its side,” said Bruder, thanking him for the “long-standing, successful and exemplary cooperation”. Dr. Hoffmann spoke of a “proven and excellent cooperation” and emphasized: “With the new modern helicopter, we can jointly provide the population in the region even more effectively with emergency medical care.”

The new H145 has significant benefits for patients, crew and the environment. It is more powerful, has more space, more range and is quieter than its predecessors. In addition, the jacketed tail rotor provides increased safety for passengers and emergency services. An optimized navigation system is installed in the state-of-the-art cockpit. New medical equipment and more space for equipment are further pluses.

The fleet change completed with Ulm has invested around 130 million euros over the past four years. “Reliability and safety have their value in the rescue service,” emphasized Bruder, warning against this background that he would be subordinated to the dictates of the price in tenders for rescue services alone. “It must not be the cheapest offer in the foreground, it is the optimal care of the patient,” he clarified.

1,629 missions were flown last year at the Luftrettungsstation Ulm, and about 53 percent of the cases involved internal medical emergencies. Traffic accidents (13 percent), neurological emergencies and domestic accidents (both eight percent) are additional requirements. In each case in six per cent of the employments the air rescuers were called because of child emergencies as well as work or school accidents.

For almost 47 years, the Ulm rescue helicopter with a medical crew of the Bundeswehr Hospital has been operating, and since 2003 ADAC Luftrettung gGmbH has been providing helicopters and pilots. Since the beginning of Luftrettung in Ulm, nearly 40,000 patients have been treated. Ulm is the second air rescue facility in Germany. In November 1971, as the second rescue helicopter in Germany put into service, flew “SAR Ulm 75” until the takeover by the ADAC Luftrettung with pilots and helicopters of the Air Force. After that, the helicopter yellow and flies since then under the civilian nickname “Christoph 22”.

The Ulmer Luftrettungsstation also participates in a major ADAC accident research project. In more than ten years, a total of nearly 2,000 traffic accident data (including helicopter-generated aerial photos) has been collected, which are of great value to accident research. Among other things, the findings serve to further optimize the rescue system.