Rega is ready for the festive season

Thanks to careful preparation, Swiss Air-Rescue, Rega is well prepared for its winter missions. Snow sports enthusiasts can thus receive fast, professional medical assistance by air after an accident - even if many missions are taking place. Starting on 26 December, additional helicopter crews will reinforce Rega's staff in the Bernese Oberland and Graubünden. Extra staff will also be allocated to Rega's national Air Rescue Center.

The mission statistics for Rega helicopter crews reflect the meteorological conditions as well as the leisure activities and travel behaviour of both the Swiss population and foreign tourists in Switzerland. Rega thus expects to fly more missions on sunny winter days or when snow conditions are good and prepares accordingly.

To ensure that patients can receive rapid medical assistance by air, Rega adjusts its operations. From 26 December until the weekend after New Year, an additional helicopter crew with a rescue helicopter will be stationed at each of the Rega bases in Untervaz and Wilderswil. This measure to reinforce staffing will also be continued on winter weekends and during the winter sports break. Extra staff will also be allocated to Rega's national Air Rescue Center at the Rega Center at Zurich Airport. There, the flight coordinators organise the missions - which are often taking place simultaneously - in various regions and ensure that the nearest suitable helicopter crew is always summoned, while keeping an eye on all current missions. In the event of a large number of missions, Rega's national Air Rescue Center plays a special role in ensuring that medical assistance by air reaches patients as quickly as possible.

Key collaboration with piste rescue services

When more missions are being conducted, smooth collaboration with Rega's partners is also crucial. When accidents happen on the ski slopes, the ski patrol officers of the SOS piste rescue services do an initial triage and decide, based on the injury, if a rescue helicopter is needed. They also secure the landing site and make sure that the Rega crew can land safely.

On average, Rega transports between 1,700 and 3,000 injured winter sports enthusiasts to hospital each year. However, this is only a fraction of the winter sports enthusiasts who are involved in an accident each year: Rega's assistance is required for only around 1-2 percent of all winter sports accidents in Switzerland. Most people who are involved in an accident consult a doctor on their own or can be taken to hospital on rescue sledges or by ambulance.

Thorough preparation for the winter season

Before the start of the winter season, the helicopter crews make numerous detailed preparations. The crew members complete a theoretical refresher on avalanche missions. In addition, the equipment used on the mission and personal protective equipment are checked, and the crew's knowledge of how to act on a mission and the main points relating to medical care for patients who were buried under the snow are refreshed. The crew members also undergo a practical search training exercise with the helicopter in order to refamiliarise themselves with the equipment. An LVS avalanche transceiver and a RECCO reflector are hidden in the snow, and the pilot and paramedic have to localise and mark the devices from the air.