ARA helicopter rescue service marks 25 years with 44,000 missions

ARA Flugrettung, the helicopter rescue service founded by the Austrian Red Cross and Germany’s DRF air rescue service, has carried out more than 44,000 missions since 2001, ORF reported on Monday.

ARA operates helicopters from bases in Fresach and Nassfeld in Carinthia, and Reutte in Tyrol. The Fresach crew was called to eight missions on Sunday alone and handles almost 1,000 missions a year. The Nassfeld base, the service’s newest, carries out around 200 missions annually.

Most missions involve leisure and sports accidents, followed by medical emergencies.

More missions in the mountains

ARA managing director Thomas Jank said overall mission numbers had remained largely stable, but the types of missions and their seasonal distribution were changing. He said more people were heading into the mountains in summer, partly because of climate change, leading to a steady increase in alpine missions.

Jank said the trend was also creating financial pressure. Public payers such as health insurance funds were increasingly covering fewer rescue costs, while insurers were also becoming less willing to pay for every accident without further review. He said this was a problem affecting all helicopter rescue operators.

ARA nevertheless plans to continue growing. The service is also investing in new technology: all of its helicopters are currently being equipped with five-blade rotors, while emergency doctor reports are being fully digitised. Hospitals are expected to receive information about patients’ conditions directly from the scene or from the helicopter in future.