Team DRF reports that a shake-up of the German health system has brought increased air ambulance business, contributing to a record number of 39,111 missions in 2007. Steffen Lutz, DRF gm, says: "On average the Team DRF crews were on mission 107 times a day."

He explains: "One main reason for the increase in the mission numbers is to be found in the structural changes that the German health system is undergoing currently. Regions of weak infrastructure are confronted with a growing lack of ground-based emergency physicians.

"As a consequence, the air rescue service provided by Team DRF is gaining more and more importance for the complete medical emergency care of the population. Due to the implementation of modern therapies and the changes in hospital structures, emergency patients are transported to more distant specialised clinics once they have been given first treatment on the spot. Furthermore, the number of transports between hospitals is growing in order to transport patients under intensive care to specialised centres where they can be provided with the best care possible."

Lutz says that health system costs have to be cut but, at the same time, comprehensive patient care has to be assured. "The Team DRF makes an important contribution to making air rescue more efficient." More than 120 dispatch centres in Germany have so far been equipped with the flight-following system 'Rescue Track' which makes it possible to verify a helicopter's position and mission status at one glance and at all times. Lutz says the advantages of the technology means patients, especially in regions weak in infrastructure, profit from a more efficient and faster disposition of the helicopters.

Currently the DRF is involved in implementing the system, which is based on the technology sky track, in the entire German air rescue network. The system also covers other providers of air rescue such as ADAC (German Motorists' Club) and the Bundesamt fuer Bevoelkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, BBK).

Team DRF reports that among the most frequent reasons for missions were life-threatening illnesses - such as heart attacks or strokes - as well as accidents. In Germany alone Team DRF helicopters transported 3,685 patients who had suffered acute attacks to specialised hospitals. Additionally the service helped 3,084 patients with heart attacks and 3,168 people injured in road accidents. In 2007 it carried out 2,612 more missions than in 2006, a 7.2 per cent increase.

Team DRF comprises the non-profit organisation DRF (Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht e.V./German Air Rescue), the German partners HDM Luftrettung GmbH, the HSD Hubschrauber Sonder Dienst Flugbetriebs. KG, the Austrian ARA-Flugrettungs and the Italian organisation Helitalia. In Europe Team DRF partners operate 43 HEMS bases with more than 50 helicopters for emergency rescue and intensive care transportations between hospitals.

Team DRF also provides worldwide repatriations flights. Since 2006 it has been cooperating with the LAR (Luxembourg Air Rescue) under the name European Air Ambulance (EAA).