Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht (DRF) was called out recently to assist in the rescue of tourists injured in an accident involving a German coach

in France. The crash, which happened in bad weather conditions on a highway near Lyon, claimed 28 lives and injured a further 46 Germans onboard. DRF flew 21 patients to German hospitals. The company’s Lear 35A amb-ulance jet flew with a DRF medical crew and a repre-sentative of the insurance company from Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport to Lyon. The 35A, a Lear 55 and a

King Air B200 (of Austrian Team

DRF partner AR-Flugrettungs) along with two chartered ambulance aircraft were on duty.

Meanwhile, Team DRF has also carried out its first mission with its new King Air B200. The aircraft carried a seriously ill woman from Bologna to Palermo. Stationed at Florence, the B200 will be used to transport patients from and within Italy.

The three Team DRF partners (DRF, ARA-Flugrettungs and Helitalia) will coordinate the air ambulance. ARA-Flugrettungs operates the aircraft, while Helitalia provides the health personnel and is responsible for coordinating ambulance flights within Italy. Helitalia’s newly established Italian coordination centre Alimed receives the requests from Italian emergency dispatching centres and Italian hospitals.