In an emergency, they are the first on site and bridge the time until the emergency doctor and ambulance arrive: the “on-site helpers”.
In 2020 they moved out a total of 176 times in Reichling and experienced curious, beautiful, but also very tragic missions.
Reichling
- The alarm went off.
Mario Dangel and Edgar Linder were just at the handover.
And so they drove off together.
Exceptionally.
Off to Rott, where someone got a load of pepper spray.
Dangel and Linder, two "local helpers" (HvO) from Reichling, were the first to arrive.
As always.
But then nothing went as usual. When passers-by saw the blue light, they asked the paramedics to arrest a criminal.
He had attacked a pizzeria in Rott shortly before and had to be arrested.
"That is actually not part of our job," says Dangel in retrospect.
He turned the light on the perpetrator, using a megaphone to tell him to stop.
And so managed together with others to stop the perpetrator.
This very special incident was one of 176 missions that the “on-site helpers” from Reichling carried out last year.
There were a lot of emergency calls, thinks Dangel, the spokesman for the HvO.
After all, an ambulance has been stationed in Reichling for two years.
He is alerted during the day.
The HvO, which are based at the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) Landsberg, are also sent out at night and when the ambulance is already on the move.
The HvO has existed in Reichling since 1999. Before the ambulance came to Reichling, they deployed between 220 and 240 times a year.
Then as now, it is your job to help out in emergencies if the emergency services take too long to arrive.
Currently five paramedics share the task - all of them do it on a voluntary basis in their free time.
Dangel also works full-time in the rescue service.
This year a few things were different than before: On the one hand, the alarm system was changed.
In the past, Dangel and his colleagues always moved out when there was an emergency in one of the places for which they are responsible - in Thaining, Vilgertshofen, Rott, Apfeldorf or Reichling.
Depending on which volunteer was on duty, longer journeys could result.
A GPS transmitter is now attached to the vehicle - and the HvO is always informed when they are actually closest to the patient.
"Since then we have always been the fastest," says Dangel.
Speaking of vehicles: this is also new.
In spring there was a brand new SUV for the helpers.
He is always at the door of the one who is ready.
And the corona pandemic has also had an impact.
In spring, the HvO should only be alerted in absolute exceptional cases for safety reasons.
So there was no operation for almost a month.
However, the pandemic also resulted in many people taking vacations at home.
There were more operations on the water.
The HvO therefore equipped themselves, put a throw line with which they can pull people out of the water.
On top of that, a special life jacket has been part of the equipment since this year, so that even a drowning person can be pulled ashore.
The most common uses have nothing to do with water.
Most of the time the helpers rush off because of heart attacks and strokes.
Sometimes it is also a resuscitation.
"For us, too, there are long minutes before the emergency services arrive," says Dangel.
Because the first responders are always on their own - they should bridge the time until the emergency doctor and paramedics come.
And so protect those affected from further damage.
It doesn't always work. Two children could not be saved last year.
“That was the worst,” says Dangel.
Nevertheless, he wants to continue to help.
“We also have a lot of great missions.” The helpers can then calm down the injured or sick, give them strength and help them get well again - because help came on time.
"We get a lot of positive feedback."
Just no further support: For years the HvO have been looking for fellow campaigners to distribute the on-call services on other shoulders.
Self-placed advertisements have brought nothing.
“Nobody answers,” Dangel regrets.
“It is something great and positive to be a helper on site.” And something very important on top of that.
