German EMS

[housil]

I can give you all first hand information


One of our ACLS ambulance and 3 medics on bikes (highway "patrol")


my duty car


Live flight (Eurocopter EC 135) and local ACLS ambulance


One of our ER doctors responding car.

[rationtin440]

Very cool pics housil, thanks! Here in the states there is a system whereby our army medics have to be EMT qualified, and at one time an army medic could not start intravenous fluids nor give injections.I was an army EMT and medic during desert storm and we had medics that were also certified paramedics EMT being the basic level to allow us to treat civilian casualties to a point. In the wake of 9/11, several cities here in the states used federal money to train their basic EMTs to administer nerve agent antidotes in the event of a terrorist NBC attack. How does military medical training translate to civilian training for u there? Are u authorized to give the same treatment level to patients as an army medic? Sorry for all the questions just curious.

[rationtin440]

Sorry for confusion, what I meant to say was that at one time an army medic here could not give intravenous fluids to a civilian casualty unless the medic was civilian qualified as well, this in order to avoid legal issues with civilians.

[housil]

Sorry for all the questions just curious.

You are welcome - keep asking

First of all, our military medical personal must have the same training like a civilian in a same job.

Depends to your rank, a Corporal needs to be a EMT, a Sergeant must be a paramedic.
Becoming a paramedic in Germany means one year of paramedic school, second year on job training on an civilian EMS station.
Our Army do not run own stations, so all military personal doing their on job training at our, civilian stations for one year and get a civilian paramedic diploma.
If you are not an "paramedic", you are also not allowed to give IVs etc. same like in USA - except the patien will die if you don´t do it. Even EMTs are allowed to do anything they know and are well trained to safe the patiens life.

The officers corps are driving volunteerly as medics on our ambulances to keep in training.

After two years, the paramedics return to their army units to became promoted to a sergeant now and being an Army medic.

Sometimes the Army invited us to show and introduce us their stuff and equipment:

Me in front of current first aid station (M*A*S*H ) like in Afghanistan


Med crew (Captain (paramedic) in front, NCOs (EMTs & paramedics) behind)


inside treatment tent






Actually, our Army is not involved into civilian disaters inside Germany.
We have a hugh civial protection (heritage of cold war) of e.g. Red Cross (doing all EMS), fire department and "THW" .

Each county has it´s own "quick respond units", can treat up to 50 casulties. Like a military MASH unit.

Depends to the number of casulties, call the neighbor counties around until you can handle the situation.

See all units here:




Now to especially treatment.

we have a little bit different philosephy of treatment.

We send ambulances (BLS, ACLS, baby, medic one, life flight etc) and medics as you know too.

Crew starts treatment, monitor, RR, oxygen, blood sugar etc...

Now the difference!
As soon there is danger for life like heart attack, cardiac arrest, stroke, seriously injured, trapped in car after accident etc. we call an ER doctors unit to the scenen as back up and start ER treatment at the scene.
So if necessary, we give an awake patient and anestheasia, intubate him, thats why we have portable resucsitators in the ambulances.
We are fully equiped with all kind of aneasthetics, all kind of cardiac arryhtmia medication, anti dote etc... Chast drainage etc...



Our stretcher is in the middle of the ambulance on a liftable support. So we can walk around the stretcher, move it up and down and treat patient from all sides


See ACLS ambulance, behind ER doctors unit (me) and life flight helicopter (Pilot, flight medic, ER doctor)
We did treatmant at scene (interstate), aneasthesia, intubation etc, called lighflight to fly patient into hospital as it was faster than to drive by ambulance.


In case of an heart attack, we start lysis at the scene after we did an 12 channel monitor, check by the ER doctor at the scene. If necessary, at the patiens living room.
We medics can give all iv´s we have (not Ringer only, also HAES 7% (small volume resucsitation) ) under supervison of the ER doctor at the scene. He orders the treatment, we do it - except the "doctors only" treatment like chest drainage, an central iv into a big vene like jugularis, clavicula, basilica etc.

The army medcis are similar. There is allways an doctor with an convoy outside, as soon as more far than 1 hour of camp.
This mobile doctors unit is in an APC like "Fuchs" :



The German Army only respond to civilian disaters if they are an official "disaters" by government like the flood in 2002 in East Germany I was:


Me & coworker i front of ACLS ambulance (quick respond unit)


Me briefing my crews for night shift


Me after nightshift...


All quick repsond unit of our whole state responding to the flood, 70 ACLS ambulance waiting for calls

Terminal of Airport Dresden:

now ICU and...


...regulard ward with 150 beds


Mobile kitchen trailer at Airport

Airfield with German Air Force "Transalls" to MEDEVAC patiens outside flood area with our quick respond units:







Sorry I can´t post my video clips from work here public

Any further questions? Don´t hesitate to ask

[Cracker]

Nice pictures..

I have some questions aswell

What kind of vehicle is seen on the left?

It's not a Unimog right? (my first guess)

And I see Bundeswehr medics/sani's without a red cross on their helmets..
But.. I have a original kevlar helmet (Induyco München) with a flecktarn cover, with a redcross on the front (with a flecktarn cover that can flip on or off). I got it from someone that was with the 6. GebSanRgt, 42. SanAusbKp in Kempten (I think it doesn't exist any more)..

Is the helmet with redcross for people with a special function aswell? Like a Notarzt (Paramedic?) ?

[housil]

What kind of vehicle is seen on the left?

It's not a Unimog right? (my first guess)

You are right, it´s not an Unimog.

It´s a Duro III, made by Swiss MOWAG Company.

And I see Bundeswehr medics/sani's without a red cross on their helmets..
But.. I have a original kevlar helmet (Induyco München) with a flecktarn cover, with a redcross on the front (with a flecktarn cover that can flip on or off). I got it from someone that was with the 6. GebSanRgt, 42. SanAusbKp in Kempten (I think it doesn't exist any more)..

Is the helmet with redcross for people with a special function aswell? Like a Notarzt (Paramedic?) ?

Actually, we never had Red Cross patches on the helmets, this is not US-ARMY of WWII
I guess, some "home improvment"

[Cracker]

It's made very nice, not simply hand sewn or something. And I haven't seen anything like it for sale,

The Gebirgsjäger also do avalance relief as a helping hand, "Lawine dienst", maybe they used it to be more noticable as medical personell?

By the way, is a sanitäter a "nurse" or a paramedic?

And as far as I know, no modern military uses the redcross on the helmet anymore..
But that's why I'm so curious about it, never heared of it, and never saw fake ones either..

[housil]

The Gebirgsjäger also do avalance relief as a helping hand, "Lawine dienst", maybe they used it to be more noticable as medical personell?

By law it is nobody else allowed to do any pubilc EMS than the official Services like us,Red Cross, St. Johns Ambulance (Johanniter), Maltheser and sometimes the Fire Department (FD does not EMS everywhere).

This is, to save peolpes from fraudster and non qualified personal.
German military (Bundeswehr) is not a part of official, public EMS. So they just don´t do it, they are not allowed to do.
If it comes to the worst (State disaster), we can call the military for back up, but by the governor only.

Avalange relief, is part of EMS and ours are called Bergwacht. Bergwacht is a section of (Bavarian) Red Cross. Same like water rescue. The Wasserwacht is also a section of Red Cross.

By the way, is a sanitäter a "nurse" or a paramedic?

Everybody can call himself a "Sanitäter".
EMT = Rettungssanitäter
Paramedic = Rettungsassistent

(You need to have a diploma to call yourself a "Rettungsassistent", otherwise its an infraction. Penalty is €2.500)

But ususally if peoples say "Sanitäter", they are talking about EMS personall.

And as far as I know, no modern military uses the redcross on the helmet anymore..
But that's why I'm so curious about it, never heared of it, and never saw fake ones either..

Some NATO stores offer their own equipment and some soldiers buy it and use it on duty. We do too

[Cracker]

Hmm what I understood from him was that the Bundeswehr was used as "Muscles" in avalanche relief (snow clearing, digging, as support) and they do have their own medical personell, but I don't know their diploma's/tasks.

It might be a civil add on then, but I really can't find it anywhere on the web..

[ak70g2]

Olli, can you give me an list with all the supplies found in an military medic bag? And Cracker as well... I found that:

http://www.donrearic.com/firstaidkit.html

So, I ask what I need into a comprehensive medical kit for my latest nuts, Search and Rescue?