Ambulance successfully in action
Punctually at 3:00 p.m. on July 01, 2021, the new ASB rescue station in the Mannheim district of Sandhofen went into operation. It took exactly four minutes until the first mission. "Within the first 24 hours, we were called out from the new rescue station a total of 15 times," says Hendrik Maier, head of the ASB rescue service. That alone clearly shows how sensible it was to relocate an ambulance from the Käfertal site to Sandhofen. "With the new rescue station, we can better serve the people in the north of Mannheim," Joachim Schmid, managing director of ASB Mannheim/Rhine-Neckar Region, is pleased to say. After the transfer of one ambulance from Käfertal to Sandhofen, three of four vehicles will remain at the Käfertal rescue station. After consultation with the city of Mannheim, the ambulance will be ordered back from Sandhofen to Käfertal at short notice, should there be bottlenecks in Käfertal. "This is a matter of course for us anyway," says Hendrik Maier, "all ambulances are always deployed where they are needed."
Discussions about the Sandhofen site
A new rescue station in this district had initially been discussed by the city of Mannheim. The divisional committee already decided on the new station in July last year. The legal supervisory authority of the City of Mannheim then lodged an objection to the procedure in January 2021. At a meeting on May 11, the divisional committee then again voted unanimously in favor of the new rescue station in Sandhofen. The decision-making body decides, among other things, on the locations of the rescue stations in Mannheim. The committee has 14 voting members from cost and service providers, including health insurance companies and the ASB, DRK, Johanniter and Malteser associations. The city of Mannheim supports the technical work of the divisional committee in an advisory capacity and also has legal oversight of the committee.
Concerns of the city regarding the Sandhofen rescue station
In connection with the new rescue station, the city of Mannheim brought up considerations according to which people in the south of Mannheim could then be disadvantaged by the distribution of the deployment locations. The area committee agrees that the DRK and Malteser will be relieved by the new rescue station and can therefore be on site more quickly at other locations. Future settlements in Franklin and other Mannheim districts will be closely monitored by the experts of the divisional committee and additional vehicles will be made available if necessary. "Overall, the rescue service in Mannheim is very well positioned; we are in second place in the whole of Baden-Württemberg as far as the response time is concerned," says Maier. The help time limit describes the time between the receipt of the emergency call and the arrival of the rescue service on the scene. "The rescue service does not have a capacity problem," Maier emphasizes, but in some places it is possible to be at the scene of an emergency even faster. With the new rescue station in Sandhofen, one has further optimized the supply of people both in the north of Mannheim and in the south. It would be negligent and not in line with the facts to stir up fears among the people in the south of Mannheim that they would be less well served in the future.
Roche works ambulance not an issue in regular rescue service
Upon inquiry of the ASB at the Roche plant medical service, they were clearly astonished that the plant ambulance should be integrated into the regular rescue service. According to an agreement between Roche and the German Red Cross (DRK), Roche can immediately drive employees who have an accident on the plant premises or become seriously ill, for example due to a heart attack, to the hospital in their own vehicle without having to call in the regular rescue service. However, this only applies to people on the plant premises. In addition, the plant ambulance can be alerted via the control center in the event of major emergencies. An integration into the public rescue service is not conceivable, Roche said.
Accusation of enrichment of ASB by new rescue station
Meanwhile, allegations have been circulated that the ASB Mannheim/Rhine-Neckar Region wants to enrich itself through the new rescue station. "We do not earn a cent more or less through the new rescue station," explains Maier. One had received the order from the range committee to realize the new rescue station by unanimous resolution. "We are obliged to implement this resolution," Maier continues. In addition, the ASB is a welfare association and not a company. This means that the ASB, like all other associations, must operate economically but by no means generate profits.
Sufficient personnel at the ASB rescue service
"We have enough employees in the rescue service to be able to staff an additional ambulance if necessary," says Maier. Currently, the ASB in Mannheim has around 300 employees working as paramedics or emergency paramedics. 59 young people are being trained as emergency paramedics at ASB. "We don't have any worries about new recruits," Maier emphasizes. Many young people are very interested in working in the emergency medical services, he says. The job description of an emergency paramedic is highly attractive.
Broad support from the population in the north of Mannheim
"We are 100 percent behind the new rescue station; for the people in the north of Mannheim, this means significantly more safety," says Wolfgang Steinmann, deputy chairman of the Sandhofen Citizens' Association. The citizens' association had invited to an information event on June 23. According to Steinmann, the non-partisan and independent umbrella organization for associations looks after the interests of the citizens in Sandhofen. Around 18,000 people live in the Mannheim district. "In terms of area, we are the largest district," Steinmann says, making it all the more important to provide a good and safe service. The districts of Sandhofen, Schönau, Blumenau, Scharhof and Kirschgartshausen would benefit most from the new station.
Cost absorption by the health insurance companies
In total, ASB Mannheim/Rhine-Neckar Region now operates four rescue stations in Mannheim, Heidelberg and Hirschberg with eight ambulances distributed among the sites. The new rescue station is financed by the health insurance funds. An additional ambulance, as requested by the city of Mannheim, would only be financed by the payers if there was a proven need for it. fek