Exclusive Insights into the Demanding Work of the Air Rescue Service

Hungarian air rescue services perform superhuman work every day in emergencies across the country. Medical director Róbert Gebei gave Magyar Nemzet an insight into the organization, the challenges, and the psychological strain of this highly specialized rescue service, which often makes the difference between life and death.

The organization operates nine helicopters from seven bases (in the regions of Budaörs, Miskolc, Debrecen, Szentes, Balatonfüred, Marcali, and Szekszárd), ensuring comprehensive coverage throughout Hungary. Although funding has been provided by the riot police since 2020, technical control remains with the Hungarian Rescue Service (OMSZ).

Air rescue is called to around 3,800 missions annually, with half of the cases involving serious injuries and the other half involving internal medical emergencies such as heart attacks or strokes.

Especially in summer, around Lake Balaton, the number of daily missions can rise to as many as six.

Róbert Gebei emphasized the uncompromising alarm procedure. “The rescue commander must always assume the worst. If the report indicates a potentially serious situation, our colleagues will always respond,” he explained.

Even if it turns out on site that the helicopter is not absolutely necessary, it is better to fly once too often than once too little.

In addition to speed, the air rescue team uses its position to navigate ground units in complex accidents on highways or in difficult terrain. An important advance was the introduction of on-site blood transfusions four years ago, which have since been used in almost 300 cases.

Nevertheless, the work is associated with tragic realities, especially in the case of serious traffic accidents. The director emphasized that 150 motorcycle accidents have already been treated this year. Half of the accident victims, most of whom were between 20 and 50 years old, suffered life-threatening injuries, and in ten percent of cases, any help came too late.

The enormous psychological strain on employees is a key issue. The air rescue service employs its own psychologist and works closely with the OMSZ crisis intervention group. “When it comes to children or very traumatic deaths, the psychologists actively seek us out,” says Gebei. The team often discusses the experiences immediately after the mission in order to process the psychological impressions. There have been occasions when the crew has had to take a twenty-minute break after particularly traumatic events.

Admission to the air rescue service requires the highest qualifications; the 44 doctors and 28 paramedics must undergo a rigorous, multi-stage selection process.

Most of the medical staff work part-time so that they can keep up to date with the latest developments in their field through their parallel hospital work.

The requirements are even higher for the 23 pilots. They need 1,000 hours of command experience, at least 500 of which must be in helicopters. Gebei emphasized that this specialization is very costly and difficult to acquire, especially since the transition from military to civil aviation is complex. Physical fitness plays just as important a role as technology. The teams train at the bases in gyms, as rescues in the mountains or in the forest often require reaching the injured on foot with heavy equipment.

Anyone who comes here must know that we are not only responsible for the patient, but also for each other,”

the director summarized. Every successful mission reminds the team why this grueling work is their ongoing motivation despite all the challenges, he added.

Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured image: Facebook/Magyar Légimentő Nonprofit Kft.

The post Exclusive Insights into the Demanding Work of the Air Rescue Service appeared first on Hungary Today.

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