Relief for Rescue Services: Draft Bill Approved
In a bid to ease the city's rescue service and enhance emergency response, the Berlin government is initiating a reform of the Rescue Services Act. The initiative, championed by Iris Spranger of the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany), aims to bolster prevention and health literacy.
The reform centers on the preventive emergency medical service, a proactive approach that intervenes before patients become emergencies. This service is set to play a pivotal role in the strengthening, as per Spranger.
Demographic change is a key factor driving the increase in call-outs, with more people requiring medical assistance as they age. In 2024, there were almost 500,000 call-outs in the ambulance service, a surge of nearly 21,000 from the previous year.
To tackle this, the amendment to the law will empower the fire brigade's rescue service to categorize emergencies by urgency. Around a tenth of all call-outs fall into urgency level 5, with the option of summoning acute care or psychiatric emergency services for such cases.
The reform also seeks to reduce the number of non-emergency calls to the rescue services. Non-medical emergencies are often reported, leading to unnecessary strain on the service. As an alternative to the emergency number 112, the central number 19 222 will be used more frequently for patient transport in the future, alleviating the burden on the rescue service.
Moreover, the range of first aid courses on offer is to be expanded as part of the reform. Self-help skills are a key aspect of the preventive emergency medical service, and these courses will equip the public with the knowledge and skills to handle minor emergencies independently.
In addition, the reform aims to enable the rescue service to concentrate on its core tasks of emergency rescue and emergency transport. In 2024, the fire service was able to refer almost 40,000 such calls to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
The draft for this reform was approved by the Senate, with the next step being state parliament consideration and passage. The reform of the Rescue Services Act is a significant stride towards enhancing emergency response in Berlin and ensuring that the rescue service can focus on its most critical tasks.
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