Rescue with obstacles: Litzelsdorf fire brigade masters turning stairs!

Rescue with obstacles: Litzelsdorf fire brigade masters turning stairs!

Litzelsdorf, Burgenland, Österreich - On April 1, 2025, the Litzelsdorf volunteer fire brigade in Burgenland was alerted to a mission, which was a special challenge. The fire brigade received a silent alarm to support the emergency services, which was entrusted with the removal of a patient from the attic. The critical point of the operation was a spiral staircase with a small ceiling opening that made access to the emergency services. A C17 rescue helicopter was also requested for the removal, the landing site of which was illuminated by the fire brigade on the nearby sports field.

The entire duration of the service was around 90 minutes, in which the Litzelsdorf volunteer fire brigade provided active support with 12 forces and 2 vehicles. In addition to the fire brigade, the Red Cross, the police and the ÖAMTC rescue helicopter were also involved. Such operations illustrate how important cooperation between different emergency services is, especially in situations that require unconventional solutions.

challenges of spiral stairs

spiral stairs are often used in residential buildings, such as in this case , where an external staircase is discussed as a potential first emergency route. In the case of buildings in building class 4, the need to plan escape routes can arise, especially if access to an attic over the upper floor is no longer available for reasons of building regulations. In the case of Litzelsdorf it turns out how important such planning is if the condition of the escape routes can be decisive in an emergency.

The planned spiral staircase is often chosen due to spatial and financial restrictions, but raises questions about security. Is a spiral staircase as the first escape route and does it meet the necessary safety standards? These considerations are of great importance in the context of the latest missions.

numbers and facts about rescue operations

The challenges of the emergency services are also contained by comprehensive data and analyzes, such as "https://www.bast.de/de/publikations/bericht/unterreihe-m/2023/m345.html"> Bast-report M 345 . In the years 2020 and 2021, around 13.1 million missions were registered annually in Germany, of which around 5.03 million were carried out in the context of ambulances. The continuous burden and the need for an optimal rescue infrastructure can be seen in these figures.

In addition, it was found that emergency and patient transports make up a significant number of operations, with a variety of different operational events. The efficiency and speed of the emergency services are of the utmost importance, so that every measure that helps to improve the operating conditions is crucial for saving life.