Rescue heroes in action: Graz copes with the killing run with flying colors!

Rescue heroes in action: Graz copes with the killing run with flying colors!

Graz, Österreich - On June 12, 2025, Graz was in a state of emergency after a killing spree at a school. The incident occurred on Monday when the Red Cross rescue workers were alerted shortly after 10 a.m. Federal Rescue Commandant Gerry Foitik and State Rescue Commander Peter Hansak took a balance sheet about the large -scale operation, which has saved numerous lives. All available rescues were set in motion immediately, and to create additional resources, patient transports were stopped in Graz.

The first ambulance were on site after just eight minutes. The close cooperation with the police made it possible to quickly create a safe place of use, so that emergency medical care could start immediately. The first patients arrived 39 minutes after the first emergency call: inside the Graz hospitals. All patients were treated within the very beginning: on the inside of emergency medical or trauma surgery and transported in three Graz clinics.

operational statistics and outlook

The Red Cross's operational statistics in Graz is impressive and testifies to the efficiency of the organization. A total of 65 emergency vehicles were mobilized:

• 44 ambulance (RTW)
• 11 ambulance (B-KTW)
• 4 emergency medical vehicle (NEF)
• 3 emergency helicopter (close)
• 1 command vehicle (KDO)
• 2 disaster relief trucks (KAT-TRUCH)

A total of 158 employees were: involved in the emergency services and emergency rescue service, supported by 83 employees: inside in the rescue control center, as well as operational officer: inside and the Red Cross crisis intervention. This was alerted early and created structures to look after those affected. Foitik emphasized the good preparation and resilience of the rescue organization on such emergencies.

Current challenges in the emergency services

The incident in Graz is not only an example of the successful measures in an emergency, but also shows the challenges in the emergency services. In the emergency services laws of the federal states, the focus is on health maintaining emergency patients and their transport to hospitals. Increasing number of operations and a lack of alternative supply offers require a preventive emergency service. This includes measures to avoid emergencies to reduce the risk of an emergency call and to improve the medical care results, as described in the article by pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

There is a growing need for reconnaissance campaigns for the recognition of threatening diseases, since many people cannot correctly assess medical help. Despite these challenges, the Berlin fire brigade has already started to develop a preventive rescue service, which is an important step in the direction of improved patient care.

In the future, legal anchoring to finance and ensure the quality of care is necessary in order to further increase the resilience of the population and the efficiency of the emergency services. Further information on the current developments and challenges in the emergency services can be found on steiermark.orf.at