Baby ambulance is handed over to the fire brigade
On 5 September, 3.30 pm, Fire Station II, Wilhelm-Weber-Straße 15
On Monday, 5 September at 3.30 pm, the baby emergency ambulance will be officially handed over to the Chemnitz fire brigade at Fire Station II, Wilhelm-Weber-Straße 15. In addition to Mayor Ralph Burghart and René Kraus, Head of the Fire Department, PD Dr med. habil. Axel Hübler, Chief Physician of the Clinic for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Chemnitz Hospital, and Thomas Pflanz, Project Manager of the Björn Steiger Foundation, will also be present.
Representatives of the media are cordially invited to attend.
The Björn Steiger Foundation's baby emergency ambulance "Felix" has been in use at Chemnitz Hospital since 2017 and has completed around 300 missions since then. In future, the Chemnitz fire service will be the main service provider responsible for stationing, maintaining and operating the ambulance. This will make it possible to better manage operational availability, meaning that the specialised vehicle will be ready for use more quickly in terms of maintenance and economic requirements.
Since 1 January 2022, the vehicle has been deployed from Fire and Rescue Station II, taking on the care team of the Perinatal Centre at Chemnitz Hospital and providing primary and secondary emergency transport for the smallest patients.
The vehicle, which was developed by the Björn Steiger Foundation, is mostly used for transfer journeys between maternity and specialised clinics. In Chemnitz, it drives to the Clinic for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Chemnitz Hospital. As a service provider of the Chemnitz-Erzgebirge Rescue Association, the Chemnitz fire brigade is thus able to carry out baby transports safely and gently. This is guaranteed by special cushioning, acoustic insulation and a user-friendly loading and unloading system. In addition, the transport incubator, a mobile incubator, is positioned at right angles to the direction of travel. This makes it easier to provide medical treatment and care for the small patient. In addition, significantly less force is exerted on the baby when braking.
Background to the foundation:
The Björn Steiger Foundation finances the baby emergency ambulance project with the help of fundraising campaigns and sponsors. It was responsible for the development and commissioning of the first ambulance for premature babies back in 1974. Over the years, the ambulance has been continuously developed and improved. In 2012, the Björn Steiger Foundation presented "Felix", the fifth and latest generation of the vehicle.
The foundation is named after Björn Steiger, an eight-year-old boy who was hit by a car on his way home from the swimming pool. It took almost an hour for the ambulance to arrive. Björn Steiger did not die from his injuries on 3 May 1969, but from shock. His parents Ute and Siegfried Steiger then founded the Björn Steiger Foundation on 7 July 1969 as a non-profit organisation with the aim of improving German emergency aid. Milestones of this commitment include the introduction of the nationwide standardised and free emergency number 110/112, the development of emergency telephone networks on German roads, the introduction of radiotelephony in ambulances and the development of air rescue services.
Current initiatives are dedicated in particular to the fight against cardiac death, broad-based training in resuscitation, sensitising children and young people to emergencies, transporting premature babies and alerting first responders via app.