Airbus supports public safety in South Tyrol
Airbus is never far when it comes to public safety in South Tyrol. Whether it is the mountain rescue service, the police or the fire brigade, they all rely on products and solutions from Airbus to carry out their missions in the best possible way.
From mountaineering to skiing, South Tyrol offers everything an alpinist could want. While they enjoy their hobbies, many people work behind the scenes to ensure they can enjoy their hobbies with peace of mind. For example, the mountain rescue service is constantly on stand-by, ready to get to the scene of an incident in the shortest possible time.
The mountain rescue service of South Tyrol is deployed where there are no passable roads. Thomas Hellrigl, Head of the service, explains, “As well as saving people and animals, we also recover things like drones and paragliders that are trapped in impassable terrain.”
Around 1,100 people volunteer for the mountain rescue service. “It’s a way to combine our love for the mountains with voluntary work,” explains Hellrigl. The rescue service is mobilised when an alarm is raised by the provincial emergency call centre. The mountain rescuers receive mission reports via pager and a mobile phone app around the clock, always ready to drop everything to provide immediate assistance.
The mountain rescue service in South Tyrol relies on Airbus H145 and H135 (pictured) helicopters for rescue missions.
Rapid air assistance
The mountain rescue service in South Tyrol increasingly relies on helicopters for critical missions. “We currently fly about 600 missions a year with helicopters,” says Hellrigl. “That’s a good third of all our missions - a considerable number.” When every minute counts, the rescue teams are on the scene in the shortest possible time. “Helicopters make it possible to provide direct assistance in places that are otherwise difficult or impossible to access.”
Rescue flights are carried out with Airbus H145 and H135 helicopters. “Our highest mountain is almost 4,000-metres-high so we need powerful machines,” explains Hellrigl. Rescue operations using winches are not uncommon, especially in the Dolomites where the rock faces are steep. All the helicopters are equipped with a 90-metre-long cable winch, which enables the air rescuers and paramedics to lower themselves directly to where support is needed.
In addition, the mountain rescue service uses the H135 to carry out tow searches. For that a rope is connected to the underside of the helicopter and used to fly air rescuers and paramedics to the scene. “Our air rescuers are specially trained to perform both winch and tow rescues,” emphasises Hellrigl.
Communication is essential for the emergency services in South Tyrol to ensure public safety.
Enabling mission-critical communication
Airbus products are not only used by mountain rescue teams in South Tyrol. The province also works with Airbus for mission-critical communications. First responders such as firefighters, police and paramedics all communicate via a digital radio network based on the TETRA standard. Airbus designed, built and continues to maintain the system which is operated by the local civil protection authority.
“It is essential that the radio network is available everywhere and at all times,” explains Markus Rauch, Coordinator for the deployment and operation of the TETRA network in the region. The conditions in South Tyrol are particularly challenging. The mountainous landscape makes seamless network coverage much more difficult than in the lowlands. “Communication is critical for our users and they don’t tolerate outages,” says Rauch.
The first step towards introducing digital radio communications in South Tyrol was taken at the Biathlon World Championships in 2007. “We used the event to test a mobile TETRA cell,” says Rauch. This paved the way for the future: the gradual transition to digital radio communications began in 2014. Today, the system is widely used by first-responder organisations in South Tyrol and counts around 9,000 users.
The Province of South Tyrol also uses the Airbus Agnet app that turns the smartphone into a tool for critical communication.
New communication approaches
In addition to the TETRA infrastructure, Airbus also provides the Agnet application that transforms every smartphone into a tool for critical communications via cellular networks or Wi-Fi. “Agnet is the ideal solution for teams behind the front line,” explains Rauch. While the emergency services on the scene continue to work with a radio, teams in the background are connected live via their smartphones, taking part in the radio communication and receiving text messages or images. “The coordinating forces can follow the operation from wherever they are and intervene if necessary.” Agnet is now being tested by other security forces, including the provincial fire brigade and the municipal police of Bressanone.
What does the future hold for the mountain rescue service? They are taking the final steps into the world of digital radio communications. In October 2024, radios were distributed and trial operations began. “Problems during missions are usually due to a lack of communication, not to external factors,” concludes Hellrigl. “Good communication and coordination are crucial to the success of our missions.” The mountain rescue service is aiming for even better performance by switching to digital radio communications.
