Paramedics from the Red Cross department in Lustenau gave elementary school students an insight into their daily work.
Lustenau What do you do if you need medical help? Who to contact? And what does an ambulance actually look like from the inside? The pupils of the 3a class of the Rotkreuz elementary school found answers to this during their visit to the Red Cross department last Thursday morning in the Schützengarten. Commander Marcel Holzer and paramedic Irina Schneider told them impressively how they provide first aid to people. In order to make what was said and shown even clearer, they even simulated a rescue situation with a student. The children watched with interest as commandant Holzer and paramedic Schneider treated their classmate.
“We are always ready to help the people who need us. 24 hours a day and seven days a week,” Commander Marcel Holzer explained to the students. Paramedic Irina Schneider explained the role that routine plays in this. “When someone needs help, you are usually very nervous and excited. We paramedics use our experience to bring the necessary calm into the situation. We’re here to help.” As paramedics, they carry out life-saving emergency measures until the ambulance arrives and the patient can be taken to the hospital. “Helping people in need is an incredibly nice feeling,” said Irina Schneider, who is a full-time teacher and also works as a volunteer with the Red Cross.
Help beyond Lustenau
The Red Cross department in Lustenau has around 160 members, 60 of whom are active helpers. “We have employed paramedics and volunteer rescuers in Lustenau. This means we can offer help around the clock,” says Holzer. If an emergency call comes in, they are quickly there to help in Lustenau, Höchst, Gaißau and Fußach. “We also have a broad network of first responders in the rural communities who we call on when we are called. This is how we ensure that a helper is quickly on site,” explained the commander. In 99 percent of the cases, the rescuers can be with the person seeking help in less than ten minutes.
The students were lucky when they visited the rescue service, the two large emergency vehicles came back from an operation. “We’ll take a look at our ambulances in a moment. Then we can show you how we can help people in the car,” says Schneider. The children took a lot of practical life information with them on this excursion and were enthusiastic about what they had experienced in the Red Cross department in Lustenau. At the end of the morning, the rescuers even received a real emergency call. Irina Schneider packed her things, ran to the car and drove to the next rescue operation with the lights flashing. bv
