The foundation stone for the cooperation between the Austrian Armed Forces and ÖAMTC Air Rescue was laid back in June 2011.
For almost a decade now, the ÖAMTC has been using the Hochfilzen military training area for the training and further education of its air rescue crews. Regular training for the Christophorus helicopter crews is essential for the success of rescue operations.
The commander of the Hochfilzen military training area, Colonel Franz Krug, emphasizes the importance of cooperation with operational organizations: “Although training our soldiers for deployments at home and abroad is a priority, we are also happy to support other operational organizations and make our military training area available.” At the Hochfilzen military training area, these include the police, fire department and rescue organizations such as the Red Cross, mountain rescue or rescue and search dogs. “Almost ten years ago, we were looking for a suitable training ground for a completely new training format for the crews of our Christophorus emergency helicopters – intensive tactical training,” explains Bernd Lang, Head of Training at ÖAMTC Air Rescue.
Lang: “Here at the Hochfilzen military training area, we find ideal training conditions, from simple rescue situations to complex rescues from a ravine or a rock face. The military training area is also located far away from residential buildings, so there is no disturbance to local residents from days of aircraft movements during training. Long-term planning is also possible and we have a competent partner in the Austrian Armed Forces,” Bernd Lang praises the cooperation and adds: “In addition, the cooperation with the Austrian Armed Forces in the context of air rescue and assistance missions, such as avalanche disasters or severe weather operations, is already a long success story and has proven its worth in protecting the population.”
