Foundation Deed
- The Verein Schweizerische Rettungsflugwacht – hereafter referred to as the Swiss Air-Rescue Association – hereby constitutes an independent, humanitarian and non-profit foundation pursuant to Art. 80 ff of the Swiss Civil Code (SCC).
- The purpose of the Foundation is to help people in distress and in need of assistance, in accordance with the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross. It is particularly involved in the rescue of and provision of emergency assistance to seriously injured or ill persons, as well as in accident prevention. In addition, it may employ its resources to help socially oppressed persons.
- The Foundation may also delegate tasks to other organisations. It is empowered to create new organisations and to support existing ones.
- The founder shall transfer to the Foundation assets as set out on a list dated 3 May 1979. Additional donations may be endowed to the Foundation at any time. The assets of the Foundation shall be increased by means of revenue generated by its activities and the assets themselves, as well as by means of voluntary donations by third parties. The Foundation Board may also procure funding by other means. The liabilities of the Foundation are solely limited to its assets.
- The supreme body of the Foundation is the Foundation Board. The Foundation Board and any other organs are governed by a set of regulations laid down by the founder at the time the Foundation is established. These regulations also specify the implementation of the other provisions contained in the Foundation Deed.
- In the event that the purpose of the Foundation ceases to become attainable (Art. 88, Para. 1, SCC), the entire existing assets shall be transferred to other Swiss humanitarian and non-profit institutions. The Foundation Board, with the approval of two-thirds of its members, shall determine to which institutions and for what amount the assets shall be allocated.
Foundation Regulations
Article 1 Name and registered office
Schweizerische Rettungsflugwacht (Rega) Garde aérienne suisse de sauvetage (Rega) Guardia aerea svizzera di soccorso (Rega) Swiss Air-Rescue (Rega) is an independent, humanitarian, and non-profit foundation pursuant to article 80 ff of the Swiss Civil Code (SCC) and has its registered office in Kloten.
Article 2 Purpose
Rega’s purpose is to help people in distress and in need of assistance in accordance with the principles of the Red Cross, without discrimination on grounds of person, financial circumstances, social status, nationality, race, religious beliefs, or political opinions.
Rega can furthermore transact any business suitable for promoting or facilitating the fulfilment of this purpose.
The Foundation can, in particular, participate in other business ventures in Switzerland and abroad, set up subsidiary organisations and/or subsidiary companies at home and abroad, and acquire, encumber, hold, and dispose of property.
Article 3 Tasks
Rega provides assistance wherever its intervention can serve to maintain, preserve, or protect human life or health. In addition, it can deploy its resources to help the socially oppressed.
Rega is responsible for organising and carrying out flights using helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft and assists in the event of accidents, illness, or disasters.
Rega is a humanitarian foundation which provides its services in partnership with funding bodies and with the support of its patrons. Emergency deployments and operations for the benefit of the public are not conditional upon whether or not costs are covered.
Rega collaborates with rescue organisations and authorities. In particular, it also participates in scientific projects relating to air rescue.
Rega takes and supports measures designed to fulfil its purpose in the light of the latest scientific and technical knowledge. It can also support activities in the areas of medicine, rescue, disaster relief, and accident prevention.
The Board of Trustees may decide to extend the Foundation’s duties within the scope of its general purpose.
Article 4 Operations centre
In order to fulfil its duties, Rega runs an operations centre 24 hours a day, for 365 days a year, which can be contacted at any time by anyone requiring emergency assistance. The operations centre organises assistance and coordinates the resources to be deployed. It can also offer advice relating to matters within the scope of Rega’s activities.
Article 5 Operational readiness
Rega ensures continuous, appropriate readiness for operation and the availability of its resources, so that emergency assistance can be provided at any time
Article 6 Relationship with the Swiss Air-Rescue Association
The Swiss Air-Rescue Association is the founder of Rega. Its purpose is to promote the field of rescue in general and support the aims of Rega in particular.
The Swiss Air-Rescue Association is a forum for persons and organisations that are involved in air rescue or working in collaboration with Rega. Rega can promote the Association where this serves its needs.
Article 7 Financing
Patrons and donors support the humanitarian and non-profit work carried out by Rega by means of patrons’ contributions and donations.
Wherever possible, costs of operations are invoiced to a funding body.
Article 8 Governing bodies
The Foundation’s governing bodies are:
- the Board of Trustees
- the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees
- the Finance Commission
- the Medical Commission
- the Senior Management
- the Auditor
Article 9 Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees comprises a maximum of 15 members.
Four members of the Board of Trustees are elected by the Swiss Air-Rescue Association, including the President.
The remaining members of the Board of Trustees are elected by the Board of Trustees. The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees proposes motions.
The term of office for members of the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee and the commissions is four years.
Re-election is possible up to the age of 70.
Article 10 Members of the Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees should comprise a well-balanced group of individuals representing the areas of aviation, medicine, rescue, humanitarian work, operational partners, business and politics, as well as both sexes and the various regions and language communities. The interpersonal and technical expertise of its members ensures that this collegiate body has the mix of skills necessary to perform its work.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Chairman of the Swiss Air-Rescue Association coordinate candidacies in advance to ensure balanced representation.
Employees (workers) of the Foundation may not be appointed members of the Board of Trustees.
Article 11 Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees shall elect from amongst its members a five-person Executive Committee and shall determine its tasks and competences. The Chairman of this committee is the Chairman of the Foundation, and the Vice-Chairman of this Committee is the Vice-Chairman.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees plays a coordinating role within the Board of Trustees. It establishes the prerequisites for an interdisciplinary approach at a strategic level that governs the decisions and actions of the Board of Trustees.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees meets as often as its business requires.
Article 12 Commissions
The Board of Trustees can establish permanent commissions and working groups. It determines their tasks and competences.
The Finance and Medical Commissions are permanent commissions.
Article 13 Competences
The Board of Trustees is the supreme body of the Foundation.
It defines the tasks and competences of the other bodies.
It approves an annual report, giving an account of the Foundation’s activities, for the attention of the supervisory authority, the Swiss Air-Rescue Association and the general public.
It issues the organisational regulations of the Foundation.
Article 14 Meetings of the Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees meets at least twice a year
- at the invitation of the Chairman or the Vice Chairman, or
- at the request of the CEO/Chairman of the Senior Management, or
- at the request of at least three members of the Board of Trustees.
When dealing with matters that affect the personal interests of a member of the Board of Trustees, this member must abstain from the proceedings.
Article 15 Passing resolutions
The Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee and the various commissions may pass resolutions when at least half of the members are present at a meeting. Written voting in absentia is not permitted. Resolutions may be passed by circular letter unless one member makes a written request for a discussion.
The bodies pass their resolutions by a simple majority of votes. In the case of a tied vote, the Chairman has the casting vote.
The election of members to the Board of Trustees is governed by separate provisions (organisational regulations).
Minutes shall be kept.
Article 16 Senior Management
The Board of Trustees delegates management to the Senior Management, unless the law, the deed of foundation, or these regulations stipulate otherwise.
The Board of Trustees appoints the Senior Management, which comprises the CEO/ Chairman of the Senior Management, the Chief Physician, and the Chief Financial Officer.
The Senior Management participates in the meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee in an advisory capacity and has the right to propose motions.
Article 17 Auditor
The Board of Trustees will appoint an auditor that is independent of its members and of the Foundation.
The auditor examines the accounts and the annual financial statements. It reports on these to the Board of Trustees for the attention of the appropriate supervisory authority and the general public.
Article 18 Amendments to the Foundation Regulations
The Board of Trustees may amend the Foundation Regulations by virtue of a resolution adopted with at least a two-thirds majority.
Provided that the purpose of the Swiss Air-Rescue Association remains to support the Swiss Air-Rescue Foundation, the right of delegation on the part of the Association Chairman and of three further members of the Board of Trustees in accordance with article 10 of the Foundation Regulations may be limited or withdrawn only with the approval of the Association. The same applies to an amendment to this article (article 18, paragraph 2).
Article 19 Subsidiary provisions
Unless these regulations contain provisions indicating otherwise or provisions that are in conflict with prevailing law, the relevant provisions of the Swiss Civil Code as well as, in the alternative, the relevant provisions of the fourth section (commercial register, trading names, and maintenance of commercial accounting records) of the Swiss Law of Obligations apply.
Article 20 Validity
These regulations were issued by the General Assembly of the Swiss Air-Rescue Association on 12 May 1979. Since then, they have been revised by the Board of Trustees on several occasions, most recently on 22 November 2017.
This revision was signed by the current Chairman of the Foundation Board and approved by the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations of the FDHA on 10 October 2023.
Deed and Regulations of the Foundation