People in Switzerland love to go hiking: 2.7 million people engage in this hobby – from Sunday hikers to ambitious recreational athletes. According to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU), around 37,000 hikers are injured each year. Rega crews rescue between 1,000 and 1,300 hikers in distress every year, most of whom have had an accident.

In difficult terrain, far from roads, even a broken foot can be a case for Rega. Injuries and illness are reason enough to raise the alarm. Missions are also flown for uninjured hikers in emergency situations: prompt rescue can often prevent a serious injury. Hiking accidents don’t just occur in the mountains but also in the Central Plateau region. All Rega helicopters are equipped with a rescue hoist which is always used when the helicopter is unable to land near the patient.

As the figures show, the number of missions is always subject to certain natural fluctuations, reflecting the weather conditions, leisure activities and travel habits of the population and international tourists in Switzerland. Experience shows that the number of missions increases in good weather owing to leisure accidents, such as mountaineering and hiking accidents.

The Rega bases are distributed throughout Switzerland so that the helicopter crews can reach any location in the country within 15 minutes’ flying time. Central coordination for all missions is needed to ensure that the 14 Rega bases in Switzerland can be used in optimum fashion on behalf of patients. Only by keeping an eye on all ongoing missions and other factors such as the weather is it possible to ensure that the nearest suitable crew is always summoned.

Even if the Rega mountain bases rescue more hikers, the crews at the Central Plateau bases are also regularly called out to rescue hikers after an accident. All Rega rescue helicopters are equipped with a rescue hoist and are well suited to this type of mission.

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