Encounters
24h Rega Patrick Sieber, 41, Head of Partner Training
It is no coincidence that the collaboration between Rega crews and their operation partners functions smoothly in an emergency. Patrick Sieber and his team promote this by means of theoretical and practical training courses for blue light and partner organisations. Whether police officers, firefighters, ambulance service staff, rescuers or piste patrollers: they all regularly come in contact with Rega. In an emergency, they support the helicopter crew – for instance, by looking for a suitable landing site close to the patient and directing the helicopter to land. Rega organises training courses to ensure that its partners know what is important in this regard and to further improve the cooperation between the various emergency organisations. Patrick Sieber, who hails from Mels (Canton St. Gallen), is responsible for partner training at Rega. He and his team train paramedics, piste rescue services, police officers, firefighters and foresters in how to interact with a helicopter safely and how to communicate over the radio. Information about the equipment on board the Rega helicopter is also an integral part of the courses. “Knowing who can do what helps enormously during a mission. Good teamwork between the operation partners always benefits the patients, which is why the training courses are important for both parties,” he
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explains. He and his four instructors – three of whom are themselves part of a Rega crew in their main job as p aramedics – train between 5,000 and 6,000 people a year. Patrick Sieber himself is a q ualified forester, was previously a professional non-commissioned army officer at Train, which t ransports material using army horses, and also worked as a trainer in the field of adult education and training. He
The Partner Training team make sure that Rega crews and their operation partners work together efficiently and safely.
has been with Rega for eleven years and knows the requirements of the emergency services. “During the training sessions, there also needs to be plenty of opportunity for discussions and questions – there’s no time for that in an emergency,” he says. This promotes mutual understanding and strengthens the collaboration within the rescue chain. He also maintains regular contact with the crews at the Rega bases: they contribute valuable ideas on how to make the training sessions even more informative in order to further improve the cooperation at the scene of an emergency. Karin Zahner
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