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Brief description/objective

The delivery of preclinical care to patients presenting complex symptoms and injuries during alpine
air rescue operations requires advanced medical knowledge and competency in mountain rescue techniques
from all involved parties. Professionals from different fields, such as pilots, HEMS doctors, paramedics
and mountain rescuers, often have to work together on an ad hoc basis. Until recently there
was no training programme in place to develop the team skills needed for such an operation. In order
to train complex and critical responses in a way that incorporates Crew Resource Management (CR M),
a “medical simulation training” (MedSim) workshop for emergency doctors and mountain rescuers was
developed at the mountain rescue training centre (Bergwacht-Zentrum für Sicherheit und Ausbildung”,
BW-ZSA) in Bad Tölz/Germany. A rescue helicopter simulation unit is operating at the BW-ZSA which
can be used to simulate rescue work involving winches. The basic principles and content of this training
workshop can, in part, be applied internationally, e.g. as recommendations given by the International
Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR ).