Vienna rescue service: progress and new goals for more safety!
Vienna will improve its rescue system in 2025 following recommendations from the Court of Auditors in order to optimize deployment times and quality.

Vienna rescue service: progress and new goals for more safety!
Something is happening in the emergency services in Vienna! According to the current report from the Austrian Court of Auditors, significant improvements have been made in recent years. The report, which is based on a review from 2020, shows that of a total of 14 recommendations from the Court of Auditors, nine were fully implemented and five were partially implemented. The city of Vienna also praises this and highlights the progress. How meinkreis.at reports, the cooperation between professional rescue services in Vienna and private rescue services is particularly important.
The Vienna professional rescue service is relying on a new strategy by entering into agreements with private rescue services. These connections are intended to support standardized and uniform handling of emergencies. The goal is to be at the scene within 14 minutes of the alarm being raised in 90 percent of cases. For operations in special areas such as the Vienna Woods or the Danube Island, a time limit of 30 minutes was set. This significantly improved the control of operations.
Technological advances and challenges
Despite these positive developments, there are also challenges. The planning of a central integrated control center for Vienna, which was initiated in 2017, is still in its infancy. The corona pandemic has further delayed this process. The city of Vienna is continuing to work on a comprehensive concept to ensure better digital connectivity and networking of emergency services, reports the SK Publishing.
A careful eye should also be kept on the increasing number of emergency ambulances, which have increased by almost 16 percent in the last five years. In contrast, missions with normal ambulances are decreasing, which reflects a conscious decision in operational planning. The city of Vienna aims to further optimize operations and meet the needs of the population.
Improve quality assurance
The Austrian rescue service, like this gems-austria.at notes, has to overcome a multitude of challenges in terms of quality and organization. Only sporadic feedback on emergency handling is given, which could play a role in minimizing unindicated emergency medical visits in the future.
In order to further increase quality and efficiency, in addition to technical improvements, a reform of training and legislation is necessary. The desire for a stricter definition of the emergency service and a legal revision is unmistakable. Vienna is seen as a positive example here, as the professional rescue service is actively committed to improving training standards.
Overall, there is a clear trend towards further development and optimization of the emergency services in Vienna. It remains exciting to see how the next steps in this important industry unfold.