photo from Luxembourg Air Rescue 30th anniversary in 2019;

According to a press release issued jointly by Luxembourg's Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Finance, Luxembourg Air Rescue ASBL and the Grand-ducal fire and rescue corps, the Emergency Medical Service is to be further strengthened with a new ambulance.

The Service d’aide médicale urgente (Emergency Medical Aid Service, SAMU) of the Grand-Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS) will be reinforced by 1 May 2020 to further improve the territorial coverage, taking into account new civil security challenges.

The Luxembourg SAMU system had been reinforced on 1 July 2019 by a 4th ambulance located at the fire and rescue centre in Hesperange. An assessment of this 4th ambulance demonstrated a clear improvement in the response rate following calls requiring an intervention from the SAMU.

With a view to continuous optimisation, it was decided to integrate a 5th SAMU ambulance, which will now be provided by the Luxembourg Air Rescue ASBL (LAR) and made up of helicopter-borne means (air ambulance) based at the airport in Findel.

Considering that helicopter assistance from the SAMU is an essential element, this air ambulance will enable the emergency services to quickly reach intervention sites and ensure better territorial coverage. In the event of the helicopter being unavailable (e.g. adverse weather conditions), the crew will have a CGDIS SAMU car which can be positioned in a fire and rescue centre in the country according to operational needs.

The decision to set up a 5th SAMU (helicopter-borne) was included in the new convention, negotiated and signed between the state, represented by the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Finance, LAR and CGDIS.

Luxembourg's Minister of the Interior, Taina Bofferding, is understood to be delighted with the outcome of the negotiations and considers that the new agreement only perpetuates good and long relations between the signatory parties. Finally, the government will continue to invest in optimising the emergency service, in the interest of preserving efficient care for residents.