Zug cardiac emergency teams remain without alert system

The first responder app is currently being activated in the canton of Zug. But the established cardiac emergency teams are not yet connected to the system.
 

The so-called ‘First Responders’ are volunteer helpers who help save lives by providing assistance in cardiac emergencies until the emergency services can take over. The Schutz und Rettung Zürich organisation coordinates such emergency operations on behalf of the canton of Zug, and also does this in the cantons of Zurich, Schaffhausen and Schwyz. First responders In the neighbouring canton of Schwyz have been called out using the First Responder app since 2024.

This app is now being introduced in the canton of Zug, and will be activated in the canton of Zug on 16th June. This means that helpers in the vicinity can now also be alerted in the event of a cardiac emergency within the canton. Until now, special cardiac emergency groups (HNG: Herznotfallgruppen) have also provided this assistance in the Ägeri valley and Risch. These groups are not now being called out via the first responder app, however, and they are understandably concerned.

Deterioration in rural areas feared
‘We at the Ägerital cardiac emergency group see a lot of potential in this app and support its introduction,’ writes the group's secretary, Stefan Hermann, in an email to the Zuger Zeitung newspaper. However, ‘we already expressed our concerns at the time that the switch to the new alert system could lead to a deterioration of the situation in rural areas.’ The advantages of the new app would mainly be felt in urban areas.

Stefan Hermann writes that both they and the Risch HNG insisted on retaining ‘the HNG's existing Group Alert System, even after the introduction of alerts via the app.’ Experience in recent years has shown that the Group Alert System meant that several first responders arrived at the scene within a very short time after each alert. As the cardiac emergency group alert system meant that several helpers were quickly on site, various additional tasks, such as looking after relatives or briefing the emergency services, could thereby also be taken over.

First responders enable survival in cardiac emergencies until the emergency services arrive          Symbolic image: Mihajlo Maricic/iStockphoto
 

‘With the introduction of the new app, our previous method of alerting is now definitely being discontinued, because it’s not technically possible,’ the email continues. Only the three people closest to the incident would now be alerted through the app. ‘Experience has shown that the Zug rescue service (RDZ) takes a little longer to arrive, especially in rural areas, and we therefore believe that this is too few helpers to perform high-quality resuscitation.’ The municipal councils of Risch, Oberägeri and Unterägeri were also convinced by this objection.

A round-table discussion with Landammann (chief magistrate) Andreas Hofstetter, the RDZ, municipal representatives and representatives of the cardiac emergency groups was held in the government building in Zug on 9th April. It emerged that the app had technical limitations and that the HNG's request to alert five people instead of three was not feasible for the time being.

HNG members can become First Responders
‘Contrary to the original intention, the previous practice of notifying the entire group by telephone has had to be discontinued,’ says Landammann Andreas Hostettler, Deputy Director of Health. Tests carried out at the Zurich Protection & Rescue Operations Centre showed that multiple alerts using different systems could lead to no alarm appearing on the first responders' mobile phones. ‘This risk would be too great,’ said the Landammann. At the request of the canton of Zug, a representative of the Zurich Protection & Rescue Operations Control Centre took part in an information event for the first responder groups and explained the problem.

‘The app is already in use in other cantons and has proven itself there,’ explains Andreas Hostettler. ‘As it was not developed specifically for the canton of Zug, the Zug HNG are not specifically included in it. But the Zug HNG have always been kept informed about the progress of the project and the functionality of the app.’ In addition, ‘all members of the HNG who register as first responders will be alerted via the app,’ he added

Based on experience to date, ‘the cantons of Zurich and Schwyz see no need to increase the number of first responders from three to five,’ explains the Landammann. ‘But we are clarifying with the manufacturer whether – independently of the other cantons – it would be technically possible to adjust the number to five first responders for the canton of Zug.’

Registration for potential first responders now open
The Canton of Zug is now looking for potential first responders and, according to Andreas Hostettler, registration has been open since 5^th May, and more than 250 people have already started the registration process. ‘Once they have completed the registration process, had their certificate or professional diploma verified by the RDZ and attended the introductory course, these individuals will be activated as first responders for emergency calls,’ explains the Deputy Director of Health.

The requirements for volunteers are high: ‘About one-third of the first responders already registered have a medical degree, at least at the higher technical college level, and are working in the health profession,’ says Andreas Hostettler. These include nurses, paramedics and doctors. ‘All other individuals have a valid BLS-AED-SRC certificate. This must be renewed every two years,’ says the Landammann.

The cardiac emergency groups will continue to exist and monitor the experience with the new app. ‘If it turns out that the speed and quality of first responder operations decreases with the new app, we will intervene accordingly,’ writes Stefan Hermann from HNG Ägerital.