The award ceremony once again emphasised the central role of the rescue service in Austria and honoured those who do extraordinary things every day to ensure the care and safety of the population.
The eight categories of the Camillo Award reflect the diversity and breadth of tasks in the rescue service and provide an insight into the significant contributions made by the award winners to the further development of this essential area.
The award winners and their achievements
The Camillo Award 2024 was presented in the following eight categories
- Outstanding achievements for the qualitative advancement of the rescue service
- Stefan Schwarz from Samariterbund Alkoven, Upper Austria, was honoured for developing first aid courses specifically for people with disabilities.
- Benjamin Matlschweiger from the Red Cross Liezen, Styria, was honoured for his exceptional commitment.
- Training concept
- The Red Cross Academy Tyrol was honoured for its innovative "Room of Risks" project, which establishes new approaches in the training of paramedics.
- Police paramedics
- Martin Schlagenhaufen and Erwin Grubhofer received the award for their "Tactical Paramedic Concept" at the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
- Army paramedic
- Markus Isser from the Tyrolean Mountain Rescue Service shaped training within the mountain rescue service and was honoured for this achievement.
- Innovation & sustainability
- Mario Gasser from the Vorarlberg Red Cross received the award for projects such as the "Infection Type 3 Team Vorarlberg" and a standardised patient handover.
- Leadership & Management
- Harald Fischer from the Red Cross Lower Austria was honoured for his many years of management of the Bruck an der Leitha district office and his role in training.
- Assistance & Support
- Robert Seligo from Johanniter Unfallhilfe Vienna was honoured for his voluntary work in rescue services and public relations.
- Special prize
- Christof Chwojka from Notruf NÖ received the special prize for his services to the establishment of new emergency call systems in Lower Austria.
The award winners demonstrate the broad spectrum of activities and challenges that paramedics in Austria face on a daily basis. Their projects and achievements are examples of the innovation that the rescue service is constantly experiencing and emphasise how important this work is for the Austrian population.
The Federal Association of Rescue Services as a driving force
Behind the Camillo Award is the Federal Association of Rescue Services (BVRD.at), an independent and non-profit organisation that has been committed to promoting a modern and high-quality rescue service in Austria since it was founded in 2008. BVRD.at sees itself as a platform for the exchange and representation of interests of paramedics and rescue service organisations and aims to continuously improve the quality and working conditions in the preclinical healthcare sector.
The tasks of BVRD.at include identifying current challenges in the ambulance service and initiating reforms such as improving the Paramedics Act in order to maintain the demand and quality assurance for ambulance services at a high level. The annual presentation of the Camillo Award is just one of the ways in which the association draws attention to the achievements of the rescue services and recognises the value of their work.
This year, Clemens Kaltenberger, Vice President of BVRD.at, was proud of the large number of outstanding nominations and emphasised the role of the Camillo Award as an incentive and recognition for all paramedics.
The Camillo Award 2024 and the work of BVRD.at emphasise the importance of a strong, well-trained and highly committed rescue service for Austria.
#schongenial when you consider how diverse and complex the rescue system is. From training for all habitats, mountain, country, city, water, different conditions and different challenges everywhere. From cardiac arrest in road traffic to injured victims in the mountains. It's brilliant how well the rescue system works. A big thank you to all those who do this job with such dedication. It's brilliant!