- Foundation prepares complaint against law on emergency services
The Björn Steiger Foundation intends to file a constitutional complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe against the new rescue service law of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The responsibilities and structures in emergency situations are not sufficiently clarified and do not meet international standards, the organization based in Winnenden announced.
In their view, the state is not adequately fulfilling its duty to protect the fundamental rights of citizens. Citizens have a constitutional right to a functioning rescue service system.
The revised rescue service law was passed by the state parliament in mid-July and came into effect on August 2. Among other things, it provides that rescuers should be on the scene within 12 minutes in 95 percent of cases. Previously, the law provided for a time frame of 10 to 15 minutes for emergency vehicles - but even this 15-minute quota was not met in most districts.
The president of the foundation, Pierre-Enric Steiger, criticizes that according to the new law, only 80 percent of heart attack patients should be medically treated within the medically necessary time frame of one hour. "With such a law, people die every day just because of the legal planning requirements," Steiger said. "Against this, we as a foundation will file a constitutional complaint because this cannot possibly be in line with the constitutional duty of the state to protect."
The Björn Steiger Foundation is a non-profit organization that works on projects and initiatives to improve emergency aid and rescue services in Germany. The following organizations have also joined their constitutional complaint: the Association of Southwestern German Notaries (AGSWN), the German Professional Association for Rescue Services (DBRD), the HonMed eG emergency physician network, and the IG Private Rescue Services Baden-Württemberg.
The Björn Steiger Foundation believes that the new rescue service law falls short in upholding the fundamental rights of citizens, as it does not meet international aid agency standards. In their attempt to safeguard these rights, they plan to collaborate with other organizations to file a constitutional complaint.
