A race against time for the life of 300 children

The four response units of Hungarian Child Rescue Foundation receive three thousand calls a year. In every tenth case – may it be illness or an accident – the life of a child is in direct danger, in other words their life depends on whether help arrives on time. In winter, on ice-covered roads a reliable tyre literally can save lives. For this reason, this year again, Apollo Vredestein donated full winter tyre sets for the response units of the Foundation.

Day by day, Hungarian Child Rescue Foundation – along with the Hungarian Ambulance Service – works on assisting children who are in critical condition. Their team of 50 consists of pediatricians experienced in intensive child care and drivers. They operate with four child response units which are stationed in Budapest, Pécs, Győr, and, in the summer, they provide service at lake Balaton. When during an emergency call to 104 they find out that a child is also in danger, one of these response units is also alerted right away, if possible.

Dr Éva Gesztes, head and professional leader of the Foundation said, „Our colleagues are the best of their field, ready to handle any critical situation that involves a child the most professional way possible. The main task of our response units is to get the team to the accident scene as fast as they can, sometimes even before the ambulance arrives, since one minute may mean the difference between life and death.”

A child response unit is basically identical to the best-equipped emergency ambulance car, except for the stretcher. They work with the most modern tools, which are at their disposal in different sizes. Each unit carries medical equipment worth of 20-25 million HUF (67-84 thousand EUR), therefore these Ford Focuses weigh way more than the ones you find in everyday traffic. The additional fact that they might reach the speed of 220 km/h on highways explains why they wear out a whole set of summer and winter tyres each year.

„Last November we received a call to resuce a 3-year-old boy, who was badly burnt. Our way led through Pilis on route 10, where serpentines and uphill sections made our way very difficult, while the state of the boy was quickly deteriorating. The adhesiveness of tyres was a great advantage, since they effectively kept the unit on the road even with all the sudden braking, and we were able to take turns with a higher speed”, said Richárd Doroszlai, a staff member.

Bakonyi Tamás, CEO of Apollo Vredestein Ltd. claimed, „We have been donating high-performance Vredestein tyres for the Foundation since 2012. These tyres guarantee the safety of the vehicle and passengers in any weather. This way we try to facilitate the work for the pediatricians who dedicated their lives to saving children.”

Source: Press release – www.avantgarde.hu