Success Story: DRK Rescue Service Bodensee-Oberschwaben
DRK Rescue Service Bodensee-Oberschwaben
Everything at a glance when it counts
The German Red Cross (DRK) Rescue Service Bodensee-Oberschwaben gGmbH is the IT contact for 15 rescue stations and around 2,500 users. This also includes managing hardware, software and peripheral devices and equipping workstations. The inventory solution PASS Inventory Software provides the necessary overview.
The four-country region of Lake Constance is one of the most beautiful regions in southern Germany and is the destination of thousands of vacationers during the summer months. It is here, on the shores of the third largest inland waterway in Central Europe, that the rescue service of the DRK Bodensee-Oberschwaben is based. Baden-Württemberg's largest rescue service completed around 54,000 rescue missions and 45,000 patient transports last year. The affiliated integrated control center Bodensee-Oberschwaben is responsible for a total of three districts and over half a million inhabitants - a number that doubles in summer due to the masses of tourists.
The IT team at the DRK Bodensee-Oberschwaben supports 16 other DRK associations in addition to its own locations. All in all, they are responsible for around 2,500 users and the technical workstations at 15 rescue stations. Tablets and smartphones are also carried on the emergency vehicles in order to record operations digitally. This results in numerous hardware and peripheral devices that not only have to be issued and maintained, but also cataloged.
Goodbye Excel
When walking through the premises at the Weingarten site, one's gaze falls on the ultra-modern control center. This is equipped with several workstations, including dozens of screens, headsets and other technical equipment.
View of the integrated control center (Source: Rettungsdienst Bodensee-Oberschwaben gGmbH)
Incoming emergency calls from the region are received from here and the fire and rescue services in the districts of Ravensburg, Sigmaringen and Lake Constance are coordinated. People in emergency situations are helped from here with great sensitivity and precise coordination of the emergency services. "It was important to us to show the same professionalism in the IT inventory as in our daily work in the rescue service," emphasizes Benjamin Menzel, Head of IT at DRK Bodensee-Oberschwaben. With PASS Inventory Software, the IT team has therefore been relying on a complete solution for managing all assets since the end of 2022.
"The Excel tool we were previously using was outdated and did not meet the standards we wanted to use to manage our IT in the future," says Menzel. "When we started to record the IT equipment at all of the rescue stations, we only really realized what was available in the branch offices."
Overview at the touch of a button
Since the roll-out of the PASS Inventory Software, the DRK Bodensee-Oberschwaben has been tagging all IT equipment with a barcode and then scanning it into the system. The result is a growing database that ensures transparency. It can be filtered by location, room or office at the touch of a button. This gives the IT team an overview of all devices and makes it easy to carry out maintenance or replace hardware, for example.
"The PASS Inventory Software makes our work much easier. Everything can be called up quickly and we don't have to think about where each asset is currently located," explains Menzel. "What's more, managing the stock ensures that we can always reorder in good time."
Benjamin Menzel
Head of IT, DRK Bodensee-Oberschwaben