In 2015 a fire broke out in the kitchen of a neonatology unit in a Swiss hospital. Luckily only minor damage was caused. No one was injured. Following detailed analysis of the incident it was, however, soon clear that it would have been almost impossible to rescue the babies being treated in the unit. An emergency drill carried out a few months later provided definitive proof that new evacuation options for the smallest, most vulnerable members of society were urgently required.

Breathing apparatus and smoke hoods are not an option for babies. Rescue transportation in incubators weighing over 100 kg is an equally poor option. Research into alternative rescue options for babies revealed that none existed. Neither fire services nor hospitals had a solution. A dissatisfying situation. Who wants to have to explain to the parents of a new-born that their child died because there wasn’t any suitable rescue equipment? We certainly didn’t want to. So we founded NeoRescue.