Viennese of the week

First aid for Vienna is a matter close to his heart

Wilhelm Saurma, Chief Medical Officer of the Vienna Police, as the new recipient of the Golden Medal of Honor(Bild: Stadt Wien/Walter Schaub-Walzer)

Hardly anyone knows how the former chief medical officer of the police changed the city for the better

For ten years, from 2012 until his retirement in 2022, Wilhelm Saurma was Chief Medical Officer of the Vienna Police. During this time, however, he was much more than that: together with the Vienna Professional Rescue Service, he forged the city's rescue chain more firmly than ever.

It is thanks to him that Vienna's police officers can step in as trained first aiders at any time and that almost every patrol car has a defibrillator ready for emergencies. Just this week, one of them saved the life of a tourist who had suffered a cardiac arrest in his hotel, the "Krone" reported.

As luck would have it, Saurma also received the city's Golden Medal of Honor this week, at the suggestion of the Vienna Rescue Service. In addition to all his other achievements, Saurma and Rainer Gottwald, head of the Vienna Professional Rescue Service, broke down many barriers between the two blue light organizations. For his work, but above all for the spirit of cooperation in the service of the general public, the Krone is pleased to join the honors with the "Viennese of the Week".