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October, 26 2023

SteraMist Collaborates with the German Red Cross

Successful Validation by the DRK Rescue Service ambulances in Meisenheim, Germany

Hygiene in rescue vehicles is of great importance to the DRK rescue service Rheinhessen-Nahe. Vehicles are routinely disinfected. The team of the DRK rescue station Meisenheim successfully tested our innovative disinfection, SteraMist iHP technology.

Until now, the rescue service staff disinfected the emergency vehicles manually using wipe disinfection. To do this thoroughly and effectively, a team needs about two hours per vehicle: all drawers must be cleared out, all surfaces disinfected and then wiped with clean water. This method is a long-standing and proven standard in most rescue services in Germany. However, the DRK rescue service Rheinhessen-Nahe is always on the lookout for innovations that make processes safer and easier. After a primarily successful demonstration, the team at the DRK rescue station in Meisenheim, led by emergency paramedic and disinfector Frank Mayer, took on the validation of SteraMist and conducted a study with our esteemed partner in Germany, Universal Disinfection. 

“As an innovative company, we are always interested in new projects and application scenarios. With the team from the DRK rescue station in Meisenheim, we have been able to gain a professional partner who can test and assess the SteraMist system professionally. We hope that the positive results of the study will lead to this system finding its way into the German rescue service,” says Jonas Scheld, owner of Universal Disinfection, the manufacturer’s European sales partner.

With SteraMist iHP technology, pathogens are rendered harmless within seconds by oxidation of their lipids, proteins, or carbohydrates, even stubborn bacteria. Materials and sensitive equipment are not damaged and eliminate the need to clean out cabinets and drawers. The total application time for an ambulance is 20-30 minutes: 10 minutes for iHP application, 7-15 minutes for exposure time, and another 3-5 minutes for ventilation by opening the doors. The ambulance is pathogen-free and ready for use.

To ensure that the new method is fully effective, Frank Mayer validated the process in a total of three runs. He tested the effectiveness using the extremely resistant bacterium Geobacillus stearothermophilus. The comprehensive germ reduction to almost zero pathogens (reduction factor 99.9999%) observed in the result was convincing across the board.

“The results of our internal study are very gratifying. SteraMist’s disinfection system could revolutionize hygiene measures in the ambulance service and would make it possible for ambulances to be completely disinfected during the return journey from infection transport. This would be a real milestone”, project manager Frank Mayer is convinced.

For the DRK rescue service Rheinhessen-Nahe, the trial with the new disinfection method was successful.

A recently introduced built-in device, the SteraMist Transport, is now available on the market and has already been purchased in Germany to be implemented shortly. This advancement enables iHP decontamination of the ambulance on the way back from a mission.

Read the full German press release here.

Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK). The International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, with national Societies in 191 countries, is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. The DRK rescue service Rheinhessen-Nahe is the largest rescue service in Rhineland-Palatinate. With 750 employees at eighteen rescue stations, ten emergency physician locations, and two control centers, we are on duty around the clock for the people in the Rheinhessen-Nahe region. With a high level of commitment and professional competence, they provide emergency rescue services for rapid assistance in medical emergencies and expert care for patients in patient transport.