With the passing of Dr. Walter Phleps, we have lost a pioneer of mountain and air rescue.
He originally came from the Kleinwalsertal in Vorarlberg and studied medicine in Innsbruck. His training years as a specialist in surgery at Innsbruck University Hospital coincided with the pioneering years of alpine air rescue, and Walter was already able to take an active part in the initially rather improvised helicopter rescue missions there. In the circle around Prof. Gerhard Flora, he was in the right place at the right time in Innsbruck to contribute his enthusiasm and innovative spirit to the planning of Austria’s first emergency physician helicopter system. At his desk, an initial concept was drafted for a nationwide network of emergency physician helicopter bases for Austria, the basic structure of which has remained in place to this day. On July 1, 1983, Christophorus 1 was commissioned in Innsbruck; Walter Phleps was an emergency physician in those first days and carried out the very first mission of the Christophorus air rescue service.
From 1983, Walter Phleps lived in Fieberbrunn and, for more than 30 years, served there as Medical Director and occupational physician at Gebro Pharma. Once again, he played a key role in the commissioning of Christophorus 4 in December 1985 and for many years served as an emergency physician on “C4”, with the mountain rescue service and with the Red Cross, where he was also Chief Medical Officer for several years. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
In Fieberbrunn, Walter Phleps was constantly available as an emergency physician for emergencies, even after his retirement, and served the municipality as its disaster management officer. Numerous honours attest to his impactful life, above all the Gold Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria.
It was always a particular concern of Walter Phleps to further develop alpine rescue and emergency medicine. He worked tirelessly to implement his brilliant ideas and innovations. For many years, he was a member of the IKAR International Commission for Alpine Emergency Medicine and a member of ÖGAHM. For several years, he lectured at ÖGAHM’s DIMM alpine physician courses on the history of mountain and air rescue. He himself was part of this history, which is why hardly anyone else could have presented this topic so authentically.
Dr. Walter Phleps remained highly active and tireless to the very end; he did not want to retire, but to continue his commitment relentlessly and advocate with enthusiasm for what he believed in. Sadly, a dreadful cancer diagnosis tore him from life within just a few months. Walter left us far too quickly and too soon on December 20, 2025, at the age of 77. With him, we lose a great personality and a dear friend!
Dr. Günther Sumann
Past President, ÖGAHM