Born to rescue
Air Zermatt completes over 2,000 rescue missions a year, sometimes under the most difficult conditions. At the Air Zermatt Training Center ATC, rescuers share this wealth of experience with professionals and laypeople from all over the world. Silvana Candiani from Argentina recently took part in the HEMS Crew Member course. Her inspirational life story earned her a scholarship from Air Zermatt and the Swiss Sherpa Foundation.
Silvana Candiani, a young and fit Argentinian woman who is bursting with energy, spent several years putting money aside to be able to train with Air Zermatt. “I kept on saving, but it was never enough,” she recalls. Finally, it was a scholarship from Air Zermatt and the Swiss Sherpa Foundation that cleared the way for her to achieve her dream and sign up for the HEMS Crew Member Course. We met with Silvana for a chat when she arrived at the Air Zermatt base for a day at the ATC. What she didn’t know, however, was that the day was to be all about survival training. This involved her, the rest of the group and their two trainers being dropped off at an unknown location where they were faced with the task of preparing themselves for the night.
With the participation in the course, a long-cherished dream comes true for Silvana.
Gender bias in action
But first, the young Argentinian tells us her story: “I was 16 when I decided I wanted to be a rescue specialist, but this didn’t even exist as a profession at the time,” she grins. “I was told that if I wanted to be a mountain rescuer, I’d have to train as a nurse. So that’s what I did.” And when Silvana, now a nurse, reiterated her wish to be a rescue specialist, this time she was told that she’d also have to be a mountain guide. “So I got on with it, studied and completed my exam as a mountain guide. I was looking forward to finally working in my dream job.” But she was disappointed once again, being told this time that she couldn’t work in rescue without training as a ski patroller. “So I started doing that as well.” Silvana had a baby. Then she was told that, as a wife and mother, there was no way she could be a mountain rescuer. She’d have to be a man, they said – ideally Rambo.
Old-school rescue work
Silvana lives in Patagonia. The landscape is wild and untouched, and the challenging peaks appeal to the most adventurous mountaineers. Whenever an incident occurs, the rescuers set out on foot in a 40-strong team. No helicopters here. “We have to be a big crew because we spend hours reaching the mountain, and then hours more heading up to reach the climbers,” says the young Argentinean. So the rescuers need equipment, and they also need food and drink. All of this has to be carried, and they have to move fast. Often, the injured will need to be carried through the rough landscape, with hours of climbing back down and hours more of walking. Given the urgent need to provide medical care for the injured, the rescuers don’t allow themselves a break. Silvana dreams of a helicopter that would make the job easier, and of better organization when it comes to rescue operations in general.
Silvana in the helicopter with Gerold Biner
Through all this dreaming, and with Silvana’s dynamic nature, she kept hearing about Air Zermatt and its excellence in mountain rescue. “I knew that training with Air Zermatt, the world’s best mountain rescuers, would definitely open my eyes and maybe create new opportunities. After all, I’m 44 now, and I finally want to really do my dream job and save lots of lives in a much more efficient way.” After the HEMS training with Air Zermatt, Silvana wants to settle in Europe and finally start her career as a helicopter rescue specialist.
The Air Zermatt Training Center ATC
Air Zermatt is dedicated to passing on the knowledge it has acquired over many years through experienced instructors who impart their knowledge from real-life situations, authentically and with the highest level of professional competence. These tailor-made training courses are coordinated at the Air Zermatt Training Center and offered at the local, regional, national and international levels. Both professionals and laypeople benefit from the wealth of experience that the instructors are more than happy to pass on. Every year, around 20 experienced rescuers work at the Air Zermatt Training Center passing on their knowledge to around 1,000 participants from all over the world.
The Swiss Sherpa Foundation
Silvana Candiani was able to fulfill her dream thanks to a scholarship from Air Zermatt and the Swiss Sherpa Foundation. Mountaineer and entrepreneur Patrick Z’Brun reached the summit of Mount Everest with the help of Sherpas in spring 2008. During the expedition, he decided to support the Sherpas on their challenging path towards greater independence, thereby laying the foundation for the creation of the Swiss Sherpa Foundation. The main objective of the foundation is to enable Sherpas and other mountain peoples to become more independent. As a qualified mountain guide, one of Patrick Z’Brun’s goals is to enable them to train as internationally recognized mountain guides so that they can benefit sustainably from expeditions and trekking tours in the future. The Swiss Sherpa Foundation and Air Zermatt were inspired to award Silvana a scholarship after hearing her story.
The Swiss Sherpa Foundation and Air Zermatt will continue to support people who are drawn to dedicate their lives to rescue work. We are currently working on a set of guidelines for future scholarships, and these will be published in due course.