KATRETTER is based on the results of the three-year research project ENSURE founded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and partners like the Berlin Fire Department and Fraunhofer FOKUS, among others. The KATRETTER system uses the technology of the renowned KATWARN warning system.

KATRETTER is a professional service for rescue services to reach and coordinate volunteers quickly and legally. The KATRETTER system ensures quick and easy alerting of volunteers via smartphone app using standardized technologies. The volunteers are activated in emergencies or crisis situations according to their respective knowledge and skills.

In emergencies such as cardiovascular arrest, but also in other crisis situations, the control centers alert volunteers in the vicinity of the operation via smartphone app. Depending on the type of emergency, the volunteers receive direct access to the relevant information or first identify themselves via PIN or, for example, by fingerprint. Thus the voluntary “first aiders” are able to start rescue measures even before the professional forces arrive.

KATRETTER is a cooperation between the Berlin Fire Department, the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) and the non-profit CombiRisk GmbH.