The SAMU 73 emergency medical service coordinates urgent medical response operations throughout the mountainous Savoie department in southeastern France, operating from the Centre Hospitalier Métropole Savoie. As part of the national French Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente network, SAMU 73 manages emergency medical regulation, physician-led interventions, and pre-hospital intensive care across one of the most geographically challenging regions in the French Alps. The service oversees medical emergencies ranging from urban incidents in Chambéry to severe alpine trauma occurring in remote ski resorts, mountain valleys, and high-altitude environments. Through its integrated SAMU-SMUR structure, dispatch physicians coordinate mobile intensive care units, specialized rescue teams, and emergency transport assets to stabilize critically ill or injured patients suffering from cardiac arrest, stroke, avalanches, skiing accidents, and other complex mountain-related emergencies.
A major operational milestone for SAMU 73 has been the development of its advanced Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) capability through a longstanding partnership with
SAF Hélicoptères, a specialist alpine rescue and aerial work operator. The service utilizes high-performance twin-engine helicopters including the Airbus EC145, configured specifically for mountain rescue and airborne intensive care operations. Optimized for high-altitude lift performance, rapid cabin medical intervention, and confined alpine landing zones, the helicopters operate from the Chambéry hospital helipad and regional mountain staging bases to provide rapid access to isolated sectors of the Alps. Functioning as flying intensive care units, these aircraft enable medical crews to stabilize patients during flight while bypassing difficult mountain terrain and long road transfer times, ensuring rapid evacuation toward advanced trauma and university hospital centers in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
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