“A birth outside the hospital is an exceptional situation for expectant parents, in which every minute counts and every move must be precise,” says Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende. “With ‘Midwives on Site,’ we’re bringing in exactly the kind of experts to support our emergency responders—women who assist with births every day. This directly benefits mothers and newborns. I’d like to thank the 39 midwives who volunteered to participate in this project.”

If a report of an imminent or already occurred birth comes in via the 112 emergency number, the central dispatch center assesses the situation as part of the standardized emergency call protocol. If indicated, midwives in the vicinity of the scene are alerted in addition to the regular emergency response units. To this end, the “Mobile Retter” alert platform—already successfully in use in Wiesbaden—has been expanded to include a dedicated function. The midwife decides for herself whether she can take on the call, confirms it via the app, and proceeds independently to the scene. This does not delay the dispatch of emergency medical services.

At the scene, the midwife, emergency medical services, and, if necessary, an emergency physician work together to care for the mother and child. They decide jointly whether the birth will be attended on-site or whether transport to a maternity hospital is possible and necessary. If necessary, the midwife can accompany the transport; additional resources, such as the neonatal emergency ambulance, can be called in at any time.

“Our emergency medical technicians and emergency physicians are trained in obstetrics, but births are a rare occurrence for them,” explains Norbert Hagner, head of the emergency medical services division. “The project does not replace existing emergency medical service structures, but rather supplements them with an additional specialized resource. Midwives bring a level of routine and experience to the table that is a valuable addition.”

Statistics from Wiesbaden show just how rare such calls are: Between 2020 and 2025, the emergency medical services were dispatched a total of 68 times for the call code “prehospital birth.” In 2025, there were 24 such calls, and in five cases, the child was actually born at home.

Both freelance and hospital-based midwives can participate in the project; taking on these assignments is voluntary and depends on individual availability. “Midwives on Site” has been developed since 2025 by the Wiesbaden Emergency Medical Service in collaboration with representatives from the midwifery community and the dispatch center. A comparable care model has so far been established nationwide only in select emergency medical service regions.

With this initiative, Wiesbaden is continuing along the path the city has already embarked upon with the “Mobile Rescuers” and the specialized ECMO vehicle for mobile heart-lung support, developed in collaboration with the Helios Dr. Horst Schmidt Clinics: linking existing structures, strategically integrating specialized expertise, and utilizing modern emergency dispatch technology.