On 3 May 1969, eight-year-old Björn Steiger was hit by a car on his way back from the swimming pool. Passers-by alert the police and emergency services immediately after the accident. Despite this, it takes almost an hour for the ambulance to arrive.
Björn does not die from his injuries, but from shock.
His parents, Ute and Siegfried and Steiger, are devastated. They decide to initiate changes in the rescue service so that such a tragic story is not repeated.
Hilda Heinemann, the wife of the current Federal President, listened to the Steigers. She promises to support the grieving parents and from then on plays a key role in networking the Steigers with various federal ministers.
The Steigers decide to initiate changes in order to create a nationwide rescue system. But politicians are not prepared to do this. On 7 July 1969, Ute and Siegfried and seven friends set up the Björn Steiger Stiftung as a non-profit organisation.
The aim is to encourage the expansion of emergency aid in Germany and then to transfer this task to the relevant organisations and authorities. Ute and Siegfried Steiger are initially planning two years for the foundation's work.
However, it quickly becomes clear that their commitment is needed in the long term to bring about change in the rescue services.
