Manfred Unterkofler

A Lifelong Commitment to Emergency Services – The Story Behind FORPLAN GmbH

The highly respected and well-established FORPLAN GmbH was founded in 1986 by Dipl.-Ing. Manfred Unterkofler. His motivation stemmed from his own first-hand experiences: beginning in the early 1970s, he worked as a paramedic and witnessed the very beginnings of the German emergency medical services — along with the many challenges and deficiencies of a system still in its infancy. Several deeply formative and sometimes shocking incidents, often the result of disorganized structures and a lack of technical equipment, left a lasting impression on him.

Yet rather than being deterred, these experiences sparked his lifelong interest in emergency rescue services. He later joined the crew of the rescue helicopter Rotkreuz Baden-Württemberg 7 – known today as Christoph 41.

Driven by the desire to fundamentally improve emergency medical care, Manfred Unterkofler dedicated himself to the establishment of quality standards within the field. This would become his life’s mission.

Following his degree in biomedical engineering, he assumed leadership of the Institute for Emergency Medical Services in Bonn, which operated under the umbrella of the German Red Cross headquarters. There, he led a range of national research projects, including a comprehensive study on emergency medical services and patient transport commissioned by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt).

In the 1980s, Manfred Unterkofler decided to take the path of self-employment. In 1986, he founded the first version of FORPLAN as a research and planning company focused on emergency medical services. Over time, the firm expanded its scope to include fire protection and disaster management.