Torsten Lenz is 54 years old and has been with the DRK since 1998. He has worked in the rescue service for almost 30 years and has been in charge of the rescue station in Vellmar for 15 years. In addition to organizing operations, he is also responsible for digital radio and the company's internal messenger stashcat.

From test position to standard

It all began in 2020 with a test position. An online report about messengers in the emergency services gave the team the idea of trying out stashcat. “It said there was a framework agreement [...], let's take a look at that.” The introduction was straightforward - and the test quickly became a standard. Today, stashcat is firmly integrated into everyday working life.

Communication in real time

stashcat is proving to be indispensable, especially in short-term duty planning. “If a colleague falls ill at three o'clock in the morning and a shift starts at six, I have to be able to react quickly - stashcat allows me to do that at lightning speed.” Instead of making lots of individual calls, all it takes today is a message in the relevant channel for emergency or paramedics.

Employees also use channels for service swaps, internal marketplaces or topic-specific groups. The platform grows with the needs of the team - from coordination to day-to-day communication.

Advantages and acceptance

For Lenz, control and security are particularly important: "I have a hand on it. I can decide who gets into which channel." This highlights a key difference to commercial messengers: while participants can create new groups or add further contacts, the structure of stashcat remains transparent and traceable at all times. This gives those responsible in the emergency services the necessary overview and prevents sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. In comparison to everyday applications, Lenz draws a clear conclusion: “Compared to WhatsApp, stashcat is gold.”

GDPR compliance and hosting in Germany are also crucial for Lenz - especially in the emergency services, where sensitive data is processed. Another plus point: no private telephone numbers are required to use stashcat. Employees can be contacted directly via their work account without having to disclose their personal contact details. This not only creates security, but also a clear separation between work and private life. Push notifications also ensure that inquiries are answered quickly. Even if use is voluntary and individual employees initially opt out, practice shows: “Anyone who doesn't receive information quickly realizes that they are missing out and wants in,” says Lenz.

Looking ahead

Torsten Lenz would recommend stashcat at any time - especially for district associations with rescue services, as the solution can be used there not only organizationally, but also economically. For him, stashcat has long since established itself beyond pure duty scheduling: as a central communication channel that makes everyday work easier and reliably connects the team.

His conclusion is clear:

“For us, stashcat is a modern and contemporary means of company communication - not just for staffing shifts, but more.”