Rescue helicopters visit Waiouru

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 593, 4 July 1995, Page 5

Rescue helicopters visit Waiouru

By

Michele

Monaghan

Military and civilian emergency service personnel, both volunteer and full time, gathered in Waiouru on Saturday to see and be briefed on the NZ Rail rescue helicopters of the Phillips Search and Rescue Trust from both Palmerston North and Taupo. Ambulance officers from the Order of St John were also in attendance to show the equipment used and procedures carried out with the rescue helicopters. Central District chief ambulance officer Greg Phillips ran through medical equipment carried by the helicopters and pilots Guy Beange (Palmerston North) and Pete Masters (Taupo) talked about safety and operational procedures. Mr Beange took time out to talk to the Bulletin about the NZ Rail Rescue Helicopters: "We run on a budget of $170,000 per year, but we need that. About 50 per cent of our funding comes from the community (sponsors) the rest is made up through operational revenue. We charge the likes of ACC for accidents, St John and the fire service," Mr Beange said. There is no charge made to the patient, he added. Operational costs for the air rescue service run at about $2000 an hour, but only $1200-$ 1300 is recovered. "We're eternally grateful to the sponsors for providing funding. Funding is the big one, we're always after financial support," he said. There is a scheme called Friends of the NZ Rail Rescue Helicopters and this can be joined for a minimum $25 donation. Members of friends receive a bumper sticker and two newsletters a year. "Without their help we'd be stuck. We rely heavily on friends. It gives the average person a chance to support us," Mr Beange said. The address to join friends is Freepost 542, NZ Rail Rescue Helicopter, P. O. Box 593, Palmerston North.

The rescue helicopters and their pilots are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week with pilots covering each other when time off is required. "We're very lucky to have two helicopters (available) here," said Ambulance Officer Graham Farley. Mr Beange said he can reach anywhere in the St John Central District in half an hour with back up from Taupo or Hamilton if it is needed. The central district covers Wanganui, Manawata and Horowhenua. "From our point of view we think of it as another ambulance," said Mr Phillips, "(except) it's much quicker." The helicopters have among their communications equipment two police radios , contact with the mountain doctor by VHF radio as well as two other VHF radios and a cellphone. They have GPS (global positioning) satellite navigation as well as radar navigation. "So we're quite capable of flying in nil-visibility," Mr Beange said.

"The weather conditions do slow us down getting to the scene, but once we're there we have no trouble flying out again," he said. Many a skier, tramper and hunter have been air-lifted to hospital by the NZ Rail Rescue helicopters, not to mention road accident victims. If you are ever at the scene of an emergency where the rail rescue helicopter has been called, remember your housekeeping, advise rescue officials. Loose blankets and other equipment can cause serious damage to the helicopter and those around it. Overhead wires are a real problem and a clear landing area must be established or the helicopter will not land. "We rely heavily on the army and ambulance service to provide landing areas. I've run in to power lines once and, believe me, I don't want to do it again," Mr Beange said. Emergency service personnel will generally take charge at the scene and make the decision to call in a helicopter. "Most requests come from ambulance crew at the scene, but we'll quite often extend that to other people at the scene, for example a doctor or army medics. The criteria (for calling in a helicopter) is quite broad," Mr Phillips said.