Rescue helicopter returns

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 646, 23 July 1996, Page 1

Rescue helicopter returns

Waimarino people have a resident helicopter rescue service with the return of a

Wanganui Aero Works (WAW) machine and pilot. Dean Lithgo w has moved to Raetihi with a Bell Jet Ranger and is now able to

offer emergency flights for accident victims, search and rescue use and medical emergency transfers. Mr Lithgow was intro-

duced to medical staff, emergency staff, police, Turoa Ski Resort staff, search and rescue people, council representati ves and others at a meeting Tuesday last week. The company has been without a W aimarino-based helicopter for several months. "We've been trying to service the area from Wanganui for the past 2-3 months but it doesn't work," said Mr Lithgow. "Having a machine in the area and being seen generates work." He told the meeting of his background, explaining that he has been flying since 1987, is from a Wanganui district farming family and has flown for the company for some time. He said while he will also service the Taranaki area,

he would be based at Raetihi. A Bell 205 Iriquois would also be available for heavy lifting. This machine was capable of carrying up to 14 people in some circumstances, such as some rescue work. Mr Lithgow's work would be 70 per cent farming and 30 per cent commercial. Local money W aimarino Rescue Trust (WRT) chairman Ian Strachan said the equipment and funds, worth $50,000, are still in the area and able to be used with the returned helicopter. The money was raised in the local community several years ago. He said to retain the WAW machine required local users' support. With the advent of the

Palmerston North-based dedicated rescue helicopter and St John Ambulance taking on ambulance contracts for the whole region, control over which machines could be used was lost. Since that time most airlift rescues have involved the Phillips helicopter, despite the 35-40 minutes' flying time from Palmerston North. This point has been a bone of contention with WRT folk, who say they cannot understand how it is better and more cost-effec-tive to fly a machine that extra distance rather than use a machine at hand. "It is ridiculous that, if we have an accident on the Raetihi Ohakune road and a chopper sitting here that could be in Wanganui with a patient in 20 minutes, we

have to wait for the Palmerston North chopper," said Mr Strachan. He said there was some hope of a change in that a member of a commission of inquiry into rescue helicopter services has said he was "horrified" at the situation in the Waimarino. He said the commission' s report was yet to be released. Payment problems There was some discussion on the difficulty of payment for rescue services. Waimarino Police Sergeant Ross Bielby said the situation was changing all the time, but that he understood at present that all requests for helicopter services must go through ambulance control otherwise payment is not guaranteed. Turn to Page 2

Rescue chopper FROM PAGE 1 "That's where the whole thing falls over — they always use the Palmerston North chopper," said Mr Strachan. The meeting heard that midwife transfers in an emergency weren't a problem because Good Health Wanganui was the service provider. This was the case with any medical emergency transfer.