Despite a quiet start on New Year’s Day and an equally quiet end to the week, the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter flew eight missions for the seven days from January 1 to January 7.
On Tuesday, January 2 (9pm), the team flew a medical transfer from Gisborne, transporting a patient in serious condition for further treatment at Waikato Hospital.
The following day (3pm,) the team responded to a trauma at Ruatoria from where they flew the patient in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital. The journey was repeated two hours later, again for a trauma, again transporting the patient in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.
Three missions were completed on Thursday, January 4 —a medical event at Hicks Bay (9am, patient flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital); a medical event at Te Araroa (11.30am, patient flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital); and a trauma at Waihau Bay (5.30pm, patient flown in stable condition to Whakatane Hospital).
On Friday, the team flew a further two missions — the first to Tikitiki (8am) and the second to Ruatoria (11.30am).
