The Northland Rescue Helicopter crew are often called on to carry out long-range sea rescues. Photo/Nest
The Northland Rescue Helicopter crew are often called on to carry out long-range sea rescues. Photo/Nest
Retaining the Northland Rescue helicopter service and the management of it in the region is vital, says National MP for Whangārei Dr Shane Reti.
The air ambulance service across New Zealand is under review with the Ministry of Health expected to announce successful tenders later this month. Under the changes the number of rescue helicopter bases across the country would go from 17 to 14.
And while one had been mooted for Northland it was still unclear as to who would run the service and how. There is the potential for the service to be run out of Auckland or by an overseas, private company.
Reti, a GP and former Northland District Health Board member, backed retaining the service and its management in Northland.
He said given the isolation of the region it was important to have the service running out of Northland by those with a knowledge of the geography of the region.
"If the service is based in the area and there is an emergency response needed in the region it will be quicker and better than if coming from outside.
"Northland is one of the most remote regions in New Zealand so we need to have helicopters based here with crew who know the region."
The Northland Rescue Helicotper crew collect one of many road crash victims. Photo/ File
Northland was also a popular tourist destination in summer when the rescue helicopter service was called upon as visitors to the region struck trouble.
Often the long range ability of the craft and crew was called upon to help patients falling ill on cruise ships long distance off shore or injured fishermen requiring immediate medical attention.
He would also support a service that employed locals, some of who were the most experienced in the country.
The Northland helicopters were equipped with specialist gear which included an isolation pod that was used in 2015 to evacuate a woman who may have contracted Ebola.
The nurse had returned to her home north of Invercargill after a posting to help those suffering from the deadly, contagious disease in the west African nation of Sierra Leone.
She told a public health officer she was unwell and it was decided to take her to an isolation unit at Christchurch Hospital.
Two teams of specially trained St John staff were flown by the Northland Emergency Services Trust (Nest) and another helicopter from Christchurch to Gore.
The Northland Rescue Helicopter service currently operates out of Whangarei. Photo/ File
Chief pilot Peter Turnbull said Nest had been liaising with the Ministry of Health about dealing with an Ebola scare since the virus broke out overseas. Its Sikorsky S-76 was the largest in the country and the only one to be fitted with an isolation pod.
"It's the biggest rescue helicopter in the country and ... it's a very weather-capable helicopter. It is along flight but it's a very quick aircraft."
Reti said the callout showed the importance of the specialist equipment onboard the Northland helicopter and the knowledge of local staff to operate them.
In May thousands of hours in the air and many kilometres flown incident-free by the Sikorsky helicopters as part of the Northland Rescue Helicopter fleet was recognised by the aircraft makers.
