KEY POINTS:
The injured son of a volunteer firefighter who was killed on the way to a job will be transported to his father's funeral today in a rescue helicopter.
Tahi Barrett suffered serious leg injuries when the fire engine in which he and his father, Ray, were travelling to a car accident rolled on a winding stretch of State Highway 35 north of Gisborne on Saturday.
Ray Barrett, 62, died at the scene, despite the efforts of emergency service workers - including his sister-in-law, who was in one of three ambulances.
Ray Barrett, who was also a volunteer senior ambulance officer for St John, will be farewelled today at a tangi in Hicks Bay on the East Cape.
The Lion Foundation Eastland Rescue Helicopter has offered to fly Tahi Barrett to and from Gisborne for the funeral. Communications manager Dana Kirkpatrick said the rescue helicopter board felt it was necessary to support the people of Hicks Bay and the emergency services - many of the people involved have worked with the chopper crews over the years.
If there is a call-out while the helicopter is at Hicks Bay, it will still be available to attend.
Ray Barrett joined the Fire Service in Rai Valley, Nelson, in the 1970s before shifting to Turangi, near Taupo, then Hicks Bay in 1989. He and his widow, Joan, founded the volunteer fire brigade the following year.
