Wairarapa rescues showcased

Life Flight's new television rescue series is showcasing plenty of Wairarapa rescues during its Monday-night slot.

The Wellington-based Westpac rescue helicopter and its Weta Workshop-painted "bandaged" air ambulance feature in Life Flight, which was filmed over four months last year. The show follows the teams of the helicopter and fixed-wing air ambulance as they transport critically ill patients and save lives.

Operations manager and helicopter crewman Dave Greenberg said the crews had seen the Auckland-based show Code 1 and often thought: why not us? "Then this production company came and approached us with the idea, and wanted to include the fixed wing."

Series one stories include a Masterton farmer attacked by a bull, a motorist hit by a freight train, a yachtie who sets off his beacon triggering a rescue attempt at sea, a man's fight to save his Masterton wife's life by carrying out CPR, a Featherston farmer who rolls his quad bike, a tight-knit family watching over a loved one who has been in a horrendous car crash, requiring emergency surgery, the search for a boatie feared drowned and a hunter making the difficult decision to leave his mate in the bush and tramp out to raise the alarm.

Up to nine cameras film each mission in high definition.

Mr Greenberg said it was an interesting learning curve for his crew, having cameras all the around.

"It's day to day with cameras in your faces and for the first week or two it was a bit awkward, then you forgot about being filmed."

One of the biggest issues was patient privacy, he said.

"They get permission at the time to film, then afterwards they get contacted before going to air."

The crew and paramedics wore cameras on their chests, and there were small cameras mounted around the helicopter and plane.

"That's the difficult thing - for one hour of helicopter work, they would end up with 10 hours of footage."

He said there were plenty of Wairarapa stories.

"Our territory is Marlborough, Wellington, Wairarapa, so a third of the helicopter stories end up being in Wairarapa."

While the helicopter was sometimes perceived as the "glamorous" part, Mr Greenberg was delighted the air ambulance was getting equal billing. "I love the helicopter, but the work we do on the fixed wing is so important.

"In the adage of a picture is worth a thousand words, we are getting to tell our story in primetime TV.

"It's getting our name out there, showing all the things we work so hard to do.

"I'm so proud, seeing the way my team treats patients, treats relatives - I couldn't be prouder."

Life Flight communications manager Sebastian Grodd said last Monday's screening had more than 500,000 viewers.

Life Flight screens 8pm Mondays, TV1, and is available on demand at www.tvnz.co.nz