The Greenlea rescue helicopter attending a job at Tutukau Rd, near Reporoa, on New Year's Day. Photo / Supplied
The Greenlea rescue helicopter attending a job at Tutukau Rd, near Reporoa, on New Year's Day. Photo / Supplied
2020 was a big year for the Taupō-based Greenlea rescue helicopter.
The chopper flew a record number of annual missions last year and despite a quieter period during lockdown, numbers soared over winter and spring, pushing mission numbers to a new high.
Now 2021 looks as though it may be going to follow the same pattern, with the helicopter's first callout for the year coming just 45 minutes after 2021 began.
It was sent to Golden Springs, between Rotorua and Taupō, at around 12.45am on January 1 to a 27-year-old man suffering a medical emergency. He was assessed and transported to Rotorua Hospital and the helicopter was back on base around 3am on New Year's morning.
After a short rest for the crew the helicopter was back in the air at around 8.35am to transport a 74-year-old man with a cardiac condition from Taupō Hospital to Waikato Hospital.
The rescue helicopter was then tasked to the Waikato River near Tutukau Rd, Reporoa at 12.15pm where a ski biscuit had collided with the river bank causing the three passengers to be flung into the bank. A boy aged 11 was treated for back injuries and a teenage girl, 17, was treated for concussion and an abdomen injury. They were both flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
At 6.30pm the Greenlea rescue helicopter was off to Lake Whakamaru where a 32-year-old man had broken his femur while wakeboarding. He was flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
The Greenlea rescue helicopter on the heli pad at Waikato. Photo / Supplied
2021 had one further job in store before the day was over. At 10.30pm the helicopter flew a 52-year-old man to specialist treatment at Waikato Hospital after he suffered a medical event at his home.
Philips Search & Rescue Trust marketing manager Sharni Weir says the Greenlea rescue helicopter's on-duty crews have been working around the clock recently, performing on average two missions a day.
"With the service steadily increasing, it is now more important than ever to give generously, helping to keep your community rescue helicopter operating and in the air."
There will be a Greenlea rescue helicopter open day at its hangar at Taupō Airport on Sunday, February 21. It will be an opportunity for the Taupō district community to meet the rescue crews, see a live winching demonstration, join interactive activities, meet other emergency services crews and enjoy food and raffles.
Sharni says the open day is a fantastic opportunity for education and building awareness of the importance of the rescue helicopter service.
"We want to be able to share how the Greenlea rescue helicopter operates. This means that the public gains a better understanding of the service we provide.
"This is also a way of saying thanks!"
For more information or to donate, go to www.rescue.org.nz.
