The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter has had a busy start to the year with 56 missions in January. Photo / Supplied
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter has had a busy start to the year with 56 missions in January. Photo / Supplied
It was a busy start to 2022 for the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter crew, almost doubling the missions during the previous month.
The crew carried out 56 missions in January, including 22 inter-hospital transfers, five rescues, nine medical events, six motor vehicle accidents and 14 were to rural or remote locations.
The hotspots for callouts were Rotorua (14), Tongariro Crossing (5) and Tūrangi (2). They were even spotted in the Coromandel.
On New Year's Day, the rescue helicopter transported a patient from Rotorua Hospital to Waikato Hospital about mid-morning. Later that evening, it was dispatched to Taumarunui for a patient who had suffered a medical event. The onboard intensive care paramedic (ICP) provided medical care inflight to Waikato Hospital.
On the way back to Taupō, the helicopter was diverted to Tūrangi for a patient suffering from a medical event. The patient was treated at the scene before being flown to Waikato Hospital.
The next day, the onboard crew carried out five rescue missions in 12 hours. The first was to Motutere, near Taupō, for a trauma patient. Life-saving interventions by road ambulance and the onboard ICP were required to save the patient. They were then flown to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition.
On the way back to Taupō, the helicopter was sent to Te Kuiti for a patient suffering from a medical event. They were flown to Waikato Hospital. Later that night, the helicopter responded to a callout at Tongariro National Park, where a man in his 50s had suffered a medical event. Within 20 minutes of being airborne the patient was located and assessed by the onboard ICP.
Upon returning home, the helicopter was tasked to Rotorua for a young patient who had suffered a medical event. They were airlifted to Waikato Hospital. The final mission of the day was in Minginui for a patient in their 40s suffering a medical event. They were treated at the scene and flown to Rotorua Hospital.
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was used to winch extract an injured patient at Shine Falls. Photo / Supplied
The next day, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter responded to two personal location beacons that had been activated. The first, about mid-morning, was set off in the Tongariro National Park area for two kayakers. The people were located along the riverbank where the onboard ICP and Police SAR were hover off-loaded and the patient was assessed before being flown to Taupō Hospital.
Later that same afternoon, another personal locator beacon was set off, this time in the Putorino area at Shine Falls. A patient had suffered trauma and due to the location of the patient and the terrain, the onboard ICP and a Police SAR were winched down to the area. The patient was assessed, and winch extracted in a stretcher. Due to spinal injuries, the patient was flown to the Taupō Airport where they were met with the Westpac Air Ambulance to be transported to Christchurch Hospital.
On January 14, the helicopter assisted a man who was seriously injured when he rolled his lawnmower down a gully in Wairakei. The patient was treated at the scene and flown to Waikato Hospital.
A tramper injured their ankle on the Tongariro Crossing on January 17. The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was sent to the scene where the patient was treated and taken to Rotorua Hospital.
The Greenlea crew responded to two motor vehicle accidents on January 21. The first occurred in the evening, on State Highway 30 out of Rotorua. One patient was transported via road ambulance to hospital in a stable condition.
Later, upon returning home from an inter-hospital transfer from Rotorua Hospital to Waikato Hospital, the onboard crew responded to another motor vehicle accident in Kinleith involving a truck and a car. Due to being so close to the accident, the helicopter was able to be at the scene within minutes. The patient was taken via road ambulance to hospital.
About midday on January 23, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter returned to Wairakei to assist a patient trapped in a vehicle down a 60m bank. Due to the terrain, the onboard ICP was winched down to assess the patient. The patient was treated at the scene before being airlifted to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
An intensive care paramedic was winched down to help a patient after their vehicle rolled down a bank. Photo / Supplied
January ended just as busy as it began for the rescue crew. On January 30, the helicopter was sent to Whangamata for a woman in her 70s who had a serious arm injury after falling off her mountain bike. She was flown to Waikato Hospital.
The next day, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter responded to a callout to the Tongariro Crossing for a patient who had suffered trauma from a fall. The crew was able to land off to the side of the track and the onboard ICP assessed and treated the patient before they were flown to Waikato Hospital.
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter relies on generous donations to help fund these life-saving missions. Give the gift of time this summer and donate to your rescue helicopter crew at www.rescue.org.nz.
