The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was sent to a Marotiri trail ride event where a teenager had crashed in a remote part of the course. Photo / Supplied
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was sent to a Marotiri trail ride event where a teenager had crashed in a remote part of the course. Photo / Supplied
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter carried out 40 lifesaving missions in the month of March, a 57 per cent increase compared with February.
These missions included 18 inter-hospital transfers, four medical events, two rescues, 12 rural or farming incidents and four motor vehicle accidents.
Locations in which the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter crew were commonly spotted were Tongariro National Park, Rotorua, Kawautahi and Tūrangi, Rotorua being the largest hotspot for the month with six missions.
March began with the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter being sent to Ohakune for a mountain biker who had suffered moderate injuries in Old Coach Rd. The onboard crew winched the patient from their location and airlifted them to Whanganui Hospital for further care.
On the morning of March 8, about 6.30am, the helicopter team responded to a motor vehicle crash on SH5, Te Pohue. A man in his 40s had suffered serious injuries and was still inside his vehicle. He was treated by the onboard intensive care paramedic (ICP) before being flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
On March 13, the rescue helicopter was sent to a beacon activation in the Kaimanawa Forest Park. The patient, a woman in her 40s, had suffered a medical event and was located in a hut. The onboard ICP was hover-loaded off to assess the patient and she was flown to Rotorua Hospital in a stable condition.
The weekend of March 18 was a busy one for the rescue crew. It went to a farm in Whakamaru for a patient who had suffered a serious hip injury from a fall. The patient was flown to Rotorua Hospital for further treatment.
The next day, March 19, the helicopter was sent to a trail ride event in Marotiri where a teenager had crashed on a remote part of the course. The crew were able to land near the patient and he was treated and flown to Waikato Hospital in a stable condition.
The rescue helicopter was then dispatched to Thames for a patient who required urgent transport. The crew flew the patient to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
Later that night, it went to a motor vehicle crash on SH5, where a patient was seriously injured. The onboard critical care flight paramedic RSI-ed the patient at the scene before flying them to Waikato Hospital.
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was spotted at Tongariro National Park twice in a day on Sunday, March 20. The team responded to a call-out to Tongariro National Park, where a patient had suffered from a medical event. The patient was airlifted to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
About lunchtime, the helicopter returned to Tongariro National Park for a woman suffering from a serious medical condition. She was treated and transported to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition.
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to a beacon activation in the Kaimanawa Forest Park. Photo / Supplied
On Saturday, March 26, about 1pm, the helicopter was dispatched to Old Coach Rd mountain bike track, near Ohakune, for a woman in her 50s who had suffered an ankle injury. The patient was winched from her location and transported to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
Later that evening, the onboard crew was tasked to Rotorua Hospital for a woman in her 70s suffering from a medical condition. She was transported to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
The next day, March 27, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was sent to Taupō Hospital to transport a man in his 80s who was suffering from a serious medical condition. The patient was flown to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.
Later that evening, the helicopter transported a woman in her 70s from Taupō Hospital with a serious medical condition. The patient was flown to Rotorua Hospital to receive further specialised treatment.
March ended with the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter responding to a motor vehicle crash on SH47 near Tūrangi, where a vehicle had been crushed by a falling tree. The passenger of the vehicle, a man in his 70s, was flown to Rotorua Hospital for further treatment.
• Support your rescue crew and help keep these lifesaving missions possible for patients in need. Donate today at www.rescue.org.nz.
