The future of Wanganui's rescue helicopter service is in jeopardy under proposed changes to the national air ambulance system.
A draft strategy released by ACC proposes boosting the services of rescue helicopters in some New Zealand cities ? but not Palmerston North, where the Square Trust helicopter is based.
The Square Trust helicopter also services the Wanganui district and regularly flies to Mt Ruapehu during the ski season.
The draft strategy proposed dropping the Square Trust helicopter as the district's principal air ambulance service. Wanganui and Palmerston North weren't considered as locations where rescue services should be maintained, either.
Square Trust rescue helicopter chief pilot John Funnell said Wanganui could be serviced by a scaled-down New Plymouth service, or from Wellington.
"They're saying time isn't of the essence ? and on some jobs they're right, but if somebody has head and chest injuries, you need to get them to hospital within the golden hour," he said.
The golden hour principle is internationally recognised and recommends patients are treated within the first hour, to increase their chances of survival.
The draft strategy argued faster was not always better and improvements to equipment and staff on board the helicopter meant it could afford to go slower.
But Mr Funnell said their argument was flawed.
"Many of the patients we pick up would die if they weren't treated quickly? if ambulances aren't meant to go fast then why do they have lights flashing and sirens screaming?"
Mr Funnell said Wanganui and Palmerston North people would lose out, because of a decline in services.
If someone was injured in the back of Wanganui they couldn't afford to wait for treatment, he said.
"A lot of people are saying that the community contributes up to 70 percent of the cost of the rescue helicopter, how can ACC even be suggesting these things."
The Chronicle understands ACC contributes up to a third of the funding for the Square Trust rescue helicopter. Ruapehu Alphine Lifts marketing manager Mike Smith said the possible loss of the rescue helicopter would be felt significantly on the mountain.
"The Square Trust helicopter is the main chopper service we use to fly patients to Wanganui and Palmerston North hospitals," Mr Smith said.
Turoa skifield Safety Service manager Chris Emmett had written a letter of support of the service.
"There's two aspects to it ? if it's a critical injury they need to be treated quickly, and the transportation side of it.
"If we're taking people to Wanganui Hospital via the Parapara, the patient might not be critical but it's more comfortable by air."
Mr Smith said on a busy day up to 5000 people could be on the mountain, so it was critical to have a fast response.
"There could be some issues if we have a critical injury, but it seems fairly logical to get them to hospital as soon as possible."
ACC media adviser Fraser Felster said the strategy wasn't full-blown, and the final outcomes wouldn't be known until after submissions were in.
"There's no need to panic, people are looking at this as a big painting when actually it's a small line drawing," he said.
The strategy was "skeletal" and ACC couldn't understand how people were drawing conclusions that services could be cut and lives lost, he said.
"It's a draft of a draft."
Rescue helicopter service under threat
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