Why We Need Air Rescue Services in the South Isand of New Zealand to Transfer Patients by Air

Rescue Helicopters can reach patients in extremely difficult terrain

WHY Air Rescue?

New Zealand's landscape and terrain is diverse, ranging from pastural flatland, rivers and shoreline to rugged alpine terrain and dense bush. The speed and maneuverability characteristics of a Rescue Helicopter in such an environment offers unique advantages and access over conventional land ambulances. In a life and death situation where every minute counts, air rescue may be a patient's only chance for survival.
The rapid transfer of patients between medical centres, particularly from smaller rural and regional areas to larger metropolitan facilities, is also critical and air transport in specialised fixed-wing aircraft offers distinct advantages.

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This film shows a winch retrieval of an injured crewman from a ship at sea off the West Coast.

Due to the ship pitching in rough seas, the winch hook is guided to the vessel by means of a "long-line" while the Westpac Rescue Helicopter hovers off to one side to avoid the ships masts.

In trauma cases such as road accidents and medical emergencies, if a patient can be transported to the specialised care they need within one hour of the onset of illness or injury, their chances of making a complete recovery increase by up to 80%. This is recognised and referred to as "The Golden Hour"
Far out to sea, in remote bush or in high alpine terrain, a Rescue Helicopter is often the only way of reaching sick or injured people
Our Air Rescue service is also used to transport premature or seriously ill babies to specialist neonatal units, giving them the best possible chance of survival
As health service in regional areas are restructured and often reduced, it becomes even more important that a fast, efficient lifeline to specialised medical facilities in larger metropolitan areas is provided

Types of Missions flown:

An approximate annual breakdown of the types of missions flown is:

LEISURE - includes injuries related to tramping, motorcross, climbing, sport, recreational diving, hunting, horse riding, climbing etc

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS - includes all main road accidents involving vehicles, urban and rural.

ACCIDENTS - includes general falls, cuts, bone breakage etc

HOSPITAL TRANSFERS - includes helicopter transfers between hospitals of patients, neo-natal, medical specialists and equipment.

FARM & WORK - includes injuries sustained on farm or around workplace such as machinery accidents, falls from scaffolding, burns, fishing boat accidents etc

MEDICAL CONDITIONS - includes heart attacks, strokes, seizures, asthma attacks, allergic reactions etc

SEARCH AND RESCUE - includes missing persons, locator beacon activations, missing aircraft or boat searches etc

OTHER - includes firefighting, specialist police operations, displays, training etc

Why We Need Air Rescue Services in the South Isand of New Zealand to Transfer Patients by Air, The Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust provides an air ambulance and rescue service for people needing urgent medical care from The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Christchurch, Solid Energy Rescue Helicopter Greymouth & the NZ Flying Doctor Service Christchurch.

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