Saving Lives 24/7

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗮𝘂, 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁
𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁
𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘄: 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗥𝗼𝗱, 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀

A mission to rescue a patient from dense bush was “slick as” thanks to the West Coast’s new H145 rescue helicopter.

The patient, a contractor to the Stockton Mine, had a suspected fractured ankle.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter paramedic and winch operator Courtney says the patient was in pretty rugged country.

“The rescue crew from the mine were with the patient but there was no way they were going to be able to get her out before dark. They did the right thing calling 111,” Courtney says.

The West Coast Westpac Rescue Helicopter flew in using coordinates provided by the Stockton Emergency Response Team.

“When we flew in, we saw a site rescue member standing up on a skid site pointing us to a rough location. They had managed to move the patient to the biggest area of open space they could find – it was a nice little hole we could winch Rod into.”

That winch was made far easier thanks to the tail and rear mounted cameras on the new H145 helicopters, which were purchased for the rescue service by the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust.

“The new rescue helicopter was awesome. Thanks to its cameras our pilot Chris had a great view of what was happening down the wire the whole time. It made the job far more efficient, safer and easier for the crew and the patient. It was slick as,” Courtney says.

Once Courtney had winched Rod down to the patient, the helicopter flew to a staging area to wait. Rod assessed the patient on the ground before calling the helicopter back to winch him and the patient out. The patient was then flown to Te Nikau Grey Hospital for treatment.

After the mission was complete, the mine’s rescue team contacted the rescue helicopter crew to debrief.

“It was awesome that they got in touch to review the job together. It gave us the chance to tell them that their Emergency Response Team did everything right – they were great to work with.”

Read more from your Westpac Rescue Helicopter at our website. See link in bio.

For 20 years, Radcliffe Electrical has been part of the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust`s Business Support Crew.

Why? Because they say supporting the rescue helicopter is the right thing to do.

Radcliffe Electrical and J.A. Russell Ltd are together New Zealand`s largest electrical wholesaler and are 100% family owned.

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲-𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆’𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹.”
𝗡𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹

We think Radcliffe`s generosity and commitment to their communities is pretty special too.

Recently, we were delighted to welcome some of Radcliffe`s Christchurch team to the GCH Aviation Air Rescue Base to meet the crew and see behind the scenes at the life-saving service.

Read more about Radcliffe`s support of the service at the Latest News link on our LinkTree.

@jarussellltd

It was the `Last Hurrah` ride for the Ducati Owners (South Island) NZ Club and we`re delighted they called in to see the Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew.

Before they merge with their North Island counterparts, the Club members wanted to donate their local funds to charities that are important to them. Thank you for choosing to support your rescue helicopters.

We promise every dollar you donated will go to work, supporting the crew with specialist training, advanced equipment and state-of-the helicopters so they can provide life-saving care when its needed most.

Keen to know how you can support your rescue helicopters? Find out more at www.airrescue.co.nz - link in bio.