Wayne has been a Paramedic and Winch Operator on the Canterbury Westpac Rescue Helicopter for 18 years. It’s a job he’s wanted since he was about seven years old.
We chat to Wayne about the changes and challenges in the job, his technical role as a winch operator, and his advice for anyone eyeing up a rescue chopper job in the future.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a paramedic.
My dad was an ambulance officer so I grew up around this kind of work. He told me I was about seven years old when I said that that was what I wanted to do for a job.
When I left school, I joined the Air Force as a medic while working as a volunteer Ambulance Officer for St John in Christchurch. After nine and a half years in the Air Force I joined St John as a full-time paramedic, working in Westport, then Ashburton, before coming back to Christchurch.
During my medic training with the Air Force I completed an aviation medicine training course and was exposed to both rotary and fixed wing aviation. I got bitten by the flight bug – I loved it. This led to me joining the helicopter crew 18 years ago and I’ve been here ever since.
What’s been some of the biggest changes in your 18 years on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter?
The biggest change has been the facilities we have and the machinery we’re using. When I started on the rescue helicopter we had one BK117 and a single engine Squirrel helicopter. Today, we have two H145 helicopters here in Canterbury and one on the West Coast. The H145s modern and fit-for-purpose – it’s been a huge shift.
The level of care we provide has also extended. We come to the scene with more critical skills and advanced equipment on board. When I started if we had an unresponsive, unconscious patient we’d be manually bagging them – using a bag mask to manually breathe for them. Today, we can connect patients to mechanical ventilators. The technology that has been introduced onto the helicopter is awesome; it’s elevated the level of care we can provide to the patient.
What’s your favourite aspect of the job?
It’s the unknown, you don’t know what you’re going to do from one day to the next. Today the other crew have done one job, I’ve been sorting out some equipment as part of my portfolio, but in five minutes we could be going out to goodness knows where.
I also love that it’s a specialised role. We get called for those jobs that can be out of the normal, whether it’s that we’re needed for access, for the advanced life support skills on board, or for speed to higher level care, which is particularly important for our rural communities. It’s a privilege to do this job.
You’re dual trained as a paramedic and a winch operator. What does that role involve?
I’ve got a paramedic qualification, so I can get hands-on, treat patients, carry out advanced skills, and support the patient medically. I also provide support to the pilot. On the way out to a job I might be up the front, helping with radio comms, supporting navigation, looking at weather options, looking for landing sites. I also liaise with ground services like fire, ambulance, police or other organisations such as LandSAR. At night I’ll be wearing night vision goggles.
During winching operations I’m in the back, the pilot is generally on the opposite side of the aircraft and cannot see directly under the helicopter. I will identify where I want to put the medic on the ground and then direct the pilot as to where he needs to put the aircraft. I’m responsible for getting them to the ground safely and getting them and the patient back up, but it’s a team effort.
What are important skills for a winch operator?
You have to have really good spatial awareness and be able to manage a fairly big mental load.
You’ve got to be aware of all the obstacles and dangers around the aircraft, whether it be trees, cliff faces, moving boats or that sort of thing. You’ve got to keep an eye on all of that and the aircraft as well, which is more challenging at night when you’re working under night vision goggles.
Then you’ve got to put it all together, and that can involve some out of the box thinking. As a winch operator you’re dealing with lots of external factors. Things can change quickly and you need to be able to adjust your approach, reset, and communicate with your crew to work out the best and safest option to do what we need to do.
What are the toughest bits of the job and how do you cope with them?
Dealing with kids can be hard, especially when you’ve got kids or grandkids of your own, it can be confronting. You also get some nasty trauma jobs and they sometimes play on your mind.
When we have a tough job we always debrief as a crew to talk about how we managed the job and if there was anything we could we have done anything differently.
And talking with your workmates is important, chatting and having a joke can be a way of working through stuff, bouncing things off each other.
Outside of work, I kept fit and that helps with both mental and physical health. I have two young dogs that need exercise, grandkids, and I have an e-bike. I also play a bit of airsoft on my days off – it’s like paintball but for adults!
What’s your advice for anyone wanting to work on the rescue helicopter?
This isn’t a place to learn the ropes as a medic, so get a good grounding with the basics first. Once you’ve got your paramedic qualification, you need to consolidate and get plenty of experience on the road. While you’re doing that make sure you’re comfortable in outdoor environments, out in the bush and mountains. And obviously you need to be OK with flying!
