The Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew has completed a major over-water rescue training exercise at Lake Brunner – made possible thanks to Coastguard West Coast.
The training exercise, held on 17 October, focused on both boat winching and water winching, with crews practising the recovery of people directly from the water and from moving vessels. These highly specialised skills are essential during marine emergencies and rescues out at sea.
Coastguard West Coast provided a rescue boat, two new rescue jet skis and a team of volunteers who acted as patients throughout the exercise, helping create realistic rescue scenarios for crews. The jet skis proved particularly valuable during the training, allowing volunteers to be positioned safely and efficiently in the water for the rescue situations.
The training was also supported by Lake Brunner Eco Lodge, which generously made part of its property available as a base for the training exercise. Its close proximity to the training area provided a practical location for helicopter landings and operations, helping ensure the day ran smoothly.
The Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust extends its heartfelt thanks to Coastguard West Coast, the volunteers, along with the Lake Brunner Eco Lodge for making this vital training possible.
The exercise involved two rescue helicopters, the new West Coast-based H145 and a Christchurch-based H145. The helicopters are run by service operator GCH Aviation. The training enabled seven pilots, four winch operators and five down the wire critical care paramedics to complete competency assessments and operational sign-offs.
Crew Chief Rick Knight said realistic training was critical to ensuring crews were ready when lives depended on them.
“The reality is we can’t carry out this type of training without support from organisations like Coastguard West Coast and volunteers willing to give up their time to help us.”
Water and vessel winch operations are among the most complex rescue scenarios crews can face. Regular training and competency assessments help ensure pilots, winch operators and critical care paramedics can safely and effectively carry out these rescues when real emergencies occur.
Rick Knight says having access to the Coastguard boat, their new rescue jet skis and volunteer crews made a huge difference to the quality of the training.
“Those resources allow us to create realistic scenarios that simply aren’t possible on our own. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who gave up their time to help us maintain these critical rescue capabilities.”
Regular training and assessments are a vital part of maintaining operational readiness, ensuring rescue helicopter crews can continue providing life-saving assistance across the West Coast and wider region when they are needed most.
