Winter is upon us and the Canterbury crew have been busy.

The crew attended several mission in Twizel in May, including rescuing a hiker who had fallen and sustained a Kidney injury. Another Twizel located mission included a media transfer for a patient suffering abdominal pain. Other May mission locations included; Lake Ellesmere, Banks Penninsula, Scargill and Ashburton.

Crewman Wayne Ledgerwood, Intensive Care Paramedic Tatsu Kuwasaki and Pilot, Kent Wilson attended a patient suffering breathing problems in Reefton. This patient was immediately assessed and flow to Christchurch Hospital for further treatment.

Recent news articles accessible on our Facebook page also detailed a winch rescue for two patients who were sinking in their yacht in Akaroa. Both patients were clinging to a life raft and were hyperthmic and flow to Lyttleton Oval. The crew had recently completed boat winch training a few days prior to this mission which proved timely. Our crew regularly test and update their training. This is to ensure they are equipped to deal with the wide range of mission types they attend.

A video detailing the a winch rescue from a cruise ship is also available to view on our Facebook page. In the clip you can see a small portion of what a mission may entail for our Pilot, Crewman and ICP. On this job Crewman Mike McClintock operated the winch from the helicopter above, with Intensive Care Paramedic Brent Williams on the wire being winched down to the cruise ship deck. This rescue relied on co-ordination with both SAR and Canterbury Police.

The rescue crew forecast busy months ahead. Help the crew stay rescue ready by donating today.