The crew on the West Coast are often dealing with the most challenging of conditions and an average mission length is longer due to the vast distances. We are blessed to have ROA Mining as our naming rights sponsor; this support underpins the service on the West Coast. The Critical Care Paramedics on the coast are the highest qualified medical resource available for the community. In areas like the West Coast, when there is an emergency, the ROA Mining Rescue Helicopter is the only option and can be the difference between life and death.
Completing over 300 missions last year, the mission numbers are building steadily. The service also gets involved with transporting patients between hospitals and through civil defense, with deployment and rescues during crisis times, most recently with the Westport (and environs) flooding.
Left to right – Hernan, Peet, Joshua, Tom, Dazza
As well as fundraising to support missions on the West Coast we are working on a number of exciting projects to improve patient care and save more lives. Longer-term, the aim is to replace the existing BK-117 with a more modern aircraft with more advanced avionics. This will facilitate Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) which allows us to fly in lower cloud conditions, enabling the ROA Mining Rescue Helicopter to respond in more compromised weather conditions – a real game changer for the West Coast. We are also looking at equipment upgrades and supplementary training so the crew are fully prepared for all missions.
Mission support
Can you contribute to the cost of a mission or fund a lifesaving mission?
You can support a complete mission
1 mission- $5,000
2 missions – $10,000
4 missions – $20,000.
Or give a monthly gift – $20, $3o, $50, or your choice
Special Projects Development Fund
In line with requirements of the new NASO contract, the West Coast community is now served by a twin engine BK117-B2 rescue helicopter.
| MAKE/MODEL | BK-117 – B2 |
| ENGINE | Twin Allied Signal, LTS101-850B2 |
| SHAFT HORSEPOWER | 850 HP each engine |
| CREW | 1 pilot, 2 paramedics |
| MAX SPEED | 150 knots / 280kph |
| CRUISE SPEED | 120 knots / 222kph |
| RANGE | 540 kilometres |
| SERVICE | 1 HELICOPTER AND CREW ON CALL 24/7 |
| MISSIONS | 300+ AVERAGE PER YEAR |
Our community and corporate sponsors are greatly valued. Without their support our service would not be able to operate. The Canterbury West Coast Rescue Helicopter Trust gratefully acknowledges the following companies whose generous support contributes to the efficient operation of a viable FREE Rescue Helicopter Service in our region.
𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹?
Your experience could help us show just how vital our rescue helicopters are to the community. If you`ve been rescued by one of our helicopters in Canterbury or on the West Coast, we`d love to hear your story!
Sharing your journey raises awareness about the life-saving work the crew do every day. Whether it`s a medical emergency, an outdoor adventure gone wrong, or something else, your story matters.
Simply fill out the form in our profile or comment "story" below to get it via DM.
There are some examples of incredible rescues on our website and linked through our profile.
- Stories of children and babies
- Tramping incidents
- skiing accidents
- Farming stories
𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘁? 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻......
If you took part in the Back to Base Challenge this year, you should have received an email from us with a link to our survey. We`d love to hear from you about how you found the whole event and what you`d like us to change.
If you haven`t seen your email, check your spam or message us and we`ll get another out to you.
Don`t forget you`ll get a gift from @craftywekabar at the end of your survey!
A huge pleasure to have Edna-May, Trevor and Anita visit the base this morning.
Edna-May had a serious car accident in April and it was wonderful to see how well she has recovered.
Anita has been in the news a bit around the mid-Canterbury area for her incredible fundraising through the Back to Base Challenge.
Thank you for visiting, it is always great for the crew to get an update on how patients are getting on.
#airrescue #lifesaving #paramedics #pilots #helicopterrescue
A huge thank you to our friends at @milestoyota who have given us a car service for one of our amazing Back to Base participants.
Congratulations to Kate A from Christchurch who will find a voucher in her email box later today.
#backtobasenz
