“While we don’t report those figures, we do record them and that’s really important,” says Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust chair Patrick Willock.
“They are used for analysing not just the actions of the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter, but also the demand for the service, and that is critical to future planning.
“Combined with the other numbers they confirm what our team already knew . . . that demand for this critical, lifesaving service is strong and increasing all the time.”
Meanwhile — and despite a day out-of-zone for scheduled maintenance — the Eastland Rescue Helicopter flew four missions in the week from Monday, January 22.
In the early hours of January 24 (1am) the team responded to a medical event at Hicks Bay; on January 26 they were called to a medical event at Te Whare Hauora o Ngati Porou/Te Puia Springs Hospital (10am), then two hours later responded to another medical event, this time at Te Araroa; and on January 28 (3.23pm) they were called to a motor vehicle accident at Te Araroa.
In all four missions the patients were assessed, treated and flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.