Rescue chopper logs eight missions

ON A MISSION: Among the eight missions completed over the week November 6-12 by the Trust Tairawhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team was Thursday’s flight in response to a medical event at Mahia.

Despite having a day away for aircraft maintenance, while out-of-zone rescue helicopter services offered cover for our region, the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team flew a strong programme of eight completed missions last week.

At 7am on Monday November 6 the team responded to a medical event at Te Kaha with the patient flown in stable condition to Whakatāne Hospital.

They went from there straight back to the East Coast to a medical event at Te Whare Hauora o Ngati Porou/Te Puia Springs Hospital, flying the patient in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Last Thursday (7.15pm) the team were called to a medical event at Māhia, where the critical care flight paramedic assessed and treated the patient, who was flown in a serious condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Three missions were completed on Saturday.

At 11.16am they went to a medical event at Hicks Bay, with the patient flown in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

At 5.42pm they responded to a trauma at Waipiro Bay with the patient flown in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

At 9,16pm they went to a medical event at Otoko with the patient flown in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

The weekend rounded off with a busy Sunday, the team first called to a medical event at Te Kaha at 11.30am, patient flown in a serious condition to Whakatane Hospital, then to a motor vehicle accident at Rakauroa, just south of Matawai (4.43pm), from where the patient was flown in a critical condition to Waikato Hospital.

Because the Rakauroa accident took the Eastland Rescue Helicopter off base for more than five hours, out-of-zone services were called in to offer cover.

A team from Taupo was dispatched just after 7pm to carry out an emergency transfer to Waikato Hospital, while Waikato’s Westpac Rescue Helicopter was dispatched around an hour later to attend an incident at Ruatoria.