The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter had a busy month in December.
The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter had a busy month in December.
The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter carried out 51 lifesaving missions throughout December - a 73 per cent increase compared to November, making it the chopper’s second-busiest month of 2022.
This included 25 inter-hospital transfers, nine medical events, 12 rural or farming-related incidents, four motor vehicle accidents and one rescue mission.
There was a double in the number of rural missions for the service compared to November, including four missions to Matakana Island.
The helicopter was commonly seen in the likes of Tauranga, carrying out a total of 12 missions, one of which included a callout to a cruise ship offshore from Tauranga.
Whakatāne Hospital was also a common area, having eight missions there throughout December.
The month started with the service being dispatched to Matakana Island early on December 1 for a man in his 60s who was experiencing respiratory issues.
On Monday afternoon, December 5, the helicopter was dispatched to Te Kaha for a woman in her 60s who had fallen and sustained serious leg injuries.
The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter had a busy month in December.
On Monday night, December 12, it was flown to Pongakawa, where a man in his 40s had sustained serious chest injuries after rolling his farm motorbike.
The next day, it was dispatched to Te Kaha Medical Centre for a toddler who was suffering from a fever. The patient was in serious condition and was flown to Whakatāne Hospital for further treatment.
On Saturday, December 17, a male patient sustained serious leg injuries after a skiing accident on Matakana. He was transported alongside his partner to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.
On Tuesday morning, December 20, it went to a rural town near Waihī for a man in his 70s who was suffering from a serious medical event.
On Thursday afternoon, December 22, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Waihī for a man in his 80s who was suffering from a serious cardiac event.
On Friday morning, December 23, the helicopter was dispatched to a cruise ship off the coast of Tauranga. The male patient was suffering from a serious medical event. That same morning, it was flown to Waihī for a woman in her 70s who was suffering from a critical medical event.
The helicopter was then dispatched back to Waihī for an elderly male who was suffering from a cardiac event.
The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter had a busy month in December.
On Sunday afternoon, December 25, it was dispatched to Matata for a young patient who had sustained serious facial injuries.
On Saturday morning, December 31, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Pauanui for a teenage girl who had fallen from a tree and sustained serious leg injuries.
All patients were flown to either Tauranga, Auckland, Whakatāne or Waikato hospitals for further treatment.
