Jennifer has been working on board the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter for almost a year. Photo / Philips Search & Rescue Trust
Jennifer has been working on board the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter for almost a year. Photo / Philips Search & Rescue Trust
The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter is celebrating International Women’s Day today, and is recognising the important contributions women make to the team by showcasing Jennifer, one of its local female crew members.
Jennifer is dedicated to helping save lives, having worked on board the rescue helicopter as a crewwoman foralmost a year now. Before that, she was a paramedic on frontline ambulances in the Waikato for eight years.
In her role, Jennifer is responsible for a mix of aviation and medical responsibilities. Depending on the mission, the duties of a crewman or crewwoman can include assisting the pilot in navigation, operating the hoist, and assisting the critical care paramedic with unstable patient treatment.
Jennifer says: “The crewman duties are quite diverse, which keeps things interesting. I recently completed my first operation winch - it was memorable, as it was the first time I got to use all my newly acquired crewman skills to help someone in need.”
She says she became interested in working on the rescue helicopter through friends who were part of the helicopter team.
“Being able to help people in remote areas have access to medical care is pretty amazing,” Jennifer says.
She says she is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives, but also recognises the need to care for oneself, and she makes an effort to recharge by spending time with her friends and family.
“I try to keep work at work, and maximise my rostered days off catching up with friends and family in order to maintain a good work-life balance.”
Jennifer recently completed her first operation winch. Photo / Philips Search & Rescue Trust
The rescue helicopter team says that Jennifer can be proud of the incredible impact she has made on hundreds of lives.
The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter relies on donations to help fund life-saving missions. Donations can be made online.
The Philips Search and Rescue Trust (PSRT) is the charity responsible for fundraising and promotion of the North Island’s community helicopters.
PSRT was founded in 1985 after an endowment by Philips New Zealand Limited to mark a light aircraft accident near Tūrangi in which two Philips personnel lost their lives.
There are five rescue helicopters in the North Island: the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter (Waikato, King Country, Coromandel), Aerocool Rescue Helicopter (Bay of Plenty coastal region), Greenlea Rescue Helicopter (Lakes region, Central Plateau), Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter (Manawatu, Whanganui) and the Westpac Air Ambulance - fixed-wing (nationwide).
The helicopters provide air health and rescue services free-of-charge to the public on a no-fault basis. The rapid response is powered by an expert crew of pilots, crewmen, paramedics, doctors, flight nurses and specialist crew members.
