Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter reports 35 missions in December

Philips Search & Rescue Trust (PSRT) subdivision Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew carried out 68 missions this month, including 35 inter-hospital transfers, 18 ‘medical events’, seven rural or farm-related rescues and eight motor vehicle accidents.

The organization, which serves the Waikato, Coromandel and King Country region, says this includes 21 missions to the Coromandel peninsula, including 12 to the town of Thames.

Injuries made up 70 per cent of all callouts for Waikato Westpac this December. In addition, the service responded to 13 vehicle-related incidents (of which eight were road incidents, four were farm vehicle rollovers and one was a racing injury on a speedway track). Other incidents included falls, leg and arm injuries, head trauma, fractures, strokes, and spinal injuries.

TECT Rescue Helicopter conducted 35 missions last month

TECT Rescue Helicopter, which serves New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty region, has reported that it carried out 35 missions in December 2021, including 13 inter-hospital transfers.

The organization also recorded 15 ‘medical events’, six rural or farm rescues and one motor incident.

TECT has conducted missions to rescue individuals who have sustained injuries during activities such as boating, swimming, horse riding and diving off bridges. Other callouts were in response to medical incidents such as severe allergic reactions to bee stings, strokes, asthma, and other medical incidents.

Greenlea Rescue Helicopter carried out 31 missions

Fellow PSRT constituent, Greenlea Rescue Helicopter, reported a total of 31 missions last month, including 10 medical events, nine inter-hospital transfers, eight rural/farm rescues and three motor vehicle incidents. It reported that the most visited locations were in Rotorua and Turangi.

Like its fellow PSRT organizations, the provider also responded to several outdoor activity-related incidents including hiking-related leg injuries, mountain biking accidents and quad bike roll overs. Other incidents included callouts to incidents including farming injuries, burns, seizures and other medical conditions.

The organizations say that the figures reflect the seasonal warm weather – the southern hemisphere is currently experiencing summer – which has caused many Kiwis to be more mobile and active, unfortunately increased the risk of individuals needing a rescue helicopter.