The weather made last week a challenging one for the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter service but the team delivered a solid schedule of seven completed missions.
They were, however, turned back on two occasions due to the weather conditions.
The seven-day reporting period started on June 24, with a 9.30am response to a medical event at Te Araroa from where the patient was flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.
As the weather closed in that afternoon, the team joined the search for the fishing boat with three Gisborne men on board that went missing off the coast at Māhia.
“The alarm was raised just before 4pm and the team were dispatched 70 minutes later, taking off at 5.13pm to conduct a 1hr 35min grid search before being stood down due to the lack of visibility,” a chopper spokesperson said.
“The next day, after two of the men were sighted in the ocean off Māhia Peninsula, the rescue helicopter again joined the search from just after 2.30pm to conduct a tight, 75-minute search over the identified area.
“However, with wild weather and no visual contact made, the team were stood down at 3.45pm.”
The three men were found dead on the shore at Māhia the following morning.
The rest of the helicopter’s week: June 26, 12.01pm: Trauma at Tolaga Bay; patient flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital. 2.54pm: Medical event at Waipiro Bay; patient flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.
June 28, 12.30am: Medical event at Te Whare Hauora o Ngati Porou/Te Puia Springs Hospital; turned back due to weather conditions. Inter-hospital transfer later that day; patient flown in serious condition from Gisborne to Waikato Hospital. June 30, 4.35am: Motor vehicle accident at Te Puia Springs; turned back due to weather conditions. Another inter-hospital transfer later that day; patient flown in stable condition from Gisborne to Auckland Hospital.
“It was a taxing week for all first responders working in our region and a very tough time for the community,” Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust chairman Patrick Willock said.
