Big winter spike in local search and rescue callouts
Wakatipu Search and Rescue and Alpine Cliff Rescue volunteers have been called out to at least a third more, close to twice their usual number of rescues and searches in what’s been one of their busiest extended winter periods in some years.
Wakatipu Land Search and Rescue volunteer Johnny Franklin says their 80 or so local volunteers have helped with 14 operations – averaging more than one a fortnight, rescuing or assisting 22 people during the past six months.
“It’s been a busy six months for the team this winter, which is traditionally a quieter period,” he says. He estimates it’s probably roughly “at least a third more, if not twice as much” as they’d normally assist with during that period.
The teams have totalled 3800 volunteer hours deployed on search and rescue operations around the Wakatipu and wider region. Franklin says that’s included 146 ‘volunteer responder attendances’, representing each individual response to a search and rescue operation.
A large proportion of the huge number of hours was spent supporting the massive search at Milford Sound for missing British tramper Eli Sweeting. He failed to return from a planned solo day trip to climb Mitre Peak.
Wakatipu LandSAR and specialist Alpine Cliff Rescue Team volunteers joined the large team of search and rescue specialists from around the lower South Island in the extensive search which covered extremely dangerous and challenging terrain.
“I think these figures reflect the dedication of the search and rescue volunteer responders in our community,” Franklin says. “They reflect the hard work the volunteers put into their training, knowing that they may have to venture out late at night in miserable conditions to assist someone they don’t know.”
While it’s hard to predict if the increased callouts will flow through into summer, the team is ready. “The team is coping well. We have a good reliable team, which is quite big compared to other places, bigger because of our workload and availability,” Franklin says.
