Plenty of missions for Otago Southland Rescue Helicopters
The Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter carried out 85 missions between Christmas Day and January 5 - with a significant number in Central Otago.
January 5 was the busiest day of the holiday period with 13 missions, including a two-vehicle crash near the Homer Tunnel, a search and rescue in Mt Aspiring and two other separate accidents at Glendhu Bay and Clyde as well.
December 30 was also a busy day with 12 missions, including a significant number of hospital transfers - those making up the majority of jobs over the holidays (36 in total, compared to 25 accidents and 22 medical accidents).
January 2 and 3 saw 10 missions each, and Christmas Day was the quietest day with only three jobs.
Of the accidents, seven were in Central Otago, including five in the Maniototo area on December 27 and 28 (Naseby, Rock n Pillar, Ranfurly, Oturehua and Kyeburn).
Helicopters Otago owner Graeme Gale said the holiday period was similar to last year, but having two big road crashes (Kingston and Milford Sound), put huge pressure on their resources.
“You put a bus accident in the mix where you have six machines down and then you have to do a hospital transfer at the same time, that’s as busy as it comes.”
He said the sheer influx of people holidaying in Central Otago with the good weather meant people always wanted to get into the outdoors.
“And good things can go bad.”
Regarding the road accident on the Milford/Te Anau highway where there was no cellphone coverage - the rescue service often did not know what to expect until it got there.
“We had two choppers in Milford Sound and then a locator beacon going off and two people needing winched off a hill, plus sick people urgently needing hospital transfers . . . it’s a real mixture and you just don’t know what you’re going to get from one minute to the next.”
He said one minute there could be seven machines on the ground at the base, “and then it can all just change with one phone call.”
Weather conditions over Christmas also made things challenging, particularly with transfers to Christchurch when there was low cloud and fog.
“For years we hardly did a job on Christmas day, but now that’s changed. But the region is so supportive of what we do.”
