Northland Emergency Services Trust (NEST) announced today the
purchase of a third helicopter to help service its Northland
operations.
The purchase is significant for emergency services in the
region, with Northland's steady population growth over recent years
putting increased pressure on the capacity of organisations such as
NEST to provide comprehensive coverage.
The investment is welcome news for local medical professionals
and residents of Northland communities, 11,500 of whom have used
the service since its inception in 1988.
Garry Ware, CEO of the Whangaroa Health Services Trust, says the
addition of a third helicopter is essential in a region where
remote townships struggle for direct access to quality medical
care.
"The North has a large number of isolated communities that rely
heavily on the services NEST provides to maintain connections to
major hospitals, with access by road in excess of a several hours
for some regions " says Ware.
"For those travelling in one of NEST's helicopters the level of
need is almost always high and time is of the essence. Put simply,
the service increases the chance of our people staying alive.
Adding to that resource to ensure complete coverage for our region
can only be a positive," he says.
The move follows the three helicopter precedent set by Otago
which, along with Northland, has the highest workload of the rescue
services nationally.
NEST Chairman John Bain says the addition of the new helicopter
was essential in ensuring rescue services and medical transfers can
continue to keep pace with demand.
"Civil aviation requirements state that each of our helicopters
must undergo a full inspection every 300 flight hours with each of
those inspections lasting around five weeks. With the rapid growth
in Northland driving up the number of call outs, we are reaching
this 300 hour mark increasingly quickly," he says.
"While the grounding and inspection of these helicopters is
carefully scheduled by the Trust, not having a backup helicopter at
all times in such an expansive area is certainly not ideal."
The new Sikorsky S76 helicopter will go some way to alleviating
the demand caused by the increase in flight hours and will also
introduce a second winch - a much needed resource for rescue
operations. Currently Northland goes without a winch service during
inspection periods.
Along with improving rescue services to Northland, the
additional helicopter will benefit other North Island services with
a backup helicopter when required. During times when all three
aircrafts are operational, one will also be made available for the
Advanced Pilot Training Programme at Ardmore where training is
focused on up-skilling pilots in a vocation which is steadily in
decline. The revenue generated from this will further offset
operating costs for a third helicopter, ensuring local residents in
Northland communities will not wear the cost.